Health Sciences

Evaluation of the development and impact of assistant practitioners supporting the work of ward-based registered nurses in acute NHS (Hospital) trusts in England

This study will examine how acute hospitals in England have developed the assistant practitioner role. The aims are to understand where these roles have been introduced (i.e. types of ward setting), what tasks they are performing, and who is responsible for managing their work. As well as gaining an overview of national developments, the study will seek to make sense of how the role is being implemented in practice by studying five acute hospitals in more detail. This detailed work will determine how this new role affects workload and activities within nursing teams; how this influences nurses' views of their work; how the role is managed and supervised; and the effect of the role on quality of patient care.

The findings will help policy makers and managers make decisions about how best to deploy the nursing workforce, including assistant practitioners, to benefit patient care. The study is a collaborative endeavour. We have, and will continue to involve, a variety of people to help inform and advise on the progress of the study and how best to share findings.

For further details, please visit the following link: www.sdo.nihr.ac.uk/projdetails.php?ref=08-1619-159#