At the heart of the strategy is social care nursing, which will play an increasingly crucial role in the strategy’s ambitious goals.

While Skills for Care has taken the lead in developing the strategy, it is owned by the sector and brings together its key stakeholders. It stands alongside the NHS Long Term Workforce Plan.

The strategy is grounded in the realities of our changing population, recognising that people are living longer and that the number of older people is set to rise in the next decade. As more people choose to receive care close to home, the role of nursing professionals will become increasingly vital. Their expertise will have a profound effect on improving outcomes and enhancing the experience of those drawing on their care and support.

To attract and retain our nursing workforce, the strategy emphasises the importance of creating attractive career pathways in the sector. This will involve valuing and expanding social care placement opportunities; supporting preceptorship for early career nurses and nursing associates; and using apprenticeships to develop nursing specialists, educators, advanced practitioners and consultant nurses.

The strategy also highlights that provision of continuing professional development opportunities and access to high-quality clinical supervision is vital in retaining and developing the nursing workforce.

Read the strategy, discuss it in your workplace, and let us unite as a nursing profession in enhancing the experiences and outcomes for older people in our care.