RCN publish guide for specialist nurses and advanced nurse practitioners working with children and young people

Healthcare's Dr David Clarke was heavily involved with the production of a recent document by the Royal College of Nursing aimed at improving health outcomes for children and young people.

The publication, Specialist and advanced children's and young people's nursing practice in contemporary healthcare: guidance for nurses and commissioners, looks at the role of the children's nurse and developing specialist and advanced nursing roles. Taking into account the changing child health service, the document aims to provide guidance on how roles, services and practices can be improved or reconfigured to better meet the health needs of children and young people.

It is an uncomfortable truth that the health outcomes of children and young people in the UK are inferior to those in comparable European countries. This guidance was developed by the RCN in response to the Government's commitment to improve the quality and efficiency of health services to improve those outcomes.

As well as describing the current, changing environment, the document demonstrates the added value that children's nurses, working at a specialist and advanced level of practice, can bring to child health services – enhancing patient experience, ensuring patient safety, and enabling effective care.