KSBs

Knowledge

K1: Understand the code: Professional standards of practice and behaviour for nurses and midwives and how to fulfil all registration requirements. Back to Duty

K2: Understand the demands of professional practice and demonstrate how to recognise signs of vulnerability in themselves or their colleagues and the action required to minimise risks to health. Back to Duty

K3: Understand the professional responsibility to adopt a healthy lifestyle to maintain the level of personal fitness and wellbeing required to meet people’s needs for mental and physical care. Back to Duty

K4: Understand research methods, ethics and governance in order to critically analyse, safely use, share and apply research findings to promote and inform best nursing practice. Back to Duty

K5: Understand the need to base all decisions regarding care and interventions on people’s needs and preferences, recognising and addressing any personal and external factors that may unduly influence their decisions. Back to Duty

K6: Understand and apply relevant legal, regulatory and governance requirements, policies, and ethical frameworks, including any mandatory reporting duties, to all areas of practice, differentiating where appropriate between the devolved legislatures of the United Kingdom. Back to Duty

K7: Understand the principles of courage, transparency and the professional duty of candour. Back to Duty

K8: Understand how discriminatory behaviour is exhibited. Back to Duty

K9: Understand the aims and principles of health promotion, protection and improvement and the prevention of ill health when engaging with people. Back to Duty

K10: Understand epidemiology, demography, genomics and the wider determinants of health, illness and wellbeing and apply this to an understanding of global patterns of health and wellbeing outcomes. Back to Duty

K11: Understand the factors that may lead to inequalities in health outcomes. Back to Duty

K12: Understand the importance of early years and childhood experiences and the possible impact on life choices, mental, physical and behavioural health and wellbeing. Back to Duty

K13: Understand the contribution of social influences, health literacy, individual circumstances, behaviours and lifestyle choices to mental, physical and behavioural health outcomes. Back to Duty

K14: Apply knowledge of human development from conception to death when undertaking full and accurate person-centred nursing assessments and developing appropriate care plans. Back to Duty

K15: Apply knowledge of body systems and homeostasis, human anatomy and physiology, biology, genomics, pharmacology and social and behavioural sciences when undertaking full and accurate person-centred nursing assessments and developing appropriate care plans. Back to Duty

K16: Apply knowledge of all commonly encountered mental, physical, behavioural and cognitive health conditions, medication usage and treatments when undertaking full and accurate assessments of nursing care needs and when developing, prioritising and reviewing person centred care plan. Back to Duty

K17: Understand and apply a person-centred approach to nursing care, demonstrating shared assessment, planning, decision making and goal setting when working with people, their families, communities and populations of all ages. Back to Duty

K18: Understand and apply the principles and processes for making reasonable adjustments. Back to Duty

K19: Understand and apply the relevant laws about mental capacity for the country in which you are practising when making decisions in relation to people who do not have capacity. Back to Duty

K20: Understand co-morbidities and the demands of meeting people’s complex nursing and social care needs when prioritising care plans. Back to Duty

K21: Know when and how to refer people safely to other professionals or services for clinical intervention or support. Back to Duty

K22: Understand what is important to people and how to use this knowledge to ensure their needs for safety, dignity, privacy, comfort and sleep can be met, acting as a role model for others in providing evidence based person-centred care. Back to Duty

K23: Know and understand how to support people with commonly encountered mental health, behavioural, cognitive and learning challenges, and act as a role model for others in providing high quality nursing interventions to meet people’s needs. Back to Duty

K24: Know and understand how to support people with commonly encountered physical health conditions, their medication usage and treatments, and act as a role model for others in providing high quality nursing interventions when meeting people’s needs. Back to Duty

K25: Know how to act as a role model for others in providing evidence-based nursing care to meet people’s needs related to nutrition, hydration and bladder and bowel health. Back to Duty

K26: Know how to act as a role model for others in providing evidence-based, person-centred nursing care to meet people’s needs related to mobility, hygiene, oral care, wound care and skin integrity. Back to Duty

K27: Know how to identify and initiate appropriate interventions to support people with commonly encountered symptoms including anxiety, confusion, discomfort and pain. Back to Duty

K28: Understand what is important to people and their families when providing evidence-based person-centred nursing care at end of life including the care of people who are dying, families, the deceased and the bereaved. Back to Duty

