First Year Review
The purpose of the First Year Review is to assess the status of preceptorship eight months after the launch of the National Preceptorship Framework and resources. It will allow us to compare progress against our original baseline review. We will also be able to identify and share best practice within communities of practice and provide support to any organisations that need it.
You can submit the First Year Review for your organisation via Google Forms here. Only one submission is needed for each organisation.
The final date for submissions is Friday 30 June 2023.
The National Preceptorship Framework and National Preceptorship Model for England are now available.
The National Preceptorship Programme was established in November 2021 to design, develop and deliver a Preceptorship Framework for Nursing for England and associated quality standards for all health and social care organisations.
Preceptorship plays a key role in retention by setting in place a structure to support newly qualified professionals, allowing them to translate their knowledge into everyday practice, grow in confidence and have the best possible start in their careers.
The National Preceptorship Framework was designed and developed in collaboration with stakeholders and came into effect in October 2022. Through partnership working with new registrants and the organisations and professional groups that support them, the programme has brought people together to learn from and share best practice. These collectively agreed set of standards and framework for good practice are flexible and can be adapted to different settings, locations and types of organisation. A suite of resources have also been developed to support implementation of the framework.
This exciting programme has been developed under the leadership of Dr Jane Wray (clinical lead) and Desiree Cox (programme lead), with support from seven regional preceptorship leads and their communities of practice.
Resources to support the implementation of the National Preceptorship Framework
Events
Upcoming events
‘NPP – Establishing and Facilitating an Action Learning Set’ – 12 June 2023
‘NPP – Establishing and Facilitating an Action Learning Set’ – 6 July 2023
‘NPP – Establishing and Facilitating an Action Learning Set’ – 18 July 2023
Previous events and recordings
‘National Preceptorship Programme Update‘ – 30 May 2023
The slide presentation from the day of the event can be accessed here.
The recording will be available shortly.
‘Preceptorship Matters – Celebrating Preceptorship’ Event – 20 March 2023
The recording of the ‘Preceptorship Matters – Celebrating Preceptorship’ event is in two sessions:
Morning session
Afternoon session
The slide presentation from the day of the event can be accessed here.
Questions and Answers
Why is preceptorship recommended, encouraged and not mandatory in all trusts that employ newly qualified nurses?
The Nursing and Midwifery Council (NME) recommends preceptorship for all new registrants, however it has not been mandated by the NMC or Care Quality Commission, so it is up to individual organisations to mandate it as they feel appropriate.
Can the programme be longer than 12 months? e.g. placements of 18 months being rotated at the halfway mark – after 9 months? Or is it too long?
Yes! it needs to be a minimum of 6 months and we recommend 12 months, however a programme of 9 months or 18 months is acceptable.
Can you please elaborate more re: protected time? How is this given to each nurse in the ward and how is it monitored? If a preceptee/preceptor had a meeting outside shift time, how will this be documented/monitored? Will a preceptor have 8 hours per year, regardless of their preceptee allocation?
We have resources available on protected time on our website here. It will differ according to the setting and department and on how it can be accommodated and documented. Ideally there would be additional time for a preceptor with more than one preceptee.
How is the challenge of protected time met when operational issues are so difficult? Can you get a finance director to tune the long view and value of this?
Good idea! Have a look at our business case in our resources section to support the implementation of the National Preceptorship Framework.
When you describe preceptorship as evidence-based what do you mean by that? Evidence showing what? Is there any evidence specifically linking it to retention?
Preceptorship is one part of the retention of new registrants; however, we know that where preceptees feel supported and valued, retention is higher.
How do you evidence preceptor support and the training of the preceptor role?
Each organisation is doing this differently. We do provide meeting templates which can be used to monitor the time spent and preceptors would note their development as part of Continuing Professional Development.
A 2 week supernumerary period is given on induction for nurses who join the Nursing and Midwifery Council post Objective Structure Clinical Examination. Is it suggested to relieve this again or are you happy given the first 2 weeks of employment?
This differs according to each organisation. If a newly registered nurse receives 2 weeks at the outset and during induction, we do not expect them to be given another two weeks. However, it will depend on the setting and the role of the new registrant.
What do trusts do for the pre-preceptorship period? What do those programmes look like?
We are looking at this currently and working with the Council of Deans for Healthcare.
