Our work
Our Nursing Practice Academy provides nursing staff with the clinical skills and knowledge they need to deliver exceptional patient care with confidence.
Check out some of our current projects.
Shaping nursing practice
聽 The role of the Nursing Practice Academy and how you can get involved聽聽
Welcome to the Nursing Practice Academy
Our dedicated team of nursing practice experts and Professional Leads is here to support your nursing practice. Use this page to access training, resources and guidance on all areas of nursing practice, and see how you can help shape our work.
How we work
We develop evidence-backed guidance, standards and learning programmes
We collaborate with and provide expertise and recommendations to a variety of organisations
We promote a culture of continual learning and development among nursing staff
Access programmes and clinical resources聽
Become an expert in psychosocial interventions
Our Psychosocial Interventions Programme helps the mental health nursing workforce to confidently practice psychosocial interventions, such as teaching relaxation techniques and seeking support.
Understand the essentials of infection prevention and control
The prevention of infection is central to health and wellbeing, and to combating the increasing threat of antimicrobial resistance. This course will help you feel prepared for preventing and managing infection.
Boost your clinical knowledge with 绿帽换妻 Learn
绿帽换妻 Learn brings you the latest nursing, health and social care learning resources from the 绿帽换妻 and 绿帽换妻i. Free for 绿帽换妻 members, our resources are quality-assured and updated regularly, so you can practice with confidence.
Be clear on the levels of nursing
We’ve set out the levels of complexity involved in nursing practice, so that your experience and expertise is better recognised by employers, service users and colleagues.
Navigate sensitive areas of practice
Some areas of practice and discussion, such as abortion care and assisted dying, can be divisive. Navigating them with colleagues and patients can feel daunting.
You may find it useful to read and share our position on topics like this and more.
How we're shaping practice
Assisted dying
Conversations around assisted dying are complex. We're advocating for safeguards to ensure nursing staff are protected as the bill progresses through the Houses of Parliament.
We’ve had a neutral position on assisted dying for people who have a terminal illness since 2009. This position allows us to represent and support all nursing staff, regardless of their personal or professional stance on assisted dying, while focusing on practical measures to ensure patient safety, workforce protection and the effective delivery of end-of-life care.
Our expert professional leads are taking forward this work to ensure nursing staff and patients are protected.
Learning disabilities nursing review
We’re launching a UK-wide review of learning disabilities nursing. We’ll work with registered learning disability nurses (RNLDs) to identify the unique challenges and opportunities within learning disabilities nursing in different regions.
This will ultimately help us improve learning disabilities nursing practice and ensure a sustainable workforce, so that people with learning disabilities receive the best standard of care, wherever they are in the UK.
We’ll start by launching a survey in June 2025, aimed at RNLDs and other experts. We’ll be in touch with members by email.
Psychosocial interventions programme
Psychosocial Interventions can be used to prevent mental health issues from developing into mental illness, or to support people with existing mental health conditions. These interventions mainly focus on the combination of the psychological and social aspects of mental health but are informed by our core knowledge of physical health and medication management. They aim to address the underlying causes and holistic needs of mental health issues and help individuals develop rounded strategies to live meaningful, hopeful lives.
Our Psychosocial Interventions Programme aims to help the current mental health nursing workforce to confidently practice psychosocial interventions, such as teaching relaxation techniques and stress management.
Contact the team at MHProgrammes@rcn.org.uk.
Safe and compassionate environments
We want all nursing staff to thrive in their workplaces and be able to provide good quality, safe patient care. Thanks to this programme, we now have a much better understanding of the support and development needs of nursing staff to achieve compassionate workplaces and spaces.
We’re now speaking with groups of nursing staff, to find out about the reality of their experience of compassion in the workplace and the impact of their workplace on their practice. Factors include team working, leadership and wider organisational factors that can affect compassion in the workplace.