New preceptorship package for social care nurses

A new nursing preceptorship programme has been launched by Skills for Care to support the recruitment and retention of newly registered nurses and nursing associates in adult social care across England.

The package hopes to fill a long-standing gap in structured support for nurses entering the social care sector, where preceptorship has not been widely developed or accessible.

It is being launched as the Workforce Strategy for Adult Social Care in England is this month celebrating its one year-anniversary.

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Claire Leenhouwers, national professional lead for nursing at Skills for Care, said preceptorship was a ‘vital step in building an effective and sustainable’ social care workforce.

‘Social care nurses and nursing associates play an incredible role in supporting people to live their lives well, and so it’s crucial they are provided with all the tools they need to be confident and effective in their roles,’ she added.

The package includes a series of virtual events, including an introduction to preceptorship, a workshop for preceptors, and a workshop for preceptorship leads who will focus on embedding and championing preceptorship in their organisations.

The sessions will run from September to November of this year.

Donna O’Boyle, acting executive director of professional practice at the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC), said preceptorship was fundamental for nurses at the start of their careers.

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‘Nurses and nursing associates working in adult social care are a lifeline for people and communities across the UK,’ she said.

‘Social care nursing offers a uniquely rewarding career path. That’s why preceptorship is so vital; it lays the foundation for confidence, connection, and professional growth from the beginning.’

Last month recruitment of overseas nursing professionals fell for the first time in six years. This comes after the government last year banned direct care workers arriving from overseas from bringing dependents on their Health and Care Worker visa. 

At RCN Congress in May, social care nurses warned the government must invest in social care or risk a ‘collapsing system’.

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Also in May, a report from the Health and Social Care Committee urged the government to publish a timeline for the introduction of a ‘fair pay agreement’ for care workers, as part of a new report examining the state of the sector. 

In April, RCN Cymru and the British Medical Association Cymru Wales launched a campaign calling for the increase of the community nursing workforce and improved funding for general practice to  ‘end corridor care’.