What best practice preceptorship programmes are already happening in primary care, are they run at ICS or PCN or practice level, and how did they get buy-in from the employers?
Within primary care there are different models in different parts of the country. We have seen good preceptorship programmes when run at Primary Care Network or training hub level.
Which regions have developed/supported preceptorship through training hub to support primary care?
This is being done very successfully in London through CapitalNurse.
Will there be any funding made available for role out across primary care?
There is no additional funding available that we are currently aware of.
Are there any examples of preceptorship implementation at Integrated Care Board/place-based level, and how are social care and other non-NHS organisations included locally?
Integrated Care Systems are still quite new and some are looking at this – watch this space! Social care and other non-NHS organisations are included wherever possible. We are working closely with Skills for Care to ensure inclusivity.
Moving forward, how much collaboration and work has been or planned towards the AHP framework and might this be combined in future?
There has been full collaboration with our colleagues in both midwifery and AHPs to make the frameworks as similar as possible. They are separate frameworks, however they have a lot in common. The differences recognise and accommodate the different needs of the separate professions.
Can this work in the interprofessional environment?
Yes, it does. We are aware of many organisations running successful multi-disciplinary preceptorship programmes.
Will stakeholder engagement be revisited and extended to the AHP professional bodies?
We welcome AHP colleagues at all our events.
How do you plan to integrate the independent and private healthcare settings more into your work? We often have to fight to be allowed to be included / attend / know of your excellent work!
All healthcare settings are included and are welcome to join our communities of practice and workshops. Just follow us on Twitter!
How do we make preceptorship more equitable? Every preceptee deserves preceptorship, not just bigger trusts with large preceptorship teams. How can we even the field?
Through joining communities of practice, linking with larger organisations and working within ICSs. This will help to provide support to preceptees and a more equitable preceptorship.
How do you ensure preceptorship is fully embedded long term?
Recognising the value of preceptorship and the impact on retention rates will help embed preceptorship.
Considering the current scale of international recruitment, what are your thoughts on the preceptorship programme being utilised as a form of default overseas adaptation programme?
Preceptorship is just as important for international nurses as for our own nurses, however the focus is more on pastoral care and integration into the culture of the NHS.
Do you know if there’s any progress in rolling out preceptorship frameworks in other UK countries?
Different UK countries are at different stages with preceptorship but are working towards it.
Resources, roles and training
Are the resources for Beyond Preceptorship available to regions other than London?
Yes – the Beyond resources are available on the HEE website at https://www.hee.nhs.uk/our-work/capitalnurse/workstreams/preceptorship
Beyond Preceptorship for the registered nurse associate – what pathways are open?
This will depend on the organisation. Most organisations already have a number of options available, and it is really about considering these and packaging them. We make recommendations in our CapitalNurse Beyond Preceptorship framework simply for guidance.
After completing the preceptorship programme are the preceptees considered as preceptor already? Or do they still need to undergo a preceptor development masterclass to officially become a preceptor?
They still need to undergo some preceptor development, so they understand the role, the requirements, the organisational policy and are given an opportunity to develop the skills.
How can we get our preceptors excited about supporting preceptees?
By helping them to feel valued, providing adequate training for the role, offering support and bringing preceptors together.
Is the half day preceptor training compulsory?
We are creating an e-learning package for all experiences. If you’re unable to relieve staff for half a day or more then e-learning is an excellent alternative. There will also be the new e-Learning for Healthcare packages available soon to support preceptor development.
Do you have a standardised job description for preceptorship lead and encourage all trusts to employ one?
We have a role descriptors in our resources section that can be used as a basis.
Should the preceptorship lead be a full time role? Is there specific training for preceptorship champions?
This will depend on organisations and how many preceptees they have. A large teaching hospital taking a lot of new nurses is likely to require more preceptorship lead time than a small organisation. We are looking at preceptorship champion training.
What are the benefits of being a preceptorship champion?
Enjoyment, a feeling of job satisfaction and helping others.
Where are monthly events advertised? What do action learning sets involve?
Communities of practice are set up by each Regional Lead and you can find out dates and details of events from them or on the Events section of our website.
Feedback from the event:
Why does preceptorship matter? What is the value of preceptorship?
- It is about saying to NQNs that you matter – that we as an organisation are committed to supporting and developing you. Essential for feeding into retention.
