1. Benefits to General Practice
Practices can invest in current or new staff as part of wider workforce planning and skill mix transformation.
The creation of the Nursing Associate Apprenticeship (sNA) training and role is a landmark innovation for the nursing and care profession (Health Education England) This course will enable you to develop the knowledge and skills set to meet the national requirements to bridge the gap between the health care support worker and registered nurse to deliver hands-on care across a variety of setting.
Employer resources | NHS England (NHSE)
Why employ a nursing associate.pdf (hee.nhs.uk)
2. The role
With continued professional development, Nursing Associates will provide additional capacity within the nursing team. This might be in areas such as contributing to cervical cytology screening, meeting quality and outcomes framework targets and management of long-term conditions. Having additional capacity to meet patient need will be a welcome addition to the team. Supporting development of a Nursing Associate provides an opportunity to shape and mould an individual to fit into a developing team.
3. How it works
This Apprenticeship has been designed and developed to meet professional body requirements in collaboration with employers, service users, and students/apprentices. To access the Apprenticeship, you must be in employment in a health or care setting for a minimum of 30 hours a week. The employer must be able to provide the Nursing Associate apprentice with a practice assessor (Registrant with NMC) in the employed setting, and a practice supervisor, and/or practice assessor are required within external placements to meet NMC Standards for Student Supervision and Assessment.
For further information on Supervisor and Assessor training for all staff please contact Staffordshire Training Hub or your General Practice Nurse Facilitator
This two-year, three-month programme involves attendance at University is for 1/2 day per week. There is a requirement to complete mandatory external placement hours that equate to 460 hours in total over the two-year programme that must be completed away from the employed/host setting. External placement experiences are essential to meet NMC requirements and benefit from experience of children and adults, and patients/service users with mental health conditions and learning disabilities in a variety of health and care settings.
4. Qualification and entry requirement
- Applicants must be employed within a health or care setting for a minimum of 30 hours a week (some providers ask for 37.5hrs) evidence of care experience, and /or The Care Certificate is advised.
- Applicants must possess Level 2 / GCSE at grade C+ /4 in an English-based subject and Maths or equivalent- for further info see apprenticeship link
- The employer will be required to evidence an enhanced DBS check and clearance for the apprentice within 12 months prior to starting the programme.
- The employer will be required to evidence that the applicant has received an occupational health assessment prior to starting the programme.
Digital Team – Aspiring Trainee Functional Skills Toolkit.pdf – All Documents (sharepoint.com)
On successful completion of this professionally accredited course, you will have achieved a Nursing Associate Foundation Degree (FD Sci), and will be eligible to register with the NMC as a qualified Nursing Associate.
Nursing Associates – The Nursing and Midwifery Council (nmc.org.uk)
5. Funding Support
Trainee Nursing Associates can be classified as apprentices and are eligible for relevant funding support.
- Education fees are required by the education providers to deliver the nursing associate apprenticeship programme and are currently set nationally at a maximum of £15,000.
- This can be met by utilising the apprenticeship levy. Employers can be supported to seek the funding by the NHSE Apprenticeship Relationship Managers (see apprentice section of this web site for more information) B The employers need to set up a digital apprenticeship account (supported by their Training Hub).
- This digital account only needs to be set up once and can be used again if the employer wishes to seek further apprenticeships funding.
Digital Team – Nursing associates and the apprenticeship levy.pdf – All Documents (sharepoint.com)
Employers can receive NHSE training funding support for a Trainee Nursing Associate. This is £4,000 per year per TNA. The NHSE funding support can be used flexibly by employers to support the TNA within their practice, for example, supervision support for the TNA. Practices do not need to apply for this funding. NHSE Regional teams collect learner details from the university and contact the practice to arrange contracts and payment once the TNA has started the training programme.
Other useful resources
Nursing-Associates-FINAL.pdf (work-learn-live-blmk.co.uk)
Becoming a nursing associate – The Nursing and Midwifery Council (nmc.org.uk)
Course providers
Nursing-Degree-Apprenticeship-Update-Level-5.pdf (wlv.ac.uk)
Wolverhampton-Nursing Associate Apprenticeship
Staffordshire Un- Nursing Associate Apprenticeship