Irene Kennedy
Glasgow Caledonian University, UK
Title: Return to Practice Nursing Programme – attracting nurses back to the profession
Biography
Biography: Irene Kennedy
Abstract
Workforce planning in Scotland suggests there will be a need for an increased number of nurses to meet service, quality and safety needs within Health and Social Care settings. Whilst Scottish Government have been increasing education commisions in recent years, these will not start to yield an increase in registered nursing staff numbers until 2017/18 at the earliest and other options had to be considered.Having established links with our local NHS Boards and NES, the Return to Practice nursing programme was developed collaboratively with users and carers and service providers who are committed to providing a programme to encourage nurses with a lapse of registration back into the workfocre and ensuring they are prepared to deliver quality based patient focused care.The programme is funded by Scottish Government and has recently won the Student Nursing Times Award 2016. Flexibility in the blended pattern of delivery ensures all students can accomodate their studying around other commitments and is truly student centred ensuring progression is high and attrition low. The course takes the specific demands and interests of return to practice students as its driving force, encouraging its students to publish and placement staff to work closely with the students.