A new alliance has been formed to help nurses across primary and secondary care plan and work together to promote excellence in respiratory practice.
The Respiratory Nurse Alliance (RNA) has been established by key respiratory organisations working collaboratively to enable strategic discussion and provide a united voice to inform policy and proactively take respiratory care forward.
Current members include the Association of Respiratory Nurse Specialists (ARNS), General Practice Airways Group (GPIAG) and the RCN Respiratory Nurses Forum and Respiratory Education UK.
It is the RNA’s mission to make a positive difference to the lives of children, young people and adults with respiratory conditions.
“This is really exciting to be part of the RNA, who recognise that nurses are pivotal to providing quality respiratory care and will provide a national voice for all nurses providing respiratory care,” said Stephanie Wolfe, who is representing GPIAG, and is the current chairperson of the RNA.
In 2007, a study into the roles, responsibilities and professional training of primary care nurses in the field of respiratory disease was conducted by Education for Health, a National Training Charity.
Monica Fletcher, CEO of the Charity, said: “We were delighted to see that nurses are central to the delivery of respiratory disease in primary care and many are working at an advanced level.
“However at the same time it was concerning to observe that many of these nurses were not adequately trained to take on such roles.” The RNA will be putting training as a high priority in its first year.
