THE contribution to patient care of nursing assistants in UK hospital wards is valuable, research from the University of York has found.

A study by the university’s Department of Health Sciences found Assistant Practitioners, who support the work of registered nurses, are viewed as making a valuable contribution to patient care, being “visible” and “knowledgeable” at the patients’ bedside, and providing leadership for other assistants.

But the study also found that their skills were not always fully utilised because registered nurses were concerned about accountability.

Dr Karen Spilsbury, lead researcher, said: “The Assistant Practitioner (AP) role is a significant workforce policy initiative and yet there is no national level evidence of the potential impacts of introducing the role.

“The aim of our study was to understand what impact the introduction of APs into ward-based nursing teams in UK acute hospital wards might be having on the organisation, management and quality of nursing care for patients.”

The findings have now been incorporated into a consultation document commissioned by the United Kingdom Nursing and Midwifery Council about the regulation of the assistant workforce.