• The NMC’s evaluation, review and publication of the Standards of Proficiency for Specialist Community Public Health Nursing as part of its Programme of Change for Education.

iHV work:

• The iHV led the development and publication in March, 2019 of the Recommended National Curriculum: Specialist Community Public Health Nursing – Health Visiting/School Nursing (0-19 Child Public Health Nursing Services).
• The Recommended National Curriculum informed the NMC’s new Standards of Proficiency for SCPHN approved in May 2022 and the Apprenticeship Standard in England. We provided evidence to the NMC and continue to support their dissemination.
• We promote professional debate on core topics such as the future preparation and regulation of SCPHN practitioners.
• We engage and collaborate with national bodies such as UK Standing Conference on SCPHN education, HEE, HEIW, NES and professional organisations such as the Queen’s Nursing Institute, SAPHNA, RCN and CPHVA on issues including practice education, skill mix, the future of professional regulation and advanced practice.

• The importance of ongoing learning throughout a career to enable growth and progression at all stages.

iHV work:

• Please see our pages:
  • ‘Becoming a health visitor’ to consider how to prepare for education and training as a health visitor;
  • ‘Career Pathway for Health Visiting’ to discover the career options for entry and progression within health visiting;
  • Skill Mix in Health Visiting to understand the key factors important to use of skill mix.
• Beyond SCPHN-HV registration, our training department delivers a range of programmes to support your professional development and leadership journey. This includes training in a range of topics relevant to health visiting practice and more specialist training, e.g. as a Champion or Ambassador.
• To keep updated, members can join our regular free iHV Insights events throughout the year. These 1-hour webinars provide excellent ‘bite-sized’ updates on a range of popular topics and feature experts from different fields of health visiting practice. You can access the current programme and sign up here.
• We engage with our iHV members on education and workforce issues through iHV networking events.
• The iHV also hosts a vibrant Specialist Health Visitor Perinatal Infant Mental Health (PIMH) group where key learning and resources are shared between members.
• SCPHN programme leaders interested in how to support student access to a range a iHV learning materials can find out more at the corporate members and student members pages.
• To ask about iHV University visits, send in an email to [email protected]

Charter for Enabling a Good Learning Environment

Enabling a good learning environment for Specialist Community Public Health Nursing students in community settings is essential to equip the workforce for the future and ensure that all learners have a positive experience. The Institute of Health Visiting (iHV) and the School and Public Health Nurses Association (SAPHNA) have collaborated to produce resources for Specialist Community Public Health Nurse (SCPHN) practice learning. Our organisations invite practice learning and employer partners to pledge their support for good learning environments by adopting the Charter.

The resources have been produced thanks to funding provided by London NHS England Workforce Training and Education Directorate (NHSE WTED), previously Health Education England. The suite of resources includes a Charter for enabling a good learning environment and a self-completion maturity matrix (available in portrait and landscape formats). They are tools for communicating a commitment to quality and appraisal of education within community settings.

Please use these external links to cite these documents:

• Charter for Enabling a Good Learning Environment – https://bit.ly/4crqbc5
• Maturity Matrix for Enabling a Good Learning Environment – Landscape – https://bit.ly/4eMJ2zH
• Maturity Matrix for Enabling a Good Learning Environment – Portrait – https://bit.ly/4cLw6Za

Recruiting student SCPHNs in London: A roadmap to success

iHV and NHS England Workforce Training and Education Directorate (NHSE WTED) published a new student SCPHN recruitment pathway development review report.

iHV was awarded funding by NHS England Workforce Training and Education Directorate (NHSE WTED) to complete a pathway development review of student Specialist Community Public Health Nurse (SCPHN) recruitment in London. The timing of this project was critical because the SCPHN health visiting and school nursing workforce was under enormous pressure due to significant national workforce shortages.

Workforce capacity issues have been further exacerbated by rising levels of need in the wake of the pandemic and the cost-of-living crisis. London was one of the hardest hit areas and services were struggling to fill significant gaps in SCPHN substantive posts. Across London, services also reported that they were struggling to recruit to student SCPHN places which is exacerbating the problem.

Read the Pan-London report - Recruiting student SCPHNs in London: A roadmap to success

To cite this report , please use the link to the pdf here: https://bit.ly/4cJPpD3

Read the pan-London report Infographics