Improving Continuing

Professional Development:
How reps can make a
difference in the workplace

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2
Contents

1. Introduction........................................................................................4
2. What is continuing professional development (CPD)? .....................5
3. Why is CPD so important? ................................................................7
4. How is learning managed within different organisations?..............10
5. What are the key challenges?...........................................................12
6. What about bank and agency staff? ................................................14
7. Enabling individuals to confidently negotiate CPD.........................15
8. How can RCN learning reps work in partnership to improve
CPD opportunities? .........................................................................17
9. What would a positive learning culture look like in your
organisation? ...................................................................................18
10. Further resources.............................................................................22
11. References........................................................................................30

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1. Introduction
The nursing profession needs to stay up to date with the latest
developments, continuing to update their skills and competences to meet
changing future population health needs effectively and safely. However,
the reality is that nurses are reporting difficulty accessing and completing
continuing professional development (CPD) in all settings. In 2018 the
RCN published Investing in a Safe and Effective Workforce: Continuing
Professional Development for Nurses in the UK. This powerful policy
report outlines the importance of CPD, current access to CPD, and the
RCN’s call to action for the Government. It is essential reading for all
reps who want to get active around this issue.
Following its publication, the UK Learning Representatives’
Committee, with the support of the Education Forum, held a Congress
event to understand what further support reps may need to enable
them to help to improve CPD access and provision at a local level. This
resource has been developed using the views, experience and ideas
from those attending.

Aims and intended learning outcomes

This resource aims to provide RCN reps with the knowledge and
resources you need to help create a positive culture around CPD in the
workplace. After completing the activities, you should be able to:
• articulate the value and importance of CPD to staff and employers,
particularly its relationship to delivering high quality care
• signpost staff to RCN resources and learning opportunities
• identify any local challenges and barriers
• work in partnership with employers and learning providers to
improve provision and engagement.

Relevance to your role descriptor

You can expect to apply a wide variety of your knowledge and skills,
but particularly those relating to the ‘signposting’ and ‘questioning and
influencing’ elements of your role.

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2. What is continuing professional development
(CPD)?
While there is no universally agreed definition of CPD, there is a broad
consensus that, in a nursing context, its main purpose is to help staff to
maintain and develop the skills they need to deliver high quality, safe
and effective care across all roles and settings.
Examples of CPD include:
• reading and reviewing publications
• attending workshops or conferences
• undertaking research
• distance learning and webinars
• mandatory training directly relevant to a nurse’s specialty
• taking part in clinical audits
• college or university level education or training
• practice visits to different environments
• shadowing or secondments
• structured clinical supervision
• peer review activities
• coaching or mentoring others, or being coached and mentored.
CPD is additional to any mandatory or statutory training that an
organisation may provide. Mandatory and statutory training is
undertaken by all staff and is deemed essential for safe and efficient
service delivery and personal safety. It reduces organisational risks
and ensures organisations are meeting their legislative duties. See our
companion booklet Improving Mandatory Training: How Reps Can
Play Their Part.
The fact that CPD is additional to mandatory or statutory training in
no way reduces its value or importance, which we will discuss in the
next section.

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 Activity:
Think about the kinds of CPD activities that are
provided or encouraged in your workplace (not
including mandatory or statutory training).
Are there opportunities for all nursing staff?

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3. Why is CPD so important?
CPD is important for all nursing staff in all settings, including
the independent and third sectors. Everyone should be given the
opportunity to access learning, whether to develop their nursing career,
or remain in their current role and be the best they can be. All staff
should have confidence that their knowledge and skills are up to date.
There is international evidence that CPD is vitally important for
nursing staff in terms of their professional and personal development
and in contributing to improved patient outcomes and increased public
confidence. The RCN also believes it has an important role in creating
a healthier and happier workplace, citing strong links between learning
and wellbeing. Developing the skills of staff members can improve
productivity, encourage retention and inspire innovation.
For registered nurses, in 1995, the Nursing and Midwifery Council
(NMC) introduced a minimum requirement of 35 hours of CPD over
three years in order for nurses to be able to remain on the register.
In April 2016, revalidation was introduced. This requires nurses to
continue to undertake at least 35 hours CPD over three years, but at
least 20 hours of this must be in participation with other learners —
for example, attending seminars, shadowing colleagues and taking
part in learning workshops. Nurses should also be able to provide
evidence of learning outcomes directly relevant to their specialty,
recording them in a portfolio.
http://revalidation.nmc.org.uk/what-you-need-to-do/continuing-
professional-development

