Nursing Associate

The nursing associate is a new support role in England that bridges the gap
between healthcare support workers and registered nurses to deliver hands-on, person-centred care as part of the nursing team. Nursing associates work with people of all ages in a variety of settings in health and social care.

The role was introduced in response to the Shape of Caring Review (2015), to help build the capacity of the nursing workforce and the delivery of high-quality care. It will be a vital part of the wider health and care team and aims to:

• support the career progression of healthcare assistants
• enable nurses to focus on more complex clinical work
• increase the supply of nurses by providing a progression route into
  graduate-level nursing.