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July 18 – A London hospital has renamed its healthcare assistants as nursing assistants, it was reported today. The staff have new titles and uniforms to make them – and their patients – feel they are part of the nursing workforce, Nursing Standard reports. Senior nurses at University College Hospital London believe the titles of [...]

March 28 – Standard training is essential for all healthcare assistants, warns the Royal College of Nursing today. In new guidance for commissioners and employers, the RCN sets out its “Position statement on the education and training of healthcare assistants”. It calls for nationally recognised training, regulation, and limits on the tasks that healthcare assistants [...]

November 16 – Health and social care assistants are to get a code of conduct – and a voluntary register, it was announced yesterday. Health secretary Andrew Lansley also promised minimum training standards for assistants. Nursing organisations have been pressing for a registration scheme for assistants – as currently nurses on wards can be held [...]