Although there is no formal UK requirement, the RCN works in all four

countries to ensure CPD is available for health care assistants (HCAs),
associate practitioners (APs), and trainee nursing associates (TNAs).
There is a useful web page that outlines the UK codes, standards and
country specific information.
https://www.rcn.org.uk/HCA-AP-TNA

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Meeting regulatory standards
In England, the Care Quality Commission refers to The Health
and Social Care Act 2008 (Regulated Activities) Regulations 2014,
stating that “Staff must receive the support, training, professional
development, supervision and appraisals that are necessary for them
to carry out their role and responsibilities. They should be supported
to obtain further qualifications and provide evidence, where required,
to the appropriate regulator to show that they meet the professional
standards needed to continue to practise”.
www.cqc.org.uk

In Wales, both the Health and Care Standards for the NHS, and the
National Minimum Standards for Independent Health Care Services
set out clearly that staff that participate in CPD, keep up to date
professionally and have an annual appraisal and development plan.
This is regulated by Health Inspectorate Wales.
www.hiw.org.uk

In Northern Ireland, the Quality Standards for Health and Social Care
say that an organisation needs to have “sound human resource policies
and systems in place to ensure appropriate workforce planning, skill
mix, recruitment, induction, training and development opportunities
for staff to undertake the roles and responsibilities required by their
job”. They do not specifically refer to non-mandatory training, but they
do acknowledge the need for an organisation to meet “professional and
other codes of practice” which would include NMC revalidation. This
is regulated by the Regulation and Quality Improvement Authority
(Northern Ireland).
www.rqia.uk

In Scotland, the Health and Social Care Standards — which are written
from a patient or client perspective — do not specifically refer to
learning outside of mandatory training, but they say “I have confidence
in people because they are trained, competent and skilled, are able to
reflect on their practice and follow their professional and organisational
codes.” In Scotland, this is regulated by the Care Inspectorate.
www.careinspectorate.com

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Activity:
Think about the various reasons why CPD is so
important for nursing staff. Ask your colleagues
what matters to them, and the difference it
makes to their working lives.

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4. How is learning managed within different
organisations?
Whether part of the NHS or outside it, each organisation should
have a policy that sets out their commitment to training and includes
information about study leave and funding.
Access to CPD for nursing staff will be managed differently in each
organisation. Here are some of the job titles you may encounter:
• Clinical practice educators – provide education and training for
specific groups of staff.
• Education facilitators – plan, co-ordinate and deliver education
programmes for groups of nursing staff, alongside delivering
clinical care themselves. These can often be planned and delivered
as inter-professional multi-disciplinary teams.
• Learning and development managers – design, develop, record
and monitor a comprehensive range of learning opportunities,
alongside guiding and supporting the training needs of all staff,
including nursing.
• Practice development practitioners – educate and train specific
teams, sometimes carrying out research.
• Practice nurse facilitators – support nursing staff based within
general practices with their CPD, highlighting any opportunities.
• Professional development advisers – guide and support staff in
their choice of appropriate CPD.
• Link lecturers – although primarily associated with nursing
students, link lecturers provide information and support regarding
CPD opportunities within a higher education context.

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Activity:
Think about how CPD is managed in your
organisation:

• Have you read your training/study leave policy?

• Who manages CPD? Is there someone with
a specific role or is it left to individuals or
team leaders?
• How are budgets allocated? Is it by team,
department, individual or band?
• Ask your colleagues if it feels fair — and whether
they would like to see changes.

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5. What are the key challenges?
For many nursing staff, opportunities to access CPD can be a mixed
picture. Here are some of the common barriers.

