I’m Alex Torrance and I am a Emergency Nurse Practitioner at Estuary View, Whitstable Kent.
What is the Professional Nurse Advocate (PNA) role?
The PNA role was developed as there was an obvious gap that wasn’t being met for nursing staff: their wellbeing was being overlooked during the beginning of the pandemic. The PNA training is a Master's level course that gives you the skills and competence to facilitate restorative clinical supervision and work on qualitative improvement within your workplace. This visits the AEQUIP model which was implemented to allow staff to reflect on their experiences and emotions within their work.
Why did you apply to the programme?
I have worked in emergency medicine for a few years now and it has sparked an interest in staff wellbeing; seeing colleagues experience stress and burnout especially during the pandemic has really encouraged me to undertake this training to support my colleagues better. To be able to do something formal has really solidified my passion for that.
How do you embed the role into your day-to-day practice?
I embed the role daily by taking note of staff welfare during the day and we have implemented a morning huddle to encourage staff to be open and honest within their workplace. They are aware of the support they have available, they know how to access the restorative clinical supervision and just generally improving the environment we work in.
How much time do you get to implement the role?
We have been dedicated two hours per week to complete our role. This gives us two opportunities per month to complete restorative practice, admin time and anything else we want to do to promote staff wellbeing.
Why should others enrol in the PNA programme?
I would encourage anyone who is interested in their own wellbeing as well as others to take part in the PNA module; this is funded by the Government and it encourages you to think about your own personal growth as well as improving where you work. By completing the programme, we have the skills to host restorative practice which has had a really positive impact on the staff that I work with already. It allows us to focus on where we would like to improve on in our service which ultimately improves patient outcomes as well.
View Alex's PNA Project here:
For more information on the PNA Programme, contact us: kmpcth@nhs.net