Nursing associates
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Nursing associates
Nursing associates were introduced into the health and care workforce in England from 2019 and play a vital role in delivering safe and effective care. They are currently being considered for implementation in Wales.
Nursing associates are a generic role (not defined by a field of nursing) but within the discipline of nursing. They are intended to bridge the gap between health care assistants and registered nurses and work at an assistive level.
They are registered with the NMC and must meet their own standards, which define and support their scope of practice.
We define the nursing support workforce into two distinct levels:
- Supportive level: Includes health care assistants, health care support workers and equivalent roles.
- Assistive level: Includes registered nursing associates, assistant practitioners and equivalent roles.
This page focuses on those in an assistive role.
In addition to the supportive level descriptors, nursing associates have a deeper level of knowledge, skills and training, meeting the standards set for this role by each country in the UK, including NMC standards.
This skill set and education enable them to carry out a broader range of activities, use their initiative and apply problem-solving skills within their agreed scope of practice, particularly in familiar, low-risk and predictable situations.
Where appropriate, they can be delegated to guide the supportive level nursing support workforce, while remaining under the supervision of the registered nurse.
Universities across the UK provide a wide range of accredited modules and programmes related to sexual health and reproductive health.
Contact the local university and/or education leads/managers for further details, including access to support for funding and time to study, as part of CPD requirements.
Further information
- RCN Accountability and Delegation Guide.
- RCN publication: Sexual and Reproductive Health Competency Framework for Women Cared for in Prison.
- NMC: Standards of Proficiency for Registered Nursing Associates.
Nursing associates' skills can include:
- chaperoning
- administering/supplying medication prescribed by an independent prescribers’
- undertaking cryotherapy treatment for ano-genital warts and molluscum
- asymptomatic STI screening
- cervical screening
- microscopy
- following a care/management plan:
- giving negative results
- undertaking ongoing treatments
- following STI screening outside of the period/menstruation window
- test of cures
- follow up doses of vaccinations (prescribed by an independent prescriber/ under a Patient Specific Direction (PSD))
- supplying medication (prescribed by an independent prescriber/under a PSD).
Primary care
Nursing associates play an integral role in supporting the delivery of SRH in primary care. Their role includes sexual health screening, health promotion, supporting menstrual wellbeing, risk assessment, pregnancy testing and cervical screening.
- Cervical screening(this will link back to the content in the box marked Specialist Practice and Services).
- RCN Position Statement on Registered Nursing Associates (RNAs) training in cervical sample taking (England only).
- Contraception (this will link back to the content in the box marked Specialist Practice and Services).
Genito Urinary Medicine (GUM), Sexually Transmitted Infections (STI) & HIV
Due to the limits of the scope of practice, nursing associates will not meet the entry criteria for the CoSRH courses, Diploma in SRH or LoCs for IUD and Subdermal implants.
Integrated sexual health and reproductive health services
- See information on cervical screening (this will link back to the content in the box marked Specialist Practice and Services)
- See information on contraception (this will link back to the content in the box marked Specialist Practice and Services)
