Health Service Categories and Careers

General Nurses (Band 5) have undertaken a bachelor or master’s degree in nursing, or alternatively, a nursing degree apprenticeship, and are registered with the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC). Depending on their qualification, they work as an Adult Nurse, Children’s Nurse, Mental Health Nurse, or Learning Disability Nurse – however some Nurses complete dual qualifications enabling them to work in more than one area, and many undertake further training to work in specialist areas of medicine and healthcare. General Nurses work in hospital units - in emergency, acute care, surgical and secondary care settings. They provide person-centred and evidence-based nursing care, including preventative, curative, supportive, restorative, and palliative health care. They assess and monitor patients, and administer immunisations, medicines and IV Drugs. With further clinical experience, they can pursue roles as District Nurses, GP Nurses (primary care), Neonatal Nurses, Prison Nurses, School Nurses and Theatre Nurses. General Nurses work independently as well as under the direction and supervision of senior nurses and medical staff, and within multi-disciplinary teams. They may be responsible for leading a team of support workers. They provide nursing care and support to patients in a variety of healthcare and clinical settings including hospitals, nursing homes, GPs, private practices, community health clinics, schools, and in people’s homes.

Midwives provide education, support and health care to women during pregnancy. They deliver babies and provide antenatal and postnatal services to women, their babies, their partners, and families. They deliver antenatal and parenting classes, conduct clinical examinations and screening, and provide advice and information regarding choices and services available for pregnant women. They provide emotional and clinical support during labour and after birth, helping new mothers with breastfeeding and caregiving. They have other training, quality assurance, management and record-keeping responsibilities. Midwives work with gynaecologists, GPs, health visitors, neonatal nurses and maternity support workers. They work in primary and acute care settings, where they may be responsible for triage and assessment of high and low risk labour or need to identify and respond to emergency situations. In hospitals, they work in maternity units, postnatal wards and neonatal units. They also work in community clinics or provide home visits. Midwives have undertaken a degree in Midwifery, or postgraduate study following a Nursing degree, and register with the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC).

Nurse Specialist /Team Leaders includes: District Nurses, School Nurses, General Practice Nurses, Theatre Nurses, Neonatal Nurses and other Nursing roles in community or public health settings. These roles are for experienced Nurses and often require postgraduate education and training, including independent prescribing qualifications.

Nurses and Midwives Manager (Band 7) at this level, including Nurse Practitioners, have extensive clinical experience and have undertaken a master’s degree and specialist training to expand their clinical, diagnostic and leadership skills. They may manage caseloads of patients, perform advanced health assessments, and initiate and interpret diagnostic investigations. They may design, implement and monitor care plans in collaboration with patients, families/caregivers, and other health professionals. They can prescribe medications and provide and receive referrals to/from other health providers. They have management and facilitator responsibilities, where they lead teams, and manage the delivery and quality assurance of services. These roles can involve education and teaching, clinical research, or specialisation in an area of healthcare, such as paediatrics, intensive care, emergency care, perioperative care, rehabilitation, coronary care, oncology, haematology, diabetes, or renal medicine.

Modern Matrons/Consultants are responsible for managing health units within hospitals and other health settings, including community health clinics and nursing homes. They help maintain and improve the administrative processes which support the delivery of quality clinical care - leading to the smooth and efficient running of the health unit, and patient and staff satisfaction. They oversee patient care, supervise nursing staff, manage budgets and financial resources, recruit new staff, organise rostering and employment entitlements, provide feedback, manage performance reviews, and facilitate professional development/career progression opportunities. They also promote working relationships between stakeholders, and develop and implement policies which support the provision of quality healthcare, a safe working environment and cost-effective service delivery. Clinical Nurse Consultants provide clinical expertise. They have practical experience in a broad range of procedures, and have developed specialist knowledge with further study and training.

Nursing Directors are part of the management and leadership team. They sit on management boards and are responsible for clinical governance and risk management. They act as senior advisors, and report and apply governance and regulatory frameworks to monitor, review and improve clinical performance and service delivery across the NHS, in hospitals, health providers, or colleges.