The UKCC’s Scope of Professional Practice document opened up major opportunities for nurses, but many have problems relating its principles to their everyday practice. This article describes how workshops were held in a large teaching trust to raise nurses’ awareness of the document

The UKCC (1992a) introduced The Scope of Professional Practice document to replace the Department of Health guidelines (DoH 1977) on extending the role of the nurse. The DoH’s original guidance restricted nursing development and was seen as taking over tasks from the medical profession. Nursing practice is continually developing to meet the increasing needs of patients. The Scope of Professional Practice document provided the opportunity for this to happen in a holistic way.