- Supporting a healthy mental health and wellbeing. We are an extension of the clinical area supporting new ideas and encouraging development.
- Essential to help newly qualified nurses to settle.
- Preceptorship offers support to new nurses not only clinically but also psychologically, mentally and emotionally. Provides a ‘sense of community’, peer support with similar experiences and values.
- Preceptorship is opening the curtain to our organisational culture. Is this a place they are valued, invested in and a place they can flourish? If we invest in our new workforce we will drive high quality care through a highly educated workforce. Our new practitioners are our patient advocates and leaders of the future. Let’s invest in them.
- It’s a recognition. Improve the morale and give good experience. Helps to improve retention. Give confidence over competence. Sense of belonging.
- Belongingness. Getting the right confidence. Getting the right support. Security in getting it right.
- Confidence, sense of belonging, networking – they know others are experiencing the same!
- Recognition of newly qualified staff and their needs. Confidence, feeling valued, autonomy. Support. Value: are more happy and effective workforce.
- Preceptorship matters because it helps build a community and support for new nurses. As an intern from the US this is very new to me, when I graduate I won’t have the opportunity to be supported by a preceptorship programme. The value of preceptorship is to create retention (support).
- Building practice confidence. Embedding CPD at early career stage. Valuing, supporting, developing and RETAINING a workforce you need for the future.
- Preceptorship is the front door welcome which encourages belonging at a national level – consistency for a workforce.
- It provides the foundation of ‘nursing in practice’ in the real world. Value: supports or newly qualifieds and IENs to find their confidence and become autonomous practitioners.
- Preceptorship matters to recruit newly qualifying students. To support during transition to practitioner. To guide towards becoming an expert. To network and exchange experiences. To retain our workforce.
- Preceptorship matters because everyone should be offered the support and sense of belonging they need within their early career.
- I really enjoyed my preceptorship experience. Now l lead preceptorship I hope to give people a great experience too. I love to see the staff progress and I see the positive difference the programme makes. It brings people together!
- Provides a solid foundation of clinical and pastoral support to new registrants. Aids retention, morale, motivation and recruitment.
- It enables newly qualified staff to feel supported, confident and competent in his or her role.
- Provide the transition into a new role. Supports staff to be confident and competent.
- Staff need to feel valued and respected to remain within the trust. Preceptorship provides engagement, respect and value to newly qualified staff.
- Ensuring new nurses are supported and develop their confidence. Improves patient safety, improves experience, improves retention.
- Enables early career nurses to take charge of their career and make decisions that mean they feel supported and stay in the profession.
- Value of belonging. Confidence leading to competence. Socialisation into a role and aids retention.
- Improves experience of new registrants’ time in trust. Share experience and support each other.
- It matters to offer support, this is what nurses value, being with each other for supervision sessions. Matters to me – I see the value from feedback now I have from programmes. Preceptorship for the organisation is linked to pathway to excellence accreditation, retention and wellbeing.
- Key recruitment and retention strategy. Value newly registered staff and help them feel like they belong in the trust. Develop from novice to confident practitioners.
- The welcome and socialisation into the culture of being a health professional. The formation of a supportive network that develops the future workforce.
- Supports quality and development. Produces the professionals of the future. Supports lifelong learning and longer term retention.
- It looks at the needs of individuals and personal growth and development. I run preceptorship for international nurses focusing on cultural differences between nursing in the UK compared to abroad. This support will focus on the holistic needs of the learner.
- Preceptorship matters because it helps with transition of NRP into their role. It helps retention. Staff feeling valued and supported.
- It helps newly qualified nurses to build confidence and develop a sense of belonging . It helps NQ nurses feel supported and valued and invested in by the trust. It’s vital for developing the future workforce.
- Develop confidence, build resilience.
- This is important to support newly registered practitioners in their new roles. Organisations also benefit from a structural programme as supported people are far more likely to stay.
- Preceptorship is invaluable! Not just newbies – think of the value to preceptors – think of the value to the trust. Pride, role model, profession.
- Preceptorship is key in supporting and valuing our workforce, enabling them to feel in charge of their professional development.
- Every transition is stressful, however exciting, so providing support from peers, preceptors and training is vital. There is nothing more satisfying (aside from caring for patients!) than seeing people develop and grow in confidence.
