Setting The Direction For Nursing & Midwifery Education in Scotland

Strategic Aim 1

Develop a sustainable national approach to post-registration and postgraduate education and continuing professional development

An estimated 85% of the current nursing and midwifery workforce will still be working in NHSScotland in 2020.^[10] They will need a range of high quality, flexible and coordinated education and continuing professional development to support new ways of working, with assistive and support workers, the wider inter-professional team and within new service configurations to deliver the 2020 Vision. For some practitioners this will mean moving into completely new roles and for others, developing their existing roles so that they are fit for a new purpose, perhaps within different care settings. Setting the Direction positions education within the Everyone Matters: 2020 Workforce Vision implementation framework and plan^[11] and the Route Map to the 2020 Vision for Health and Social Care.^[12]

How we are doing this now

Provision

The range of education includes university and college accredited programmes and modules and Continuing Professional Development (CPD) delivered within NHS Boards and other organisations. Nursing and midwifery departments list over 400 modules and departments such as social work and education also provide post-registration and postgraduate programmes for nurses, midwives and other healthcare professions. However, in the absence of a national infrastructure (see Strategic Aim 6), there are examples, such as health visiting and unscheduled care, where education provision is not always related closely to workforce needs nor available consistently across Scotland.

Uptake

Flexible delivery methods have improved access to education but it remains challenging for employers to release staff or to protect study time. Falling applicant numbers have led to some universities withdrawing programmes such as District Nursing and losing specialist expertise from the education workforce at a time when it is most needed (see Strategic Aim 6).

Funding

NHS Boards' education and CPD budgets fluctuate and are subject to various levels of investment and competitive pressures. Central funding includes some Scottish Government funding to support specific service developments within NHS Boards and the development of practice education roles and resources, such as Flying Start NHS®^[13] and the Effective Practitioner^[14], by NHS Education for Scotland.

Advancing Practice

Within a growing graduate workforce and the context of service redesign, a greater proportion of the nursing and midwifery workforce will require postgraduate education to practice at a higher level. Existing initiatives to support early and later career development (Early Clinical Career Fellowships, Advanced and Consultant level succession planning) have been effective but in the future will need to be more closely aligned to service needs and integrated workforce planning.

Improving what we do

1.1 Develop a delivery plan to support nursing and midwifery education, as one strand of Workforce 2020 implementation

1.2 Ensure safety, effectiveness and person-centred approaches are embedded within all education and development

1.3 Map roles at all levels using the NES Post-registration Career Development Framework^[15] to achieve nationally consistent education and service outcomes

1.4 Provide education for priority areas, such as community nursing and unscheduled care, that is accessible, flexible, sustainable and responsive to local need

1.5 Support postgraduate development early in nursing and midwifery careers in key areas of practice, management, education or research

1.6 Align support worker education consistently with the changing nursing and midwifery workforce

1.7 Ensure education develops roles that are flexible across care settings, relevant to context such as remote and rural practice and embrace technology and innovation

Collaborating for the future

1.8 Work together to promote a learning culture in which development and improvement are inherent in everyday working practices

1.9 Achieve graduate and postgraduate excellence through collaborative working and accreditation models between education providers, NHS Education for Scotland, NHSScotland, local authority and third sector partners

1.10 Build further collaboration amongst universities, colleges and NHS Learning and Development Leads to support excellence, avoid duplication and ensure sustainability

1.11 Work collaboratively at a national level to ensure a range of postgraduate programmes support emerging roles in advanced practice, such as in community settings and more specialised roles in hospital

1.12 Work collaboratively with partners to promote educational technology and other methods which improve flexibility and access and suit a range of learning styles and preferences

1.13 Build collaboration across sectors to develop a more integrated approach to education for health and social care practitioners