Trust awarded prestigious National Preceptorship Quality Mark

Mersey Care is one of the first NHS Trusts in the country to be accredited with the full National Preceptorship Quality Mark, awarded to organisations who offer high quality preceptorship programmes for newly qualified registered nurses, nursing associates and allied health professionals.

The Quality Mark forms part of the National Preceptorship Framework for England, which aims to ensure consistent and effective support for practitioners transitioning into new roles, and is used  by NHS Trusts to benchmark their performance.

Jenny Hurst, Chief Nurse at Mersey Care, said: “We’re absolutely delighted to have our work within the Trust recognised by such a major award.

“We’ve worked very hard on our preceptorship programme to ensure nurses, nursing associates and allied health professionals have the best possible support as they start their new roles.

“The feedback we’ve received is very positive from students who have graduated from our preceptorship programme into roles within the Trust and we're working constantly to improve the support we provide.”

The Trust was awarded an Interim Quality Mark for nursing in 2023, but has now graduated to the full Quality Mark in recognition of the early implementer pilot and recognition of support to other professional groups.

The 12-month supported learning programme aims to provide support, guidance, and development for all newly registered practitioners to build confidence and develop full competence as they transition into an autonomous professional. 

Mersey Care’s preceptorship programme has been recognised as it encourages a safe learning environment for new staff, builds confidence and skills, increases motivation and leads to more effective team working and communication.