K29: Know the signs of deterioration or distress in mental, physical, cognitive and behavioural health and use this knowledge to make sound clinical decisions. Back to Duty

K30: Understand how to initiate and evaluate appropriate interventions to support people who show signs of self-harm and/or suicidal ideation. Back to Duty

K31: Understand the principles of safe and effective administration and optimisation of medicines in accordance with local and national policies and demonstrate proficiency and accuracy when calculating dosages of prescribed medicines. Back to Duty

K32: Understand the principles of pharmacology and recognise the effects of medicines, allergies, drug sensitivities, side effects, contraindications, incompatibilities, adverse reactions, prescribing errors and the impact of polypharmacy and over the counter medication usage. Back to Duty

K33: Know and understand how prescriptions can be generated, the role of generic, unlicensed, and off-label prescribing and an understanding of the potential risks associated with these approaches to prescribing. Back to Duty

K34: Apply knowledge of pharmacology to the care of people, demonstrating the ability to progress to a prescribing qualification following registration. Back to Duty

K35: Understand the principles of health and safety legislation and regulations. Back to Duty

K36: Understand the relationship between safe staffing levels, appropriate skill mix, safety and quality of care. Back to Duty

K37: Understand how to identify, report and critically reflect on near misses, critical incidents, major incidents and serious adverse events in order to learn from them and influence their future practice. Back to Duty

K38: Understand the differences between risk aversion and risk management and how to avoid compromising quality of care and health outcomes. Back to Duty

K39: Understand and accept the need to accept and manage uncertainty, and demonstrate an understanding of strategies that develop resilience in self and others. Back to Duty

K40: Understand the role of registered nurses and other health and care professionals at different levels of experience and seniority when managing and prioritising actions and care in the event of a major incident. Back to Duty

K41: Understand the principles of quality improvement methodologies. Back to Duty

K42: Understand how the quality and effectiveness of nursing care can be evaluated in practice, work with people, their families, carers and colleagues to develop effective improvement strategies for quality and safety. Back to Duty

K43: Understand the principles of partnership, collaboration and interagency working across all relevant sectors. Back to Duty

K44: Understand health legislation and current health and social care policies, and the mechanisms involved in influencing policy development and change, differentiating where appropriate between the devolved legislatures of the United Kingdom. Back to Duty

K45: Understand the principles of health economics and their relevance to resource allocation in health and social care organisations and other agencies. Back to Duty

K46: Understand how current health policy and future policy changes for nursing and other professions and understand the impact of policy changes on the delivery and coordination of care. Back to Duty

K47: Understand and recognise the need to respond to the challenges of providing safe, effective and person-centred nursing care for people who have co-morbidities and complex care needs. Back to Duty

K48: Understand the complexities of providing mental, cognitive, behavioural and physical care services across a wide range of integrated care settings. Back to Duty

K49: Understand how to monitor and evaluate the quality of people’s experience of complex care. Back to Duty

K50: Understand the principles and processes involved in supporting people and families with a range of care needs to maintain optimal independence and avoid unnecessary interventions and disruptions to their lives. Back to Duty

K51: Understand the principles and processes involved in planning and facilitating the safe discharge and transition of people between caseloads, settings and services. Back to Duty

K52: Understand the processes involved in developing a basic business case for additional care funding by applying knowledge of finance, resources and safe staffing levels. Back to Duty

K53: Understand the importance of exercising political awareness throughout their career, to maximise the influence and effect of registered nursing on quality of care, patient safety and cost effectiveness. Back to Duty

K54: Understand the principles of effective leadership, management, group and organisational dynamics and culture and apply these to team working and decision-making. Back to Duty

K55: Understand the principles and application of processes for performance management and how these apply to the nursing team. Back to Duty

K56: Understand the roles, responsibilities and scope of practice of all members of the nursing and interdisciplinary team and how to make best use of the contributions of others involved in providing care. Back to Duty

K57: Understand and apply the principles of human factors, environmental factors and strength-based approaches when working in teams. Back to Duty

K58: Understand the mechanisms that can be used to influence organisational change and public policy, demonstrating the development of political awareness and skills. Back to Duty

Skills

S1: Act in accordance with the code: Professional standards of practice and behaviour for nurses and midwives, and fulfil all registration requirements. Back to Duty

S2: Think critically when applying evidence and drawing on experience to make evidence informed decisions in all situations. Back to Duty

