Diabetes: Nurses
(asked on 5th April 2019) - View Source
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps the Government is taking to ensure that Diabetes Specialist Nurses have (a) sufficient time to take part in Continuing Professional Development (CPD) courses, (b) basic introductory training in the latest diabetes technology and (c) online access to all training and CPD courses.
It is in the best interests of employers to encourage and support the learning and development of their employees. Any agreements, such as protected study time, would need to be negotiated between the employer and its employees.
Individual health professionals, including diabetes specialist nurses, have responsibility to own and manage their own learning to ensure they meet the continuing professional development (CPD) standards to remain registered with the regulatory body.
The Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) require 35 hours of CPD relevant to scope of practice as a nurse or midwife in the three year period since registration was last renewed, or joining the register. The NMC does not prescribe any particular type of CPD, it is up to registered nurses to decide what activity is most useful for their development as a professional. A range of free online training resources for National Health Service staff are available at the e-Learning for Healthcare website at the following link:
My Rt. hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care has commissioned Baroness Dido Harding Chair of NHS Improvement, working closely with Sir David Behan, Chair of Health Education England, to oversee the delivery of a workforce implementation plan. This will include proposals to grow the workforce, consideration of additional staff and skills required, building a supportive working culture in the NHS and how to ensure first rate leadership for NHS staff. This will include consideration of the workforce aspects of clinical priorities, including diabetes.