Introduction
This document covers:
- Nurses/midwives/practice nurses/school nurses working in sexual and reproductive health care services
- Midwives and nurses - working in abortion services
- Advanced Clinical Practitioners (ACP)
- Health advisers who are also registered nurses;
- Nursing Associates; England only
- Health care support workers (HCSW); include all unregistered staff involved in SH services. Including Assistant Practitioners (APs) and Nursery Nurses as well as Health Care Assistants involved in SH services.
The word nurse refers to any registered nurse, midwife, health visitor, school nurse, mental health nurse.
For detailed information on medicines management see the RCN's medicines management clincial topic page. There is also a subpage specifically on Patient Group Directions (PGD) and Patient Specific Directions (PSD).
Nurses who work in sexual and reproductive health and HIV will require education and knowledge to work with a PGD or be holding the recordable qualification as an independent prescriber.
Nursing Associates and health care support staff will be working as part of sexual and reproductive health care. When administering medicines these staff must work to a PSD.
It is imperative that all those who provide information and support to people on sexual and reproductive and HIV issues, have the required level of knowledge even if not providing direct sexual / reproductive or HIV care.
The Faculty of Sexual and Reproductive Healthcare (FSRH) and some universities/Higher Educational Institutes (HEIs) and the Royal College of General Practitioners (RCGP) offer one-off introductory days which provide people with ‘a taster’ to this area of practice.
The courses listed below are suitable for nurses/midwives and other health care professionals who are interested in the speciality but do not provide direct care to individuals.
At the end of these programmes, professionals will have a greater understanding of SH, know where and how to refer and understand the importance of early intervention.
- The FSRH - Essential skills for Primary Care, one-day course (In Northern Ireland, if you are interested in doing this course please contact the FSRH)
- The RCGP one-day course free to health care professionals
- RCGP Sexual health resources
- Some universities offer one-off days for professionals
- FSRH Essential contraception following childbirth- an introductory course those involved in post-natal care, accredited by the Royal college of Midwives
- Local Primary Care Training Hubs may offer one day introductory courses
- The nursing press often advertise one-off study days.
The FSRH have other related e-learning courses:
- Contraceptive Counselling
- Women’s Health Library resource, which pulls together resources from a number of areas related to women’s health.