Standards for specialist education and practice

The Standards for specialist education and practice were published in 2001.

These are standards for our approved programmes for specialist education and practice.

These standards no longer apply to public health nursing, health visiting, occupational health nursing and school nursing. Professionals who successfully complete NMC SCPHN programmes are regulated by the Standards of proficiency for specialist community public health nurses

The 2001 standards that apply to non-community SPQs (pages 9-11) were withdrawn on 31 August 2023. This means we no longer approve non-community SPQ programmes and associated non-community SPQ qualifications, nor do they lead to an SPQ annotation on our register.

Annotations on the register will remain in place for people who already hold a non-community SPQ qualification against these standards.

The 2001 community focused SPQ standards will remain in place until 31 August 2024. They will then be withdrawn. This covers the following SPQ standards:

• Standards for specialist community nursing education and practice - community children’s nursing
• Standards for specialist community nursing education and practice - general practice nursing
• Standards for specialist community nursing education and practice - community learning disabilities nursing
• Standards for specialist community nursing education and practice - community mental health nursing
• Standards for specialist community nursing education and practice - community nursing in the home/district nursing

For more details about the transitional arrangements, please see our May 2022 Council papers.

Find out more about our new standards for post registration.

Circulars

NMC Circular 06/2011 
First published: May 2011
We've withdrawn our circular about entry to specialist community public health nursing (SCPHN) programme.

NMC Circular 01/2011 
First published: February 2011
We've withdrawn our circular about using accreditation of prior learning (APL) in existing pre-registration nursing, specialist community public health nursing programmes, and in other programmes where APL is permitted.

NMC Circular 01/2011 Annexe 1 
First published: February 2011
We've withdrawn our circular about guidance and advice for the accreditation of prior learning (APL) for programmes currently approved under the Standards of proficiency for pre-registration nursing education (2004), the Standards for specialist community public health nursing (2004) and other programmes where APL is permitted.

NMC Circular 26/2006 
First published: October 2006
We've withdrawn our circular about specialist community public health nursing (SCPHN) – requirements for education and training in a differing ‘field of specialist community public health nursing practice’.

NMC Circular 24/2006
First published: October 2006
We've removed our circular on specialist community public health nursing (SCPHN) – extension to the length of programme.

Links

Standards of proficiency for specialist community public health nurses