This apprenticeship course has been designed to enable Healthcare Assistants to become Nursing Associates, in order to bridge the gap in care delivery as identified by the Shape of Caring Review (Willis, 2015). This new Nursing Associate role developed by the Department of Health, aims to deliver high quality, holistic, person-centred safe and effective nursing care in and across a wide range of health and care settings.

In line with the apprenticeship model, the course is designed to support a training in practice approach. Whilst undertaking the course you will remain employed by your host organisation and will spend 60% of your time in your current workplace, 20% of your time will be spent accessing alternative placements and the remaining 20% will be spent undertaking theory work. The course culminates in an End Point Assessment (EPA) which is independently assessed outside of the Higher Education Institution (Educational Skills Funding Agency, 2018).

This Nursing Associate Apprenticeship Foundation Degree course is a full-time two year undergraduate course consisting of Foundation (Year 1) and Intermediate (Year 2) level study at Framework for Higher Education Qualifications Levels 4 and 5 respectively, which is in keeping with the Framework for Higher Education in England, Wales and Northern Ireland (Quality Assurance Agency for Higher Education, 2008). The course is designed to be progressively demanding between levels. Once qualified, Nursing Associates will be regulated by the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC).

You must:

• Be employed and meet the entry requirements of your employer
• Have GCSE English Language or English Literature and Maths at grade 4 or above, or grade C or above if awarded under the previous GCSE grading scheme, or Level 2 Functional Skills in Maths and English
• Complete a Rehabilitation of Offenders form and have an Enhanced Disclosure and Barring (DBS) check