The Regional Professional Development & Recognition Programme (PDRP) for Nursing and theQuality and Leadership Programme (QLP) for Midwives

Date approved: 16 October 2013

Review date:24 October 2014

Purpose

The Te Kāhui Kōkiri Mātanga PDRP is designed to provide opportunities for nurses to progress and demonstrate their knowledge, skill, expertise and leadership within the practice environment, and in return receive employer support, encouragement and recognition for their commitment and contribution to nursing practice. This process also meets the standards of continuing competence requirements for Nursing Council of New Zealand.

The Midwifery Quality and Leadership Programme (QLP) provides a framework for employed midwives and midwifery employers to meet their respective responsibilities in a manner which models partnership between employer and employee (copied from National QLP framework 2005, pg 2). It is a structured framework which supports and, assists midwives to further develop knowledge and skills necessary to provide safe and effective care for women and their babies

Participating Organisations

  • Canterbury District Health Board (CDHB)
  • Access
  • Forte Health
  • Nurse Maude
  • Pegasus Health
  • St George’sHospital
  • South Canterbury District Health Board (SCDHB)
  • Arowhenua Whanau Services
  • BidwillTrustHospital
  • South Canterbury Hospice
  • Supporting Families Aoraki Incorporated
  • West Coast District Health Board (WCDHB)
  • Nelson/Marlborough DHB (NMDHB)
  • Ashwood Park Retirement Village 2012 Ltd
  • Marlborough PHO
  • NelsonBays Primary Health
  • Nelson Region Hospice Trust
  • Salvation Army Marlborough Community Hospice Trading as Hospice Marlborough
  • SpringlandsLifestyleVillage
  • Wakefield Rest Home
  • Department of Corrections
  • Southern District Health Board (SDHB)
  • Clutha Health First
  • Dunstan
  • Hospice Southland
  • Lawrence
  • Mercy
  • Oamaru
  • Otago Hospice
  • Ranfurly

Organisations with Memorandum of Understandings accessing Competent level PDRP via Nursing Entry to Practice include:

  • Healthcare New Zealand
  • Rosebank Resthome and Hospital, Ashburton
  • BUPA
  • Christchurch PHO
  • Homestead Ilam

Associated Documents

  • National Framework for Nursing Professional Development & Recognition Programmes & Designated role Titles (December 2005). Report to the National Nurses Organisations from the National Professional Development and Recognition Programmes Working Party
  • Professional Development and Recognition Programme (PDRP) Evidential Requirements Working Party Report (November, 2009). Report developed through joint sponsorship of Nurse Executives of New Zealand and New Zealand Nurses’ Organisation (NZNO).
  • Competencies for RN Scope of Practice: Nursing Council of New Zealand (NCNZ) 2007, reprint May 2012
  • Competencies for EN Scope of Practice: NCNZ April 2012
  • Regional PDRP Guidelines and templates
  • District Health Boards Quality and Leadership Programme for Midwives covered by the MERAS and NZNO Employment Agreements (March 2012)
  • District Health Boards/NZNO Nursing and Midwifery Multi-Employer Collective Agreement (MECA) 1 March 2012 - 28 February 2015
  • The Midwifery QLP Resource Booklet
  • Midwives Handbook for practice: NZCOM (2008)
  • Performance Management and Risk Management policies of participating organisations

Legislation and Policy

  • Privacy Act (1993)
  • Health Information Privacy Code (1994)
  • Health Practitioners Competency Assurance Act 2003
  • Health and Disability Commissioner Act 2009
  • NCNZ Guidelines: competence Assessment, 2011
  • NCNZ Guidelines: responsibilies for direction and delegation of care to enrolled nurses, 2011
  • NCNZ Guidelines: delegation of care of a RN to a health care assistant 2011
  • NCNZ Guidelines: cultural safety, the Treaty of Waitangi and Maori health in nursing education and practice 2011
  • NCNZ Code of Conduct 2012
  • NCNZ Professional Boundaries 2012
  • District Annual Plans
  • District Maori Health Plans and District Maori Health Policies
  • Organisation’s Code of Conduct