Lack of funding
In England, funding for CPD has been cut dramatically. Health
Education England’s budget for ‘workforce development’ – largely
used for CPD for nurses — reduced by 60% over the last two years —
from £205 million in 2015-16 to £83 million in 2017-18. Without
investment in CPD, many nursing staff feel they are unable to progress
in their careers. In the RCN’s staff survey, published in 2017, one
Band 5 nurse described nursing as a ‘dead end career’ because there
was no funding for training and development. As responsibility for
undertaking CPD is formally the responsibility of the individual nurse,
in reality, a large percentage of nurses feel compelled to fund their own.

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Being unable to take time off
The RCN’s employment survey of 2017 reported that around a
quarter of NHS respondents, and one in five of those working in the
independent sector, were unable to take time off for training. Within
the NHS, a higher proportion of those working on hospital wards cited
time as a factor in limiting their opportunities. As one staff nurse said,
‘the ward is constantly short-staffed and this means there is no time to
release staff for training’. Anecdotally, other staff report having training
days cancelled because of staff shortages. While there is no legal
requirement for employers to provide time for CPD-related learning,
the NMC says that they have a responsibility to support their staff to
meet their CPD requirements.

Little professional support and guidance

While some organisations clearly value the learning and development
of their nursing staff, others have yet to develop this kind of culture,
leaving staff feeling unsupported. In practice, this may mean no
protected time for CPD; scant funding; and little discussion of any
opportunities available, with nursing staff left largely to find and fund
their own way. As one of the contributors to the Congress event said:
‘My organisation does not allocate anything for CPD. You have to
arrange it by yourself and be sure that there will be no shortage of
staff when you attend.’

Other barriers
These may include:
• a lack of access to IT or knowledge of how to use it effectively
• shift patterns that make accessing learning complex
• difficulties sourcing what is available and appropriate
• a lack of clarity around how any funding is allocated.

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6. What about bank and agency staff?
The RCN’s employment survey highlighted that staff working in these
settings are much more likely than others to have to complete even
mandatory training in their own time, with 83% reporting this —
compared to 54% of all nursing staff who said it happened during their
normal working hours.
The RCN’s Healthy Workplace Toolkit for an Agency Workforce
recommends that agency employers should provide regular feedback
and appraisals to identify any gaps in knowledge, alongside supporting
nurses to meet the NMC’s CPD standards for revalidation. Host
organisations should open up work-based training and updates, and
provide performance feedback to agency staff.

Activity:
• What are the barriers to learning and
development in your workplace?
• What would help staff to overcome them?

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7. Enabling individuals to confidently negotiate
CPD
Being a learning rep is about enabling others and building their
confidence to manage their own learning. It’s not about doing it
all for them!
You’ll now be aware of how CPD is managed and supported in your
organisation, and that will help you to support members to identify
some achievable opportunities for CPD. It’s helpful to keep up to date
with learning opportunities that are relevant to the service you provide
and the career pathways that are available. We’ve given some starting
points in our useful resources section at the end.
Also share information and experiences at RCN branch meetings,
working together to shape plans to promote and protect learning in
your workplace.

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 Top ten tips to secure your CPD*

1 Be clear. Say exactly what you want and why you need it.
2 Be positive. Explain how the training you’ve requested will fit
into organisational priorities and will have a positive impact on
patient care.
3 Think outside the box. Thinking creatively about solutions
will help. You don’t always need to complete a formal training
course to get the development you need. Consider online
training, appropriate reading and shadowing.
4 Refer to your appraisal. If training was discussed and
agreed in your appraisal, make sure you say this when you
make your request.
5 Remember revalidation. If you’re on the NMC register,
explain why CPD is essential for your revalidation.
6 Make things easier for your manager. Everyone is busy. If
your manager has less to do, they may be more willing to agree
to your request, so get as much in place as you can before you
speak to them.
7 Be flexible and don’t give up. If you can’t get the training when
you first apply, think about how else you could do it. There might
not be funding for a course at the time of asking, but could you
shadow a professional in the area before you apply again?
8 Be prepared to source your own funding. Funding isn’t
always easy to source, but there are still opportunities out
there. Consider applying to the RCN Foundation. Their
scholarships and bursaries fund a wide variety of learning and
development opportunities.
9 Remember why you’re requesting CPD. Without it you’re
at risk of falling behind with the latest developments in
practice, with patient safety at risk as a consequence.
10 Use the RCN library. It’s a huge source of free information.
You can access thousands of e-journals and e-books as well as
a wide range of nursing and health care databases from your
home or mobile phone. Visit https://www.rcn.org.uk/library/
support/library-services-from-home
(* reproduced courtesy of RCN Bulletin)