S3: Use resilience and emotional intelligence and is capable of explaining the rationale that influences judgments and decisions in routine, complex and challenging situations. Back to Duty

S4: Take responsibility for continuous self-reflection, seeking and responding to support and feedback to develop their professional knowledge and skills. Back to Duty

S5: Safely demonstrate evidence-based practice in all skills and procedures required for entry to the register. Back to Duty

S6: Acts as an ambassador, upholding the reputation of their profession and promoting public confidence in nursing, health and care services. Back to Duty

S7: Communicate effectively using a range of skills and strategies with colleagues and people at all stages of life and with a range of mental, physical, cognitive and behavioural health challenges. Back to Duty

S8: Support people at all stages of life who are emotionally or physically vulnerable. Back to Duty

S9: Develop, manage and maintain appropriate relationships with people, their families, carers and colleagues. Back to Duty

S10: Provide and promote non-discriminatory, person centred and sensitive care at all times, reflecting on people’s values and beliefs, diverse backgrounds, cultural characteristics, language requirements, needs and preferences, taking account of any need for adjustments. Back to Duty

S11: Report any situations, behaviours or errors that could result in poor care outcomes. Back to Duty

S12: Identify and challenge discriminatory behaviour. Back to Duty

S13: Contribute effectively and proactively in an interdisciplinary team. Back to Duty

S14: Apply the principles of health promotion, protection and improvement and the prevention of ill health when engaging with people. Back to Duty

S15: Use all appropriate opportunities, making reasonable adjustments when required, to discuss the impact of smoking, substance and alcohol use, sexual behaviours, diet and exercise on mental, physical and behavioural health and wellbeing, in the context of people’s individual circumstances. Back to Duty

S16: Promote and improve mental, physical, behavioural and other health related outcomes by understanding and explaining the principles, practice and evidence-base for health screening programmes. Back to Duty

S17: Use up to date approaches to behaviour change to enable people to use their strengths and expertise and make informed choices when managing their own health and making lifestyle adjustments. Back to Duty

S18: Use appropriate communication skills and strength based approaches to support and enable people to make informed choices about their care to manage health challenges in order to have satisfying and fulfilling lives within the limitations caused by reduced capability, ill health and disability. Back to Duty

S19: Provide information in accessible ways to help people understand and make decisions about their health, life choices, illness and care. Back to Duty

S20: Promote health and prevent ill health by understanding and explaining to people the principles of pathogenesis, immunology and the evidence-base for immunisation, vaccination and herd immunity. Back to Duty

S21: Protect health through understanding and applying the principles of infection prevention and control, including communicable disease surveillance and antimicrobial stewardship and resistance. Back to Duty

S22: Accurately process all information gathered during the assessment process to identify needs for individualised nursing care and develop person-centred evidence-based plans for nursing interventions with agreed goals. Back to Duty

S23: Effectively assess a person’s capacity to make decisions about their own care and to give or withhold consent. Back to Duty

S24: Recognise and assess people at risk of harm and the situations that may put them at risk, ensuring prompt action is taken to safeguard those who are vulnerable. Back to Duty

S25: Demonstrate the skills and abilities required to recognise and assess people who show signs of self-harm and/or suicidal ideation. Back to Duty

S26: Undertake routine investigations, interpreting and sharing findings as appropriate. Back to Duty

S27: Interpret results from routine investigations, taking prompt action when required by implementing appropriate interventions, requesting additional investigations or escalating to others. Back to Duty

S28: Identify and assess the needs of people and families for care at the end of life, including requirements for palliative care and decision making related to their treatment and care preferences. Back to Duty

S29: Work in partnership with people, families and carers to continuously monitor, evaluate and reassess the effectiveness of all agreed nursing care plans and care, sharing decision making and readjusting agreed goals, documenting progress and decisions made. Back to Duty

S30: Support people with commonly encountered mental health, behavioural, cognitive and learning challenges, and act as a role model for others in providing high quality nursing interventions to meet people’s needs. Back to Duty

S31: Support people with commonly encountered physical health conditions, their medication usage and treatments, and act as a role model for others in providing high quality nursing interventions when meeting people’s needs. Back to Duty

S32: Act as a role model for others in providing evidence-based nursing care to meet people’s needs related to nutrition, hydration and bladder and bowel health. Back to Duty

