Phase 1 November 2007 - February 2008
The Review of pre-registration nursing education focuses on the future and how nursing programmes across the UK will need to look in order to enable nurses to meet the needs of patients safely and effectively.
It is being undertaken in response to changes in policy and the delivery of healthcare and is part of the Government’s work around Modernising Nursing Careers.
The Review is a two-stage process. This first stage focused on the principles for a future framework for pre-registration nursing education and ran from November 2007 to February 2008. It was carried out in association with the Department of Health’s review on Modernising Nursing Careers.
In the consultation we sought views on five key areas:
- should the minimum academic level for pre-registration nursing in the UK be at Diploma in Higher Education level, or at degree level?
- should the concept of the specialist ‘branch’ remain and, if so, which of the existing four branches (adult, children’s, learning disability, and mental health) should be retained?
- should there be a new ‘generalist’ programme for pre-registration and, if so, should it form a new branch, alongside any new or existing branches?
- should a specific time be set for learning in practice in the community?
- should there be a mandatory consolidation period set by the NMC following initial registration and, if so, how long should it be; what should it contain; and should it be linked to the first renewal of registration?
Nursing: towards 2015, commissioned by the NMC to inform the debate on the future of pre-registration nurse education, provided the background to this Review. This literature and policy review sets out a number of possible scenarios in relation to how nursing care might be delivered in the future
More than 3000 individuals and organisations from around the UK responded to the consultation by completing an online survey and/or by taking part in focus groups.
Following consultation, a set of principles to support a new framework for pre-registration nursing education were developed. These were agreed by Council at their meeting on September 4th, 2008.
Read here for more information on the Confirmed principles to support a new framework for pre-registration nursing education
Reports from the first phase of the Review are available to download. Also available are an equality and diversity summary which presents the equality and diversity related findings.
There is an Equality Impact Assessment too, which considers the likely impact that the principles to support the development of a new framework for pre-registration nursing education might have on certain groups in society.
These will also be used to inform the next phase of the Review which will look at the content and structure of pre-registration nursing education programmes. Work on this is due to commence in the latter part of 2008.
Documents and links
Supporting documentation for pre-registration nursing education consultation
View a printable version of this page
First created: 03/10/2007
Last modified: 03/04/2009