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8. How can RCN learning reps work in
partnership to improve CPD opportunities?
Whether working in the NHS or the independent sector, RCN learning
reps can play a key role in developing learning agreements with employers.
These can help to:
• foster a culture of learning and development within the
organisation, demonstrating the value that employers place on CPD
• make sure there is protected time for staff to undertake CPD
• offer nursing staff professional support and guidance to choose
the most appropriate CPD for their personal and professional
development, their role and the organisation’s needs
• ensure that there is funding for CPD and that it is allocated fairly
and transparently
• promote a variety of different forms of CPD, highlighting
opportunities suitable for nursing staff at all levels.

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9. What would a positive
learning culture look like in your
organisation?
RCN learning rep Katy Welsh explains
how she helped to gain support for a
learning agreement at Devon Partnership
NHS Trust.
The idea came from my learning rep training, when I decided that
one of my actions would be to get a learning agreement in place. The
aim is to look at training needs for all groups of staff across the whole
organisation, including mandatory training and needs analysis.
Results from the staff survey suggested that staff wanted more
learning and development, with exit interviews showing that people
were leaving because they felt there was a lack of opportunities. We
were able to use this as a lever to say if the organisation wanted to
improve its recruitment and retention, we needed to look at learning
and development.
I drafted an initial framework, based on guidance from the RCN.
The agreement outlines the crucial role played by union learning
representatives, who are recognised as active partners in promoting
and supporting aspirations for learning across the organisation.
Senior managers have signed up to it and one of the spin-offs is the
setting up of a learning advisory committee, which is responsible
for introducing, implementing and monitoring a variety of learning
initiatives. By sharing intelligence, it helps us pinpoint where any
difficulties may be locally. We also make sure that every directorate
has its fair share of the budget, with clear governance arrangements
in place.
If you’re not careful, a learning agreement can become a dusty
document that sits on a shelf. What’s more useful are the actions that

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come from it and the difference these make in moving things forward.
Our committee has been the biggest catalyst for change, encouraging a
culture of learning within our organisation.
For me, the components of a successful learning agreement include:
• Sign-up from every union.
• Public backing from senior managers.
• Clearly laid out aims and objectives.
• A committee that scrutinises learning and development, which
includes representatives from all the unions involved and every
directorate, and has a 12-month long agreed action plan.
In a nutshell, our agreement and the committee make sure there is
equal access for CPD opportunities, raising staff awareness of what
exists. It also keeps learning and development on the trust’s agenda,
especially as training budgets can often be the first to be cut when
finances are tight.
Christine Green is a senior staff nurse
at BMI Healthcare in Bath and an RCN
learning rep, becoming chair of the RCN’s
Bath branch two years ago.
My line manager encouraged me to become an
RCN learning rep about five years ago, as she
very much prioritised the development of her
staff and thought that this role would be helpful.
Professional development is about enhancing your role, making sure that
you are continually updating your skills and growing more confident in
your practice, as you help to deliver better care.
As a learning rep, I started by organising local learning events,
including asking consultants to give talks on different aspects of
practice, and inviting RCN regional officers to host drop-in sessions on
revalidation — which was very popular, helping to alleviate anxieties.
As branch chair, I also organise learning events open to members

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throughout the Bath area, held in different venues and often in
response to what members tell me they would like, involving them in
the planning. Over time, these learning opportunities have built up and
the support has always been there.
It’s important for the RCN to be involved and lead these local initiatives
because they inform staff about the wealth of different resources we
provide for professional development. For example, on revalidation
I can signpost staff to free RCN events or highlight the RCN’s library,
which gives access to research articles, alongside specific online
support, such as First Steps for health care assistants. We also point
people in the direction of other organisation’s free resources, such as
Open Learn, which some employers may not know about.
We’re a source of extra information that is separate from, but often
working in partnership with, their employer, sometimes offering events
that are organised jointly. In April, we held one of these on wound care,
which proved to be extremely popular with more than 50 attending,
including practice, community and trust-based nursing staff.
As learning reps, we give people one-to-one encouragement, helping
them along in ways that are personal to their needs. For instance,
some nurses may feel less confident about e-learning and need a
helping hand to get started. If I can help one individual, that makes all
the training worthwhile and is the most rewarding aspect. They will
hopefully tell others too, so it shows how the RCN can help nursing
staff to feel happier at work, reassuring them they can meet their
revalidation requirements.

