Eighteen new nursing associates trained on a pilot programme will now begin caring for the community at centres run by Whittington Health NHS Trust.
The nurses are among the first in England to successfully complete the new clinical and academic training, after a two year course.
Following the creation of the new nursing associate role, this nation-wide pilot hopes to add 1,500 workers to the Nursing and Midwifery Council’s (NMC) register.
Yvonne Kirya, now working as a nursing associate in a Whittington Emergency Department, said: “It was daunting working in the Emergency Department as a trainee because I had no previous experience of working in hospital, but the training and support of my colleagues has given me the skills and confidence I need to fully contribute to the team and provide outstanding patient care.”
Michelle Johnson, chief nurse at Whittington Health NHS Trust said: “It is my complete privilege to welcome and congratulate our newly qualified nursing associates. . “We are very excited that this role not only builds a career pathway for our unregistered staff but also helps us to build the future capacity we need in our nursing workforce to ensure we can always deliver high quality care for our patients.”
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