The Nursing and Midwifery Council has launched a major consultation on plans for big changes to how nurses are educated and what they can be expected to do once qualified.
Proposals for the new education and assessment standards include:
- Increasing the limit on the number of practice hours using simulated situations rather than real-life patients from 300 to 1,150 out of 2,300;
- changes to the system for how students are mentored while on placement;
- adding prescribing theory to the degree programme.
You can find full details on the NMC website at nmc.org.uk/nurse2030.
UNISON will be collating a detailed response and wants registered and student nurse members to have their say.
“We will ask for members’ views in a variety of ways, including a survey,” says national officer Helga Pile, urging members to check the union website regularly for updates.
More immediately, though, members can email their early reactions to UNISON’s health team at health@unison.co.uk.
