Professional Nurse Advocacy is a model of support and professional leadership delivered by trained registered nurses. It equips nurses with the skills to provide Restorative Clinical Supervision (RCS), enabling colleagues to reflect on their practice in a safe, structured and confidential space. The aim is to improve wellbeing, resilience, professional satisfaction, and the quality of patient care, while strengthening workforce retention and fostering a positive workplace culture.
In essence, Professional Nurse Advocacy looks after the wellbeing and development of nurses, so nurses can continue to deliver safe, high-quality care.
Core purposes of a PNA:
- Support staff wellbeing and resilience – providing restorative clinical supervision (RCS) to reduce stress, burnout and feelings of isolation.
- Improve quality of care – helping nurses reflect on clinical practice, decision-making and patient outcomes.
- Quality Improvement – enabling nurses to undertake personal action.
- Enhance professional development – identifying learning needs and encouraging personal growth and confidence.
- Strengthen retention and workforce culture – creating a supportive environment that values staff and promotes a positive workplace culture.
- Improve team dynamics – encouraging better communication, psychological safety and shared learning.
The A-Equip Model
The A-EQUIP [Advocating and Educating for QUality ImProvement] model is used by all Professional Nurse Advocates [PNAs] to deliver all four elements outlined below. The model supports professional nursing leadership and clinical supervision which are essential in enabling nurses to continuously improve the care they provide to patients and their families. It also protects their own and their colleagues’ health and wellbeing.
The four elements of the A-EQUIP model:
- advocating for the patient, the nurse and healthcare staff
- providing clinical supervision using a restorative approach
- enabling nurses to undertake personal action for quality improvement
- promoting the education and development of nurses
Clinical Supervision vs Restorative Clinical Supervision
You may already have access to clinical supervision and whilst this can be supportive, these sessions are often focused upon the clinical and professional elements rather than the emotional wellbeing and restorative aspects.
What Restorative Clinical Supervision is:
- A safe, confidential space for reflection and emotional processing
- Non-judgmental, person-centred, and reflective
- Protected time for you to feel heard, valued and supported
- Available in one-to-one, online sessions
- Focused on well-being and resilience
- Provided by a team of primary care PNAs
What Clinical Supervision is not:
- Used for case review and competency assessment
- Directed and prescribed by the PNA
- A type of counselling
- Mandatory
- Part of the annual appraisal
Positive Impact of Restorative Clinical Supervision:
- Reduces levels of stress, burnout and sickness absence
- Increased retention of staff
- Increase in confidence and competence
- Improved working relationships and team dynamics
- Increased well being and resilience
- Helps staff to feel supported and valued
- Supports staff to manage workplace pressures and complexities
“RCS promotes reflection of personal emotions and practice, has a positive impact on emotional wellbeing, provides a strategy to mitigate workplace stress, enhances retention and assists with the management of personal and professional demands”
(Royal College of Nursing, 2021)
“Delivery of RCS has shown a reduction in burnout by 43% and stress by 62% from regional baselines”
(Coyne T et al, 2025)
Staffordshire Professional Nurse Advocates
We are all experienced nurses passionate about providing you with the support needed to navigate the challenges of working within primary care. Whilst primary care is a rewarding place to work, we understand the ever-increasing pressures that you face each day and the fact that these can at times, feel isolating.
We are qualified professional nurse advocates [PNAs] trained to a high level so that we can hold a safe, confidential space for you during times when you are experiencing overwhelm, stress or have experienced things that cause confusion or uncertainty.
If you would like to discuss how we can support you, please contact the Staffordshire Training Hub Professional Nurse Advocate team at traininghub@gpfirst.net.
Current Staffordshire PNAs
Rachel Viggars
Maria Pickford
Gill Boast
Jane Welsh
Michelle Heaney
Sarah Gozzard
Debra Shrewsbury
Abigail Hulse
Rachel Hughes
Useful Information
Self-Reflection Tools
Are you letting others affect your behaviour? (Betari Box)
Kahler’s Drivers | Turas | Learn
Professional Quality of Life (proQOL) is intended to help you to understand the positive and negative aspects of helping others. Recognising the impact that caring for others can take on you can improve your ability to help them and your ability to keep your own balance.
How do you feel today? Wheel-of-Emotions-Handout-(3).pdf
Self Care
Self-care Tools | ProQOL tools include information on burnout, compassion fatigue, sleep and keeping boundaries alongside those that will help you stay grounded and in the present moment [breathing techniques, mindfulness].
Quality Improvement
Plan, Do, Study, Act learning-handbook-pdsa.pdf and PDSA cycle.pdf
SMART Setting objectives.pdf
Other Well Being Services
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