Six organisations across the UK have been chosen by the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) to test nurse revalidation.
More pilot areas will be announced over the coming months so that nurse revalidation can be tested in primary care, social care, the independent sector and for nurses who are self-employed.
Information gained through the pilots will be used to improve the model before it is introduced in 2015.
Participating organisations are:
– Aneurin Bevan University Health Board.
– Guys and St. Thomas’ NHS Foundation Trust.
– Mersey Care NHS Trust.
– NHS Tayside, and local partners.
– Public Health England.
– Western Health and Social Care Trust.
Royal College of Nursing (RCN) chief executive Dr Peter Carter said: “It is important that these pilots reflect the wide range of settings in which nurses work, including primary care, the community, and those working outside the public sector, and the next pilot announcements should reflect this.
“It is absolutely vital that the NMC uses what it learns from these pilots to develop this system into one which works effectively and efficiently, particularly focusing on the impact it will have on the time and resources of those involved.”
Sue Covill, director of employment services at NHS Employers expressed concern that only five NHS trusts or health boards are taking part in the pilots so far.
She this will “restrict the ability to extract and share learning and build momentum across the system”.
Covill added: “We are pleased to see that further sites are to be announced next month to ensure that the pilots cover all settings and circumstances in which registrants practice but we would urge the NMC to consider extending the number of NHS pilots and we would be happy to facilitate discussions with employers for this to happen quickly.”
Revalidation will require nurses and midwives to confirm to the NMC that they are up to date and fit to practice every three years.
Jackie Smith, NMC chief executive said: “Revalidation is an important system of regular checks to make sure that nurses and midwives are up to date and fit to practise throughout their careers.
“The people who will help us to pilot the system of revalidation have an essential role to play in developing this new system, which will be the biggest change to the way nurses and midwives are regulated in decades.”