- Support NRN at their most vulnerable time (fight or flight) starts to build a ‘toolkit’. Networking is always helpful for preceptees.
- It has never been a more challenging time to be a newly qualified professional within the NHS. Preceptees need our support now more than ever. We need nurses to feel valued from the very beginning of their careers.
- The opportunity to step in to protect and support preceptees (preceptors) when things don’t go well. Guide good practice. Set the standard.
- To promote professionalism and pride, recognising the support needed during the transition from student to qualified practitioner. Its value is to promote safety and positive outcomes for patients and family.
- Understanding what opportunities are available. Supporting newly qualified to ensure high standards right from the beginning of their career.
- Preceptorship matters as it encourages and supports newly qualified practitioners have a safe place to escalate and discuss any concerns. Investing in creates a more engaging team.
- Preceptorship matters because transition from student to NQN is recognised as an extremely challenging period. The value of preceptorship is being a support to NQNs, external to their clinical areas.
- Pastoral care, support/confidence boost, signposting, troubleshooting, can be the difference to staying or leaving. It is vital.
- Important support for new nurses, to keep nurses employed. Being a critical/professional friend for nurses working in isolation.
- Preceptorship supports staff through the ‘new NHS normal’ and embed belonging.
- Better quality care and outcomes for patients. Belonging to a trust/organisation or professional. High quality/highly motivated staff.
- Preceptorship matters because you only have the one chance to get it right.
- Retention, progression, be empowered to raise concern.
- Helps to introduce you into the trust and environment. Helps people to feel welcome. Gives people a chance to talk to others and open up about their experiences and how they feel.
- Professional pride. Creating an early sense of belonging.
- Preceptorship is valued within our trust. It matters because NQ staff need support and skills to be able to navigate NHS working, retention etc.
- Preceptorship focuses in developing the individual by increasing the knowledge they already have and building those essential skills (including soft skills). The value of preceptorship not only benefits the individual/preceptee but also the trust, colleagues and patients. Increased knowledge and confidence, leadership and critical thinking and decision making, reflection and retention.
- Provides a strong foundation to develop and retain our new workforce. To help shape the future standards of the NHS.
- Value to me personally – legacy! Value to my organisation – retention of staff, job satisfaction. Value to preceptees – feeling welcome, safe and growing in confidence. Value to preceptors – feeling valued, sharing knowledge.
- Support and learning for new nurses in primary care. Looking at transitional skills from secondary to primary care skills. Promotes retention, encourages sharing, improving care.
- It is so important for qualifying students to know they will be supported at a very daunting time.
- Retention, makes staff feel valued, improves resilience and confidence.
- Building confidence to support individuals to become competent, confident, autonomous practitioners.
- Makes the individual feel valued and invested in.
- Integrating a culture of support for all; empowering practitioners to focus on continuous development and building confidence.
- Preceptorship provides the framework to guide and support new nurses holistically as they start their nursing career journey. Providing them with tools to function independently and safely.
- Supporting our future workforce, feeling valued and that newly registered staff feel valued. Developing confidence and competence, support a reflective career.
- Helps new nurses to feel valued and that they matter. To ensure they are not dropped into the deep end.
- To me, the importance of preceptorship is about instilling a good work ethic and understanding for our staff to be able to deliver good quality patient care, through both compassionate care and strong multidisciplinary understanding and working.
- Preceptorship matters because during this time it helps support the NQNs, IENs, NA in their transition to independent practitioners. Enhanced patient care and experience. Improved recruitment and retention. To have more confident and skilled nurses.
- To protect and develop our newly registered workforce. Support them to become competent, confident, autonomous practitioners. To develop skills and awareness around career development, leadership, research and QI, education and clinical practice. To support integrated learning across MDT and across sector.
- Support, confidence, transition, consolidation.
- The effort people put in to qualify as a nurse/nurse associate needs to be respected. Preceptorship helps with this. Feeling lonely and/or not having a sense of belonging is horrible. Preceptorship helps with this. Growing confidence in new nurses/nurse associates is essential.
- Personal – my future nurse. Time and retention. Every nurse should feel valued and like the belong – preceptee and preceptor.
- Delivery of quality and safe patient care. Retention in terms of massive recruitment. Transition programme and career progression.