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Activity:
What actions could you take in your workplace to
address some of the organisational challenges that
are limiting provision and access to CPD?

What support might you need to feel confident to

question and influence on behalf of members in
your workplace?

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10. Further resources
As a learning rep, one of your main activities is signposting staff to
appropriate resources. You may even wish to set up a learning centre
or hub in your workplace. A detailed list of all relevant resources would
be too big to include and may become outdated so we’ve captured a few
ideas for CPD and some places where you can signpost people to start
to explore.

RCN and RCNi resources

RCN branches
Many RCN branches also organise free learning activities, while RCN
forums can help you network with others in your specialty, finding
support, advice and recommendations.
www.rcn.org.uk/professional-development/your-career/nurse/cpd-
and-searching-for-courses

First Steps for Health Care Assistants

An RCN learning resource supporting health care assistants at the start
of their career.
http://rcnhca.org.uk/

Guideline development and evidence-based practice

The RCN works with the National Institute for Health and Care
Excellence (NICE) and the Scottish Intercollegiate Guideline Network
(SIGN) to ensure a nursing perspective is included when guidelines are
developed and revised. Contributing to this work counts as CPD.
www.rcn.org.uk/professional-development/nice-collaboration

RCN Leadership
A suite of bespoke programmes designed to support staff at all levels.
www.rcn.org.uk/professional-development/leadership-programmes

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RCNi Learning
This includes more than 100 modules, some of which are free on topics
such as reducing medication errors in nursing practice.
https://rcnilearning.com/

RCN learning resources

These provide a free online introduction to a growing range of nursing
essentials, including continence, diabetes and end of life care.
www.rcn.org.uk/professional-development

RCN Library
RCN members have access to 54,000 books, 1,100 e-journals and
30,000 e-books. The library team are on hand to help anyone navigate
their way around and offer training in using the digital resources.
www.rcn.org.uk/library/support/training

RCN professional bulletins

Sign up to receive one, or all of the RCN’s professional bulletins:
• Research and innovation bulletin
• Quality and Safety bulletin
• Library and Heritage Centre news.
www.rcn.org.uk/professional-development/research-and-innovation/
research-and-innovation-bulletin

Professional networking and sharing practice

Professional networking is another useful way to share and learn from
experience, and develop insight and new ways of working. The RCN’s
professional forums cover all nursing specialties. As a member you can
join for free. They offer great capacity for support and learning from
more experienced colleagues.
www.rcn.org.uk/forums

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Other resources

The Academy of Fabulous NHS Stuff

A repository of inspirational ideas.
http://fabnhsstuff.net/

AHSN Atlas of Solutions in Healthcare

AHSNs support the diffusion of innovation, promote patient safety,
improve quality, put research into practice.
http://atlas.ahsnnetwork.com/

Critical Appraisal Skills Programme

Training health care professionals to assess published research.
www.casp-uk.net/casp-tools-checklists

Education for Health

Free e-learning on subjects such as asthma, chronic obstructive
pulmonary disease (COPD) and chronic urticaria.
https://www.educationforhealth.org/allresources/free-elearning/

Future Learn
Offers free online courses provided by leading UK and overseas
universities and organisations. A wide variety of health and psychology
learning includes courses on antimicrobial stewardship, Parkinson’s
disease, and planning your own research.
https://www.futurelearn.com/courses/categories/health-and-
psychology-courses

Health charities
These often provide short courses for health care professionals. They
include:
• British Heart Foundation
https://www.bhf.org.uk/for-professionals/healthcare-
professionals/learning-and-development
• Dementia UK
https://www.dementiauk.org/for-professionals/free-resources/

