Nurse preceptorship should not depend on ‘postcodes or luck’

The promise of a national preceptorship framework for all newly registered nurses in England should provide those in post with ‘the stability they deserve’, a Royal College of Nursing (RCN) leader has said.

Will Malcher, RCN professional lead for students, has welcomed government plans to better support newly registered nurses – including those in general practice – through improved and consistent preceptorship as part of plans for a new national standard.

He said the move recognised that good workplace support for new nurses ‘should not depend on postcodes or luck’.

It was revealed last month that the Department of Health and Social Care had agreed with the RCN and other health unions to establish a single national nursing preceptorship to create a national framework to support newly registered nurses.

The announcement was made alongside a string of career and pay promises for NHS nurses on Agenda for Change (AfC) contracts that excluded most nurses working in general practice.

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‘The move toward a single national preceptorship standard is an acknowledgement that the transition into practice should not depend on postcodes or luck but should instead provide every new nurse with the stability they deserve,’ said Mr Malcher in a recent RCN blog post.

While the preceptorship offer will be in place for NHS AfC nurses from April this year, it is understood that NHS England and primary care stakeholders will first need to explore how the national framework could work in primary care and that tailored guidance will also be developed.

Last month, a DHSC spokesperson told Nursing in Practice: ‘It’s vital more nurses benefit from structured career support right from their first graduate role.

‘The chief nursing officer for England will lead work to improve the quality and consistency of preceptorships for all newly qualified nurses – including in general practice – as part of the upcoming professional strategy for nursing.’

Other plans announced by the DHSC also included increasing graduate pay and reviewing the roles and pay bands of ‘every’ Band 5 nurse. However, these measures are only applicable to those on AfC contracts.

The news sparked disappointment as most GPNs will be excluded from the pay and job progression promises. A Nursing in Practice survey last year revealed only 9% of GPNs are on AfC.

In response, primary care nurses said they are an ‘essential’ part of the nursing workforce and that exclusion from these plans could damage recruitment and retention efforts in general practice.

Commenting more widely on the plans, Mr Malcher said students and newly registered nurses have ‘been at the heart of the RCN’ and the plans ‘acknowledge that reality more clearly than ever before’.

‘I hope this marks the beginning of a culture that genuinely values newly registered nurses,’ he said.

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‘Not only in words, but in structure, pay, support and practice.’

He added that the commitment to reviewing Band 5 roles represented an ‘overdue recognition of the reality students step into upon graduation and securing their first role within the NHS in England’.

‘Financial pressures weigh heavily on students, many of whom balance placements and part time work on top of their studies,’ he said.

‘Knowing that graduate pay is being prioritised at the national level is not only reassuring, but also symbolic.

‘It reflects that you deserve to start your career on a fair foundation, with pay that reflects both your education and the essential role you will play in the NHS in England.

‘It will also lift your lifetime earning power as we raise the starting point for the profession.’

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Unveiling the government’s plans last month, health and social care secretary Wes Streeting said: ‘Nurses have been arguing that they deserve more recognition – and rightly so. They are essential for leading and delivering our 10 Year Plan for Health, yet many nurses are not being fairly compensated for the work they do.

‘That’s why, this government is working constructively with the Royal College of Nursing to deliver a fair day’s pay for a fair day’s work for nurses.’

Mr Streeting said he hoped AfC nurses ‘feel heartened that this is a significant leap forward for their profession and a sign of just how much the NHS and this government values them’.