- It helps the staff feel they belong to the team. It also gives them time to transition from being a student to being newly qualified. Preceptorship is paramount. It allows individual to feel valued in the organisation.
- IPL approach much appreciated in NMAHP preceptorship. Supporting transition, feeling included. Retention/career longevity/developing professional resilience. Cultural and professional adaptation of international nurses – optimisation of international skilled workforce.
- It helps to give a smooth transition into a new professional role. It helps to maintain high professional standards as there is a process that ensures continuous transferring of skills.
- Start to being a professional. Support, peer support.
- To support NQNs as can feel overwhelmed. To provide a platform for learning and development. To provide a forum for peer support. To help with the transition from S/N to NQN. Through ALS provide space to reflect and decompress.
- An opportunity for peer support with staff working in different areas who may be able to offer different perspectives. Evidence that the trust/organisation is invested in nurses’ education and development. Opportunity for preceptees to gain a great ***of their options.
- Transition student nurse to registered probably biggest transition in your career. A chance to be kind, guide and be a confidant. Next generation nurses, provide roots to retain happy staff. A go to person/team. Set the standards.
- Support for new registrants
- Support of transition between student and practitioner. Helping bridge theory to practice.
- To enable our newly qualified practitioners build autonomy and enable their professional and personal development. To overall promote staff wellbeing thereby help us retain staff.
- Gives a voice, hones skills, ensures understanding of the need to maintain competencies and to take these forward.
- Important to keep staff and what matters to them how they may develop and how to use when coming from accreditation transfer into working practice. Then become preceptor themselves because set perspectives.
- Mimicking theory and practice. Giving voice to support for the new registrant.
- For the development of future workforce. It helps develop confidence as a student.
- I feel that the preceptorship programme matters because it is the kind of programme that gives NQNs the confidence that they need to start their nursing career confident, a value for the organisation that they are working for. Preceptorship is a valuable programme. It gives nurses the knowledge, confidence to be comfortable in the clinical area and make NQNs aware that other nurses are going through similar situations and they are not alone. Preceptorship programme can give NQNs in the long run the feeling of belonging to an organisation that invests/cares for their wellbeing and want to help them to feel safety on their job.
- Broaden perspective of nursing from their clinical area. Makes new registrants feel they belong to something. Encouraging pride in nursing career and acknowledging it’s hard – sense of belonging.
- Platform for all the new preceptees – from all professions (RCN/NA/return to practice/IENs) to learn under safe environment. Hone knowledge/skills, voice and reflect without any judgement. It aids in retention of staff as well as support preceptees in their early career.
- Sense of belonging and support. Develop a programme from an early career. Having guidance and a recognised programme with accreditation. Embraces that community of practice.
- It helps sets the standard of the organisation and nurses knowing they have something to get out of it. It builds confidence clarity for a preceptee’s career. Building a preceptee to a developed preceptor.
- A safe place to learn, share and make mistakes. Preceptorship values the impact of the preceptees and what support they need to continue to make a difference. Understanding the history of nursing. What it is and how we can make it better but respecting the contribution of others in the 21st century.
- Provides support / pastoral care. Guidance. Identifies individual needs.
- Provides the foundations of early career development. Provides high quality patient care. Welcomes early career professionals to the workforce and the beginning of continual CPD.
- Make staff feel valued, supported, empowered and that they belong. Preceptorship helps build professional identity – for three years you’ve been a student wearing a different outfit. Preceptorship is a mindset shift at the beginning of lifelong learning.
- To have a standardised supportive approach to give to new nurses is so appropriate to help keep staff happy and nurtured.
- Preceptorship matters because it helps newly qualified nurses to feel integrated and part of a new trust. Allows everyone to discuss their thoughts and how they feel.
- Knowing that our newly registered professionals feel safe, supported and happy at work. As a preceptorship team – to create safe spaces to debrief and encourage and listen.
- Large number of new grads leaving profession. Ensure new staff feel valued and equipped to start their careers. Early MDT integration. Peer support.
- Recognition of transition to becoming an accountable decision-maker needs to be high profile. Support and kindness should be natural not mandatory but mandate is required to do it. Peer support should be recognised as standard.
