Benefits and challenges of implementing the professional nurse advocate programme: a service evaluation

The professional nurse advocate (PNA) programme aims to equip nurses with the skills to provide restorative clinical supervision, thereby enabling then to support other staff members. This article details a service evaluation to determine the effects of introducing the PNA programme in a mental health and learning disability NHS trust. Data on the PNA supervision sessions were collected using trust records, supervisee evaluations and a PNA experience survey questionnaire. The evaluation found that the PNA sessions primarily supported staff well-being and retention. The PNAs found the experience of delivering supervision rewarding, but they expressed challenges such as having insufficient time to facilitate sessions and a lack of ongoing development. This suggests that protected time for supervisees and PNAs needs to be provided, and that it may be beneficial to establish a continuing professional development programme for PNAs.