S33: Act as a role model for others in providing evidence-based, person-centred nursing care to meet people’s needs related to mobility, hygiene, oral care, wound care and skin integrity. Back to Duty

S34: Identify and initiate appropriate interventions to support people with commonly encountered symptoms including anxiety, confusion, discomfort and pain. Back to Duty

S35: Prioritise what is important to people and their families when providing evidence-based person-centred nursing care at end of life including the care of people who are dying, families, the deceased and the bereaved. Back to Duty

S36: Respond proactively and promptly to signs of deterioration or distress in mental, physical, cognitive and behavioural health and use this knowledge to make sound clinical decisions. Back to Duty

S37: Manage commonly encountered devices and confidently carry out related nursing procedures to meet people’s needs for evidence based, person-centred care. Back to Duty

S38: Provide first aid procedures and basic life support. Back to Duty

S39: Demonstrate numeracy, literacy, digital and technological skills to meet the needs of people receiving nursing care to ensure safe and effective nursing practice. Back to Duty

S40: Co-ordinate and undertake the processes and procedures involved in routine planning and management of safe discharge home or transfer of people between care settings. Back to Duty

S41: Maintain safe work and care environments. Back to Duty

S42: Comply with local and national frameworks, legislation and regulations for assessing, managing and reporting risks, ensuring the appropriate action is taken. Back to Duty

S43: Recognise risks to public protection and quality of care, escalating concerns appropriately. Back to Duty

S44: Accurately undertake risk assessments in a range of care settings, using a range of contemporary assessment and improvement tools. Back to Duty

S45: Identify the need to make improvements and proactively respond to potential hazards that may affect the safety of people. Back to Duty

S46: Participate in all stages of audit activity and identify appropriate quality improvement strategies. Back to Duty

S47: Use service delivery evaluation and audit findings to bring about continuous improvement. Back to Duty

S48: Share feedback and learning from positive outcomes and experiences, mistakes and adverse outcomes and experiences. Back to Duty

S49: Facilitate equitable access to healthcare for people who are vulnerable or have a disability. Back to Duty

S50: Advocate on behalf of people who are vulnerable or have a disability when required, and make necessary reasonable adjustments to the assessment, planning and delivery of their care. Back to Duty

S51: Identify and manage risks and take proactive measures to improve the quality of care and services when needed. Back to Duty

S52: Safely and effectively lead and manage the nursing care of a group of people, demonstrating appropriate prioritisation, delegation and assignment of care responsibilities to others involved in providing care. Back to Duty

S53: Guide, support and motivate individuals and interact confidently with other members of the care team. Back to Duty

S54: Monitor and evaluate the quality of care delivered by others in the team and lay carers. Back to Duty

S55: Support and supervise students in the delivery of nursing care, promoting reflection and providing constructive feedback, and evaluating and documenting their performance. Back to Duty

S56: Challenge and provide feedback about care delivered by others in the team, and support them to identify and agree individual learning needs. Back to Duty

S57: Contributes to supervision and team reflection activities to promote improvements in practice and services. Back to Duty

S58: Use a range of digital technologies to access, input, share and apply information and data within teams and between agencies. Back to Duty

Behaviours

B1: Treat people with dignity, respecting individual's diversity, beliefs, culture, needs, values, privacy and preferences. Back to Duty

B2: Show respect and empathy for those you work with, have the courage to challenge areas of concern and work to evidence based best practice. Back to Duty

B3: Be adaptable, reliable and consistent, show discretion, resilience and self-awareness and demonstrate leadership. Back to Duty

Qualifications

English and Maths

Apprentices without level 2 English and maths will need to achieve this level prior to taking the End-Point Assessment. For those with an education, health and care plan or a legacy statement, the apprenticeship’s English and maths minimum requirement is Entry Level 3. A British Sign Language (BSL) qualification is an alternative to the English qualification for those whose primary language is BSL.

Other mandatory qualifications

Professional recognition

This standard aligns with the following professional recognition:

• Nursing and Midwifery Council / Minimum Level 6 for 6

Additional details

Regulated standard

This is a regulated occupation.

Regulator body:

Nursing and Midwifery Council

Training Provider must be approved by regulator body

EPAO does not require approval by regulator body

Occupational Level:

6

Duration (months):

48

Review

this apprenticeship will be reviewed in accordance with our change request policy.