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Essay about The Role of the Assistant Practitioner

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The object of this essay is to discuss the role of the Assistant Practitioner. How it has emerged; how it fits into the structure and skill mix of the NHS workforce and the effect it has had on that structure. It will also outline the principles of accountability and statutory regulations that govern the day to day practice of the role. In October 1998 the new European Working Time Directive was implemented. Its purpose was to prevent employers from expecting their employees to work excessively long hours. This meant that doctors were only allowed to work an average of 48 hours a week. As a result Registered Nurses had to take on tasks that were previously only performed by doctors taking them away from the patient’s bedside. In March …show more content…

Initially there was confusion over the position. There was no clear, specific role description. This led many Clinical areas to feel that they didn’t have a suitable position to offer. The general feeling was that the position had not been thought through properly before being launched. Once qualified many AP’s felt let down and didn’t understand what they could and couldn’t do. They felt frustrated, unsupported and very much stuck between roles. As they were often expected to work as an HCA for one shift then step up to the role of AP the next. There was conflict with RN’s over roles that had historically been their responsibility and that they felt were inappropriate the AP. Such as catheterisation; IV cannulation; wound care and handover at shift changes. In Spilsbury et al. (2010) findings, this led to some RN’s to voice concerns that the situation was taking a step backwards to the old two tier level of nursing with State Enrolled Nurses. They were also fearful that AP’s would be replace some RN’s, which in turn would put more pressure on the remaining RN’s by having to cover extra duties that the AP could not perform e.g. Drug rounds. The opinion of many RN’s was that the AP’s were a form of cheap labour and a way of reducing staffing costs. In the years following its introduction the role has developed widely. Currently there are 467 different positions incorporating a wide variety of tiles such as: Associate Practitioner; Assistant

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