The Emergency Department (ED), sometimes referred to as A&E, treats a wide range of urgent and emergency conditions – from broken bones and breathing problems to life-threatening emergencies. DBTH runs services at Doncaster Royal Infirmary and Bassetlaw Hospital, delivering around 200,000 episodes of care each year across both sites.
The new approach sets out clearly how nurses can develop their skills and take on greater responsibility as they gain experience.
For the first time, this sets out in one place what nurses need to learn and experience as they progress in their careers, including the skills they are expected to develop and roughly how long it may take to move to the next stage.
In practice, it explains how nurses can grow in their roles within the Emergency Department. A newly qualified registered nurse will spend their first year building core emergency care skills, including trauma training and practical clinical skills such as taking blood and assessing patients.
As they gain experience, nurses can progress into more senior roles such as Sister or Charge Nurse, where they help lead shifts, coordinate teams and support junior colleagues in a busy department.
From there, some nurses may move into specialist roles such as Emergency Nurse Practitioner or Advanced Clinical Practitioner, where they are trained to assess and treat certain patients themselves. Others may move into education roles, helping train future nurses, or into senior leadership roles overseeing departments and developing services.
Karen Jessop, Chief Nurse at Doncaster and Bassetlaw Teaching Hospitals, said: “Our Emergency Departments are busy places where our nurses deal with a huge range of situations every day, and they do an incredible job caring for patients when they often need help the most.
“This new approach gives nurses a clear route to build their careers – from newly qualified registered nurse through to senior roles such as Sister or Charge Nurse, and on to specialist and leadership positions.
“Just as importantly, it helps us support our colleagues to grow their careers here in Doncaster and Bassetlaw, so we can keep experienced nurses in our hospitals.
“For patients, that means strong teams with the skills, confidence and experience to provide the best possible care.”
The new approach also reflects a wider national focus on strengthening nursing careers, with recent plans across the NHS aimed at improving early-career support for nurses and providing clearer opportunities to progress and develop within the profession.
Recently, the Trust has also set out proposals to increase the number of registered nurses on adult inpatient wards in line with national best practice. The first phase of the plans focuses on strengthening the mix of skills within teams by increasing registered nurse roles.
The investment would cost around £534,000 a year and is expected to be partly offset by savings through reduced reliance on temporary workers who help cover short-term staffing gaps.
Anyone interested in starting a career in healthcare or exploring opportunities with DBTH can find out more at www.dbth.nhs.uk/jointheteam