Quality Mark awarded for supporting new nurses

Lead Practice Development Nurse for Preceptorship Sarah Lonsdale with the award

Northern Lincolnshire and Goole NHS Foundation Trust has received the National Preceptorship for Nursing Quality Mark from the NHS England National Preceptorship Programme.

Preceptorship is the way in which newly registered professionals, including nurses, are welcomed into an organisaton and how they are supported to develop their skills, apply knowledge to everyday practice, and gain confidence.

The trust’s preceptorship programme offers structured workshops, regular clinical supervision, and pastoral support throughout the first 12 months in practice, ensuring that professionals embark on their careers with the best possible foundation, shaping their path to becoming the professionals they aspire to be.

The Quality Mark is the national gold standard and was created in October 2022 when NHS England introduced the new national Preceptorship framework for Nursing, which NHS Trusts now use to benchmark themselves against.

Ellie Parker, Head of Professional Practice for Nursing, said: “We are absolutely delighted to gain this Quality Mark.

“Everyone in the team has worked really hard to get to where we are right now. It is nice, as a team, to be recognised at a national level for the hard work we put in day-to-day to support our student nurses.

“Sarah Lonsdale, Lead Practice Development Nurse for Preceptorship, as well as the whole team has worked extremely hard to collate all the evidence that went towards achieving this award and it would not have been possible without them.

“I would just like to say a massive thank you to the team, you should be incredibly proud of your achievement.”

Ellie said the team supports staff to develop knowledge and skills to ensure they can work as confident and competent practitioners.

The trust, which provides acute hospital services and community services to a population of more than 450,000 people across North and North East Lincolnshire, East Riding of Yorkshire and West and East Lindsey, recognises the importance of valuing and investing in continuous professional development to ensure staff are committed to developing their future careers.

She added: “Through our preceptorship programme we aim to care for all our new nurses when we welcome them to the Trust and provide a supportive space for them to grow and learn.”

To earn this prestigious award, the organisation underwent a rigorous self-assessment process, accompanied by evidence demonstrating that it met a minimum of 80 per cent of the standards outlined in the framework to attain the quality mark.

Organisations that achieve the award will undergo reassessment every two years.