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This study suggests the importance of nurse managers accessing coaching, to enable transformational leadership of their teams of nurses. It suggests also the importance of organisations supporting a coaching culture, to ensure staff satisfaction, motivation and improved quality of patient care.

Aim To explore healthful leadership practices in nursing and midwifery evident within the Covid‐19 pandemic in the UK, the contextual facilitators, barriers, and outcomes. Background Globally, the health and care sector are under pressure and despite nurses and other professionals demonstrating resilience and resourcefulness in the COVID‐19 pandemic, this has negatively impacted on their health and wellbeing and on patient care. Evaluation Two searches were conducted in July 2021 and December 2021. Inclusion/exclusion criteria were identified to refine the search, including papers written since the beginning of the pandemic in 2020. A total of 38 papers were included principally from the USA and UK. 10 were research papers, the others were commentaries, opinion pieces and editorials. MS Teams literature repository was created. A unique critical appraisal tool was devised to capture contexts, mechanisms and outcomes whilst reflecting more standardised tools i.e., the Critical Appraisal Skills Programme and the Authority, Accuracy, Coverage, Objectivity and Date tool (AACOD) tool for reviewing grey literature to refine the search further. Key Issues Six tentative theories of healthful leadership emerged from the literature around leadership strategies which are relational, being visible and present; being open and engaging; caring for self and others; embodying values; being prepared and preparing others and u sing available information and support . Contextual factors that enable healthful leadership practices are in the main, created by leaders’ values, attributes, and style, as well as the culture within which they lead. The literature suggests leaders who embody values of compassion, empathy, courage, and authenticity create conditions for positive and healthful relations between leaders and others. Nurse and midwives’ voices are however absent from the literature in this review. Conclusion Current available literature would suggest healthful leadership practices are not prioritized by nurse leaders but the perspectives of nurses’ and midwives’ about the impact of such practices on their well‐being is missing. Tentative theories are offered as a means of identifying healthful leadership strategies, the context that enable these and potential outcomes for nurses an midwives. These will be explored in phase two of this study. Implications for nursing management Nurse leaders must be adequately prepared to create working environments that support nurses’ and midwives’ wellbeing, so that they may be able to provide high quality care. Ensuring a supportive organisational culture which embodies the values of healthfulness may help to mitigate the impact of the COVID‐19 pandemic on nurses’ and midwives’ wellbeing in the immediate afte...

BackgroundAssistant practitioners have knowledge and skills beyond the level of traditional support workers, and work in many clinical settings. However, some assistant practitioners lack a clearly defined role and may be under-used due to issues around accountability and uncertainty about their purpose. This paper explores the assistant practitioner role from the perspectives of assistant practitioners and registered nurses.MethodsThis study aimed to explore the role of the assistant practitioner from the perspectives of assistant practitioners and registered nurses in two NHS hospital trusts in Oxfordshire, United Kingdom. Six qualitative focus groups were undertaken between February–March 2017. Ethical approval was obtained (FREC 2016/05) and written consent was provided by participants. Data was analysed thematically analysed using the Framework method.ResultsNineteen participants (assistant practitioners, n = 12; registered nurses, n = 7) were recruited using convenience sampling. Emerging themes related to ‘fluctuating roles and responsibilities of assistant practitioners’, ‘role differences between registered nurses and assistant practitioners’, ‘working relationships’, ‘supervision’ and ‘redefining nursing pathways’.The Results and Discussion sections highlight a lack of role clarity and blurring of boundaries between the roles of assistant practitioners and registered nurses, with many tasks undertaken by both. This lack of ownership of ‘nurse-specific’ roles by registered nurses was evident and clear differences were only encountered with regard to accountability. The development of the Nursing Associate role provides managers with the opportunity to redefine staff banding hierarchies to ensure that clinical staff are aware of their role capabilities and limitations and are practicing safely, whilst promoting career development and progression pathways.ConclusionAddressing issues around role clarity can benefit professional development, satisfaction, role identity and ownership for registered nurses and assistant practitioners, by recognising the individual and collective value they bring to the clinical team. The findings can help inform the development of the Nursing Associate role.

Background Assistant practitioners have knowledge and skills beyond the level of traditional support staff, and work in many clinical settings. However, some assistant practitioners lack a clearly defined role and may be under-used due to issues around accountability and uncertainty about their purpose. This paper explores the assistant practitioner role from the perspectives of assistant practitioners and registered nurses. Methods This study aimed to explore the role of the assistant practitioner from the perspectives of assistant practitioners and registered nurses in two NHS hospital trusts in Oxfordshire, UK. Six qualitative focus groups were undertaken between February–March 2017. Ethical approval was obtained (FREC 2016/05) and written consent was provided by participants. Data was analysed thematically analysed using the Framework method. Results Some 19 participants (assistant practitioners, n = 12; registered nurses, n = 7) were recruited using convenience sampling. Emerging themes related to ‘fluctuating roles and responsibilities of assistant practitioners’, ‘role differences between registered nurses and assistant practitioners’, ‘working relationships’, ‘supervision’ and ‘redefining nursing pathways’. The Results and Discussion sections highlight a lack of role clarity and blurring of boundaries between the roles of assistant practitioners and registered nurses, with many tasks undertaken by both. This lack of ownership of ‘nurse-specific’ roles by registered nurses was evident and clear differences were only encountered with regard to accountability. The development of the nursing associate role provides managers with the opportunity to redefine staff banding hierarchies to ensure that clinical staff are aware of their role capabilities and limitations and are practising safely, while promoting career development and progression pathways. Conclusion Addressing issues around role clarity can benefit professional development, satisfaction, role identity and ownership for registered nurses and assistant practitioners, by recognising the individual and collective value they bring to the clinical team. The findings can help inform the development of the nursing associate role.

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The 2016 All Together Better Health VIII Oxford conference brought together interprofessional education (IPE) and values-based practice (VBP) communities. As there is a paucity of research and publications in the area, following the event a working party consisting of representatives from both communities continued to meet and has developed a joint community of practice. This report describes the work achieved by the group so far and is intended for those involved in the planning and implementation of IPE and collaborative working. The authors consider that incorporating principles of VBP within a framework of IPE can provide a different perspective and understanding of the complexities involved in delivering realistic, student centred learning for collaborative practice, relevant in the 21st century workplace. In particular the authors suggest that using the principles of values and VBP in this way can inform the transition between IPE and collaborative practice facilitating effective person centered collaborative care. This process will require not only the incorporation of these principles within IPE sessions, but also incorporation within the training and support of new and established teachers involved in IPE.