A night in the life of a senior neonatal nurse practitioner

In response to the reduction in junior doctors’ hours and government initiatives to work in new ways, many neonatal units employ Advanced Neonatal Nurse Practitioners, highly experienced nursing staff, who often work as part of the medical establishment. At North Cheshire Hospitals NHS Trust change was inevitable. Extending the practice and roles amongst senior staff was the obvious solution, however, staff were keen to maintain core neonatal nursing skills. Following discussions with both medical and nursing staff, the idea of providing enhanced practice within a nursing context, utilising a holistic approach incorporating aspects of the medical model was adopted, and the role of the senior neonatal nurse practitioner (SNNP) became a reality.

Debbie Yates, Sue Emery, Deborah Weaver, Wendy Wilkinson, Angela Glennard and He