Benefits and challenges of implementing the professional nurse advocate programme: a service evaluation
Intended for healthcare professionals
Evidence and practice    

Benefits and challenges of implementing the professional nurse advocate programme: a service evaluation

Victoria Louise Sharman Professional nurse educator, Crisis Resolution Home Treatment Team, Hertfordshire Partnership University NHS Foundation Trust, Hertfordshire, England
Ayesha Gadher Clinical practice lead, Swift Ward, Hertfordshire Partnership University NHS Foundation Trust, Hertfordshire, England
Fiona Shipperlee Community mental health nurse, Integrated Care Team and Care Home Team, Hertfordshire Partnership University NHS Foundation Trust, Hertfordshire, England

Why you should read this article:
  • To enhance your awareness of the professional nurse advocate (PNA) programme

  • To read about the introduction of the PNA programme at one mental health and learning disability trust

  • To learn about the benefits and challenges that PNAs may experience when delivering supervision

The professional nurse advocate (PNA) programme aims to equip nurses with the skills to provide restorative clinical supervision, thereby enabling then to support other staff members. This article details a service evaluation to determine the effects of introducing the PNA programme in a mental health and learning disability NHS trust. Data on the PNA supervision sessions were collected using trust records, supervisee evaluations and a PNA experience survey questionnaire. The evaluation found that the PNA sessions primarily supported staff well-being and retention. The PNAs found the experience of delivering supervision rewarding, but they expressed challenges such as having insufficient time to facilitate sessions and a lack of ongoing development. This suggests that protected time for supervisees and PNAs needs to be provided, and that it may be beneficial to establish a continuing professional development programme for PNAs.

Mental Health Practice. doi: 10.7748/mhp.2024.e1721

Peer review

This article has been subject to external double-blind peer review and checked for plagiarism using automated software

@VSharman1

Correspondence

victoria.sharman@nhs.net

Conflict of interest

None declared

Sharman VL, Gadher A, Shipperlee F (2024) Benefits and challenges of implementing the professional nurse advocate programme: a service evaluation. Mental Health Practice. doi: 10.7748/mhp.2024.e1721

Published online: 26 November 2024

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