Evaluating the Introduction of the Nursing Associate Role: The Livewell Southwest Case Study

This document describes an evaluation of the Nursing Associate (NA) role at Livewell Southwest, a healthcare organization in England. The NA role was introduced to bridge the gap between healthcare assistants and registered nurses and involves a two-year qualification. The evaluation, carried out by King's College London's NIHR Policy Research Unit in Health and Social Care Workforce, utilized interviews and case studies to assess the role's implementation, management, and impact. Findings reveal that the NA role was developed to address labor shortages and enhance patient care, with its scope and practice being adapted to meet the needs of various services. NAs have reported increased confidence and responsibility, and the role is considered a potential pathway to becoming a registered nurse. The role has been well-received, contributing to team skill mix and allowing registered nurses to focus on more complex cases. However, there is still some uncertainty regarding the role's boundaries and long-term effects, with ongoing evaluation of its clinical and financial outcomes. Overall, the NA role has been a positive addition to the healthcare workforce, offering new career opportunities and influencing the distribution of nursing tasks. **This summary was written by an AI model and therefore should not be considered a definitive summary of the report. If you are aware of inaccuracies, please email evaluation.registry@cabinetoffice.gov.uk.**

Description

• Lead department: National Institute for Health and Care Research
• Evaluation stage: A complete evaluation report
• Other departments: No other departments listed
• Evaluation types: Process evaluation
• Process methods: Individual interviews
• Grant information: This intervention is not distributing funding via a grant
• Government Major Project information: This intervention is not a major project
• Policies: No policies provided

Event Dates

• Event Name: Publication of final results
• Event date: September 2020

Evaluation Costs

• Cost: Not provided

Evaluation sharing

• Link(s) to published report(s): Yes
• Links to evaluation plans: No link provided
• Links to published evaluations (DEBUGGING): No final report link found.
• Findings: Not provided
• Permission to share confirmed: Yes