Health and care is evolving and nursing practice is changing and advancing at the same time. We need to update our standards routinely to keep pace with that. This is why we're now reviewing the standards of proficiency (what people need to know and be able to do) for professionals working in these roles.
Our new post-registration standards will make sure that everyone can be confident about receiving support and care from these specialist practitioners that is safe, effective and kind.
In addition to the specialist nursing roles, there are now many other nursing roles in the community where additional NMC qualifications could be useful. For example, nurses provide different types of specialised care in people's own homes and other community settings which include hospices, care homes, nursing homes, hostels for the homeless, residential and educational settings, prisons and other health and justice settings.
We want to make sure that professionals in these roles have the additional knowledge and skills they need to deliver high quality care. And that these skills and knowledge reflect the wider changes in our society and their effects on current and future health and care needs of people.
Our new standards will ensure that people who use health and care services can be confident that they will receive high quality care from their specialist practitioner whether they're at home, in the community, or accessing public health services.
