Following local pilots and accelerated development programmes a range of new roles have been developed to:

• match changes in health care delivery
• increase productivity and efficiency
• increase workforce flexibility
• alleviate current and future workforce shortages

These new roles include jobs requiring a broader range of skills (e.g. health care practitioners, bringing together knowledge from nursing, professions allied to medicine and medicine) and those demanding more specialised skills (e.g. nurse specialists, GPs with special interests).

There are two new career levels within a newly established 9 level career framework:

• associate practitioners (level 4) – will need to have a foundation degree, BTEC or HND, and will take on tasks previously only provided by state registered professionals
• assistant practitioners (level 7) – will need a high level of skills, knowledge and experience, and will be given more responsibility in terms of decision making and caseload

Although current numbers are still relatively low, new roles are expected to grow, underpinned by newly developed accredited courses.

Source: NHS website 2006

For more information new roles and job specifications at Trust level go to the NHS Modernisation Agency website.

For a list of sources and research on the impact of these new roles and sources of occupational information see:

Research on new roles

Sources of occupational information