- Need for safe place. Focus on mentorship but yet when qualifying – especially with pressures and staff wanting to go straight to community than acute. SSSAs – PAs straight away. Value – impact on progression and retention – empowered to raise concerns, FTSU.
- Reflective coaching, supportive network. Prep for real work situation. Retention, progression, safe space.
- Preceptorship helps our newly registered practitioners to transition in their role. It also offers a supportive network. This impacts on retention and progression.
- Supportive network. Competencies – skills/soft skills. Transitioning. Safe space. Retention, progression, empower to raise concern and power through. Develops staff to understand their role. Makes new nurses feel supported in their transition.
- To make newly qualified staff feel like they belong. Helps to signpost and support staff. Helps with retention.
- To be valued and respected. Belonging and being part of a team. Feeling worthwhile, building confidence, allowed to thrive.
- Preceptorship is key in new nurses feeling supported and valued. It enables them to become confident nurses.
- Staff feel valued, supports retention, develops the workforce, structured programme of support for new registrants.
- Building confidence by developing ‘soft skills’. Supporting the transition from student to accountable and registered healthcare professional. Promoting wellbeing and a sense of belonging.
- Preceptorship values nurses at the early stage of their careers. It sends a message that we (the profession) know that transition to being an RN can be challenging.
- Getting a sense of the wider system. Offering high level support so that primary care can be credibly seen as a first destination career.
- Because our nurses/AHPs matter. It’s important to give people the opportunity and space to grow and develop and a safe space to share experiences with peers or seek support outside of their workplace. And the value will be when staff feel valued.
- It is so important for our student to see they will be getting support in their first roles. It gives them help – reassurance.
- This is how we value and grow the future workforce. For me working with preceptees is the most fulfilling part of my role. Now seeing preceptee back as preceptors is fabulous.
- This is how we demonstrate belonging to an organisation and the NHS family – a fundamental part of the NHS People Promise.
- Sense of belonging and ‘welcome’ to the profession. Support, help to transition. Essential.
- Socialisation in the profession and feeling of belonging and ‘doing it right’. Retention of highly motivated staff.
- Retention. Making people feel at home.
- Wellbeing, retention, competencies, confidence.
- It is a fundamental contribution to growing and valuing the individual nurse and the profession.
- Preceptorship is essential to help new registrants navigate their new role and the accountability they now have. It’s a guiding hand and a shoulder to lean on.
- It helps with support, learning approach. A welcome to the organisation. Recruitment and retention, it makes the NQN feel valued, encourages learning.
Recordings of previous events can be accessed below:
Preceptorship for Social Care Focus Group – Tuesday 9 August 2022
Preceptorship for Primary Care Focus Group – Friday 8 July 2022
National Preceptorship Second Stakeholder Engagement Event – 13 June 2022
National Preceptorship Quality Mark Stakeholder Engagement Event
29 November 2022
The presentation from the event can be accessed here
Contact us
For general enquiries about the project please contact the project team
Project Team (General)
Anna Savva (Project Manager)
For specific enquiries about the project please contact our national leads
Desiree Cox (Programme Lead)
Jane Wray (Senior Clinical Lead)
You can also contact our Regional Leads
Melvina Stober (South West England)
Tania Topp (South East England)
Desiree Cox (London)
Debbie Cubitt (East of England)
Jenny Halse (Midlands)
Eileen Aylott (North East and Yorkshire)
Rachelle Alty (North West England)
News and articles
Preceptorship: Nurses gaining protected time a ‘thorny issue’ – Nursing Times
21 March 2023
‘Ambitious’ preceptorship plan for England progresses at pace – Nursing Times
16 March 2023
Letter from Ruth May’s office: Retention of nursing and midwifery colleagues’ letter
11 July 2022
New nursing framework ‘invigorating’ preceptorship in England – Nursing Times
14 November 2022
Nurse preceptorship review highlights ‘benefits and barriers’ – Nursing Times
8 April 2022
‘Ambitious’ preceptorship plan for England progresses at pace – Nursing Times
16 March 2022
‘Good preceptorship positively impacts staff recruitment and retention’ – Nursing Times
2 February 2022
Social media
Tweet us
Tweet Desiree Cox (Programme Lead)
Tweet Dr Jane Wray (Clinical Lead)
Please remember to use the hashtag #NationalPreceptorship – this will help us and others who are interested in the project to stay connected to what’s happening.