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• Diabetes UK
https://www.diabetes.org.uk/professionals/training--
competencies/courses
• Macmillan Cancer Support
https://www.macmillan.org.uk/about-us/health-professionals/
resources#300588
• Mencap
https://www.mencap.org.uk/learning-disability-explained/
resources-healthcare-professionals
• Motor Neurone Disease Association
https://www.mndassociation.org/forprofessionals/professional-
education-and-development/

NHS Leadership Academy

Providing a range of programmes and resources for everyone from
first-time leaders to senior managers.
www.leadershipacademy.nhs.uk/programmes/

NICE Local Practice Case Studies

Over 500 working examples of quality improvement in health and
social care.
https://www.nice.org.uk/about/what-we-do/into-practice/local-
practice-case-studies

National Institute for Health Research (NIHR)

NIHR are always looking for nurses to use their professional experience
by becoming a reviewer. Reviewers help the NIHR at every stage of
the research process. By identifying research topics, ensuring we fund
the best applications and helping to shape our open access reports
published by the NIHR Journals Library, reviewers play a vital part
in maintaining and improving the quality of our research. Being a
reviewer can be used as evidence of CPD.
https://www.nihr.ac.uk/funding-and-support/funding-for-research-
studies/become-a-reviewer/

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26
NIHR CLAHRC Partnership Programme
Develop and conduct applied health research relevant across the NHS,
and to translate research findings into improved outcomes for patients.
www.clahrcprojects.co.uk/impact/projects

Open Learn
Free learning from the Open University. It includes a section on health,
sports and psychology.
www.open.edu/openlearn/

Watch
Winifred Raphael Memorial Lecture.
http://tinyurl.com/j7wgg2n

Sources of funding
As a nursing professional, you can apply for RCN bursaries
to fund courses, study tours, projects, research or conference
attendance and a range of scholarships, bursaries and other funding
opportunities offered by organisations outside the RCN:
www.rcn.org.uk/professional-development/scholarships-and-
bursaries

Access your employer’s study leave policy and talk to your education
lead and RCN learning rep.
www.rcn.org.uk/get-involved/rcn-reps/the-role-of-rcn-learning-
reps

Charities and hospital and community units often have charitable

funding to support education, or example, the Burdett Trust for
Nursing Grants.
www.btfn.org.uk/grant-programmes/

27
Careers resources

RCN Professional development

www.rcn.org.uk/professional-development

RCN Career advice

www.rcn.org.uk/professional-development/your-career/nurse

The RCN and Health Education England (HEE) are currently working
on a Career Framework website for qualified nurses with case studies,
helpful links to key documents and access to relevant competencies and
guidelines so please visit the Library stand at Congress to see the pilot
work achieved so far.

Nursing and midwifery

careers in Northern Ireland
www.nursingandmidwifery
careersni.hscni.net/nipeccareers/
index.html

RCN CPD events in

Northern Ireland
www.rcn.org.uk/northernireland/
news-and-events/events
Nursing careers Wales
www.careerswales.com/en/
job-details/10910

RCN CPD events in Wales

www.rcn.org.uk/wales/
wales-events

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 Nursing careers
Scotland
www.nes.scot.nhs.uk

RCN CPD events Scotland

www.rcn.org.uk/scotland/
news-and-events/events

RCN CPD
England events
www.rcn.org.uk/
news-and-events/
events

NHS Health Careers

www.healthcareers.nhs.uk/

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11. References
Royal College of Nursing (2018) Investing in a Safe and Effective
Workforce: Continuing Professional Development for Nurses in the UK
www.rcn.org.uk/professional-development/publications/pdf-007028

Royal College of Nursing (2018) Improving Mandatory Training:

How Reps can Play their Part
www.rcn.org.uk/professional-development/publications/pdf-006689

EAHC/2013/Health/07 Study concerning the review and mapping of

continuous professional development and lifelong learning for health
professionals in the EU.
Available at: https://ec.europa.eu/health/workforce/key_documents/
continuous_professional_ development_en (accessed 03.09.18)

Royal College of Nursing (2017) RCN Employment Survey 2017

www.rcn.org.uk/professional-development/publications/pdf-007076

Royal College of Nursing (2017) Healthy Workplace Toolkit for an

Agency Workforce
www.rcn.org.uk/professional-development/publications/pub-006120

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