England’s chief nurse for adult social care and the minister for care are going to become ‘very united’ on the issue of ensuring more student nursing placements within social care settings, a conference has heard.
Speaking at a Queen’s Nursing Institute (QNI) network event yesterday, Professor Deborah Sturdy said she has had her first one-to-one meeting with care minister Stephen Kinnock – whose portfolio includes social care and community and primary care integration.
‘He was very interested in nursing and the wider workforce and what we bring to the table,’ Professor Sturdy told attendees.
The chief nurse described speaking to the minister about the need to give student nurses experiences in social care, to develop the future social care nursing workforce.
‘If you don’t get student nurses at an undergraduate level to have an experience in social care, how can you possibly sell it as a career option for them?’ she said.
‘So, he and I are going to get very united on that front.’
She also committed to working closely with the minister and the new chair and chief executive of the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) to ‘push’ the regulator to promote more social care nursing placements for students.
‘Because I absolutely know at this point in my career that if you don’t experience things, you don’t understand them and there’s real opportunity there,’ she said.
Professor Sturdy has submitted a list of suggested changes to improve the profile of social care nursing for Mr Kinnock to continue working on, she said.
And she also encouraged event participants to engage with the Social Care Nursing Advisory Council to offer solutions for social care nursing.
Earlier this week the government launched an engagement exercise for its 10 Year Health Plan, urging nurses, colleagues and members of the public to share their experiences of the NHS.
Professor Sturdy echoed this invite, stressing the need to for social care nurses to have their say.
‘The 10-year plan cannot and will not be delivered as effectively as it needs to be to sort our many of the challenges that our system has without the contribution of social care,’ she said.
‘So, if there’s one big plea to you this afternoon, that is to take the opportunity to go on the web pages around giving your ideas, giving your thoughts about this, because I know that he and his ministerial team absolutely want a professional contribution to this, and it is your opportunity.’
Professor Sturdy also told attendees that she will be meeting with health and social care secretary Wes Streeting on Monday where she will focus on opportunities to advance nurse prescribing in social care.
