The professional nurse advocate (PNA) role is the key enabler of delivery of the NHS England Advocating and Educating for Quality Improvement (A-EQUIP) model of professional nursing leadership and clinical supervision. The aim of the PNA role is to provide clinical, educational and well-being support to nurses through restorative clinical supervision.

This article describes the PNA role and the A-EQUIP model and discusses some of the challenges experienced by nurses in relation to delivering care to older people and current workforce pressures. The author suggests that restorative clinical supervision may support nurses to manage these challenges and enhance their practice in the care of older people, and describes part of a workforce improvement project to illustrate this in practice. Finally, the author considers some of the barriers to implementation of restorative clinical supervision.