Council approves continued use of recovery standards to increase flexible use of simulation

Our Council has today approved the continued use of our Covid-19 recovery standards (RN5 and RN5.1). These standards allow all Approved Education Institutions (AEIs) to enable up to 300 hours of practice learning using a full range of new and innovative practice simulation methods that are currently available.

Council also approved a new recovery standard - RN6(D) - which will increase the allowance to 600 hours for those AEIs who can demonstrate that they have the capacity and capability to do so.

Unlike our other recovery standards, AEIs need to seek NMC approval before implementing the new discretionary standard, RN6(D). They will need to provide evidence that they have the appropriate resources and infrastructure to implement it effectively and safely.

AEIs implementing the new standard will also need to show how they will evaluate the increased use of simulation. This evaluation will support our ongoing work to update our education programme standards.

These standards will now remain in effect until we’ve completed our work to update our pre-registration education programme standards, following the UK’s departure from the EU.

We’ll write to all AEIs in the coming weeks setting out how they can submit a request to access the new standard.

Professor Geraldine Walters, Executive Director of Professional Practice, said:

"I’m pleased that the Council have agreed for the existing recovery standards to remain in place while we consider the permanent changes we might make to our education standards following the departure of the UK from the EU. These, and the additional discretionary standard will allow AEIs more flexibility to explore and evaluate new and innovative approaches to nursing education."

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