Project to develop an autonomous practitioner programme

The early 1990s has seen a rapid expansion in the nature of clinical roles in health care in response to a number of changes. Throughout 1996, The Oxford Radcliffe Hospital National Health Service (NHS) Trust, in partnership with Oxford Brookes University, School of Health Care, and the Royal College of Nursing (UK) have been collaborating to develop an educational programme at degree and masters level, to support new and evolving clinical roles in acute and primary care, across most professional health registration areas and clinical specialities. To ensure the proposed programme was 'fit for purpose'the Trust commissioned a Training Needs Analysis by the University of Birmingham and a Role Analysis by The Royal College of Nursing. Nurses and Midwives with expertise in practice, management, education and research, have collaborated to develop an innovative educational programme which enables a wide range of public and private health care professionals across acute and community settings to develop their autonomous practice. The programme is fully supported by development of policies which are appropriate to service delivery, support professional practice, multi-professional relationships, risk management and patient safety. The issue of contractual and professional responsibilities related to career development have been debated and a proactive strategy agreed. To ensure there is thorough evaluation of the area of practice, research projects to evaluate outcomes for patients as well as practitioners have been designed. This will additionally promote a culture of evidence-based practice.