What is a Professional Nurse Advocate (PNA)?

The Professional Midwifery Advocate role and ‘A-EQUIP’ model was introduced in Midwifery in 2017 in response to the end of the mandatory supervision of Midwives. A-EQUIP is an acronym for ‘advocating for education and quality improvement’.

The four functions of the A-EQUIP model are: 

Formative (Education and Development) – Knowledge and skills, Opportunities for professional development/CPD and Involvement in Education activities, Self-reflection  

Normative (Monitoring, Evaluation and Quality Control) - Delivery of safe care, Develop effectiveness and ability in role, Mandatory training, Service improvement  

Restorative (Clinical Supervision) – Provision of the support that is needed to enhance health and wellbeing by means of restorative clinical supervision.  

Personal action for quality improvement - To provide a framework for midwives to embed continuous improvement in practice. 

The success of the A-EQUIP model in midwifery led to an NHS England taskforce being developed to consider how to role could be adapted for Nursing. From this, the role of a Professional Nurse Advocate role was introduced in England beginning in March 2021. 

The PNA role aims to build on the personal and professional clinical leadership of nurses, enhance the quality of care for patients, and support preparedness for appraisal and professional revalidation. The restorative function including the delivery of restorative clinical supervision (RCS) has been shown to have a positive impact on the physical and emotional wellbeing of staff as it reduces burnout, stress and absences, and improves job satisfaction and patient experience (NHS England, 2021). 

NHS guidance in relation to the Professional Nurse Advocate role can be accessed here: NHS England » Professional nurse advocate