Pan London Neonatal Nursing Workforce Working Group

Across London’s regional neonatal intensive care units (NICU), local neonatal units (LNU) and special care units (SCU), support for qualified in specialty (QIS) training is keenly embraced to allow a program of “grow your own” neonatal nurses.

Ensuring that nurses undertaking the QIS training are able to access a clinical placement that supports their practice to theory development in an intensive care setting within a tertiary level NICU, is often challenging. The QIS framework for clinical placement has been developed by the workforce working group to bridge the gap.

Qualified in Specialty (QIS) Training: Framework for Clinical Placement support by NICU Services

ODN Retire and Return Flow Chart has been developed to support nurses with retirement conversations. The flow chart provides potential retirement pathways in support with local policies and agreement.

Pan London Neonatal Educators group

The Pan London Neonatal Educators Group brings together practice development nurses and practice educators from across the capital to share good practice.  Through a sound knowledge of neonatal service delivery the group  plans for and identifies opportunities for  education and innovation with a view to improving the quality of patient care and outcome.

The group acts as a forum to facilitate effective communication and collaboration between the London Neonatal ODN providers to achieve the following;

  • The development of plans to improve the development of the neonatal workforce
  • To deliver network education programmes and study days
  • To support trusts to improve recruitment and retention
  • To provide mentorship and leadership
  • To promote consistency of guidance and nursing competencies
  • To work with Higher Education Institutes to ensure the development and delivery of programmes which meet the needs of modern neonatal care

For further information on this group, or if you would like to join please contact the group chairs;

Adedoyin (Dee) Yissau – Adedoyin.Yissau@gstt.nhs.uk

The Pan London Neonatal Nurse Competency Document (Band 5)

This innovative document has been produced by the Pan London Educators Group for Band 5 neonatal nurses, to use as a work place tool and framework  to facilitate the embracement of learning and education for all, driving forward consistent delivery of high quality care and patient safety.

Existing accredited published and evolving national work and project define the career pathways, developing competency levels and structure within formal education provision that are then translated to clinical services for Band 5 nurses (The Matching Knowledge and Skills for Qualified in Specialty (QIS) Neonatal Nurses: A core syllabus for clinical competency BAPM (2012) and the Competence, Education and Careers in Neonatal Nursing: RCN guidance (2012).  This document is copyrighted but sharing and embracement of a culture of learning is very important for the working group and the neonatal nurses of London welcome requests for using this tool from the ODNs in the U.K. The kind permission for reproduction of existing  published work as above has contributed to this approach of sharing resources adds a very positive dimension to the work and future tools for competence in neonatal nursing roles.

We would like to acknowledge all the hard work and contributions from the Practice Nurse Educators, Senior Nurses and Modern Matrons in the development of the document and the London providers for their support of this work. Thanks to Sue Turrill for her comments and support of the work with permission for copyright use from BAPM.

Pan-London Neonatal ODN Band 5 competencies.

The Pan London Clinical Leadership Competency Document 

This competency document has been developed by the Pan London Practice Development Nurses as a guide for Band 6 nurses to progress into the operational management role within the Neonatal Unit. This work place tool and framework aims to help develop nurses to acquire the relevant knowledge and skills to safely and effectively manage/lead their teams in a clinical setting. Upon completion of this document, it is hoped that individuals will be competent and ready to take up the responsibilities of managing the Unit safely as well as being a good role model. It is also applicable for Band 5 nurses who are preparing to take a more responsible role following a period of consolidation after their QIS course. This document is completed with the support of a Band 7 Sister/ Charge Nurse or the local Practice Development Nurse who will supervise the individual’s practice and sign off the competencies that the individual has achieved.

The Pan London Neonatal Practice Development Nurses acknowledge the importance of working together to building teams of neonatal nurses that are “fit for the future”. It is one of the aims of Ruth May, Chief Nursing Officer (2019), to develop the quality of management and leadership at every level to enable front line staff to lead change.

Pan London Clinical Leadership Competency Document

Events

ODN study days – Education Calendar 2023

Neonatal Nurse Simulation training day Podcast
Discussions around the virtual and in-person simulation training days delivered by the ODN, the impact of COVID-19 on delivering the initial session and the challenges faced to design and facilitate an interactive online session.

Adedoyin Yissau alongside Mae Nugent, PDN – UCLH, and Tim Watts, Neonatologist – Evelina Children London describe the what, how and why nurse specific Neonatal Simulation train the trainer days are essential to support nursing career pathway.