The important contribution of social care nurses, working in care homes, domicilliary care and other specialist sectors is often unrecognised and can lack support.
WM-ADASS is drawing attention to the issues and celebrating things happening on the ground in our region, through a series of webinars.
The next webinar is on 16 November 2023: Careers and collaboration in the independent health and social care sector will be presented by RCN East Midlands and RCN West Midlands. You do not need to be a member of the RCN to attend. Use this link to access more information and book a place.
A digest of the first webinar recording, made in September 2023, appears below. Watch this space for future dates.
The video contains a lot of information about social care nursing in a West Midlands context. Here is the national picture as painted by Deborah Sturdy Chief Nursing Officer, Social Care:
Social care nursing exists in many specialisms, including learning disability and autism, drug and alcohol services and complex domiciliary community care, and it provides management of continuing health care. It is the place where diverse skills of assessment, advanced decision making, care coordination, leadership and complex relationship management are needed – and demonstrated – across all health and care settings.
More than 34,000 registered nurses work in the social care sector in England and have hugely complex workloads, often practising in isolation and without the benefit of machines going “bleep” or doctors running to assist when something goes wrong. It is autonomous, caring, skilled nursing at its best. It demands adaptability and the capability to trust themselves and others. It places advocacy at the forefront of appropriate care and the creativity that these nurses demonstrate in the dispensation of that care is the true essence of nursing.
The Nursing and Midwifery Council register is creating a Specialist Practice Qualification in social care. Generalist skills will be built upon and create a workforce underpinned by postgraduate qualifications in advanced practice that combines established social care skills with advanced clinical assessment, prescribing, research and leadership, building a career pathway that creates ambition and recognition in social care nursing.
Social care nursing research will be developed and share its learnings across all care settings, not simply within the care home sector. ‘Nursing laboratories can exist anywhere that services are delivered, and social care settings provide a great space for clinical research. The first Chair in Social Care Nursing in the UK has been appointed.
As we face ongoing challenges in recruitment, we have to offer something better, different, exciting and challenging if we are to retain the best and recruit new and emerging talent for the future.