Functional Relationships

  • Executive Director of Nursing and Midwifery
  • Directors of Nursing (DON’s)
  • Nursing Directors
  • Director of Midwifery (DOM)
  • Charge Nurse Managers/Charge Midwives/Senior designated Nursing/Midwifery staff
  • PDRP and QLP Coordinator/ Practice Facilitators and Educators
  • PDRP/QLP Assessors and Resource staff
  • Registered Nurses
  • Registered Midwives
  • Enrolled Nurses

External Functional Relationships

  • New Zealand Nurses Organisation
  • Public Service Association
  • Midwifery Employee Representation and Advisory Service
  • New ZealandCollege of Midwives
  • Nursing Council of New Zealand

PDRP & QLP Levels

PDRP: Registered Nurses

  • Competent
  • Proficient
  • Expert

PDRP: Enrolled Nurses

  • Competent
  • Proficient
  • Accomplished

QLP: Registered Midwives

  • Confident: Domain A
  • Leadership: Domain B

Policy Statement

The Health Practitioners Competency Assurance Act, 2003, requires the Nursing Council of New Zealand (NCNZ) to ensure the ongoing competence of practitioners. The Council approves professional development and recognition programmes as recertification programmes under section 41 of the Act for the purpose of ensuring nurses are competent to practice. Nurses participating in an approved PDRP programme demonstrate continuing competence through submission of a portfolio of evidence. Nurses who are not part of an approved PDRP programme will have to individually meet NCNZ’s continuing competence requirements.

The Midwifery Quality and Leadership Programme provides a framework for employed midwives and midwifery employers to meet their respective responsibilities in a manner which models partnership between employer and employee. It is based on the standards of the profession which apply to all midwives regardless of practice setting or employment status.

The PDRP and QLP incorporates the principles of Te Tiriti o Waitangi/Treaty of Waitangi into nursing and midwifery programmes and practice; and support the values expressed in each District Health Boards Maori Health Plans and Policies. The programmes will monitor the responsiveness to Maori and PacificIsland populations within Canterbury and the wider health regions by nursing/midwifery staff, through support of education and assessment.

Purpose

  • The PDRP is required to
  • Provide a clear and transparent progression pathway for nurses
  • Meet the requirements of the Nursing Council of NZ’s competency-based Practising Certificates
  • Adhere to the national Framework for the Nursing Professional Development and Recognition Programme (PDRP)
  • Provide support, opportunities and encouragement to participate in the programme
  • The QLP is required to
  • Provide a clear and transparent progression pathway for midwives
  • Adhere to the National Framework for the Midwifery Council’s Quality and Leadership Programme (QLP).
  • Demonstrate a partnership between the employer and employee in meeting respective responsibilities for:
  • Maintaining professional standards and safe, quality and efficient healthcare.
  • Providing support, opportunities and encouragement to participate in the programme

Policy

  • All practising nurses and midwives employed by the regional organisations must maintain
  • A current Annual Practicing Certificate.
  • An annual Performance Appraisal/Review
  • The PDRP/QLP is a voluntary process for nurses and midwives that will
  • Recognise levels of competence and professionalism in the delivery of patient care; and nursing / midwifery practice
  • Promote expertise and leadership within the clinical area
  • Advance professional development
  • Promote job satisfaction and facilitate the retention of expert nurses and midwives in clinical practice
  • Value the nurse’s/midwife’s contribution to their practice environment; customer service; the organisation; and community
  • Reward this commitment to nursing/midwifery practice.
  • Participating regional organisations will ensure the PDRP/QLP
  • Is managed in a consistent and culturally appropriate manner
  • Is achievable for those who wish to progress their knowledge, skill, expertise and leadership in their practice area
  • Rewards knowledge, skill, expertise and leadership within the practice environment
  • Has processes recognising transferablility of skills and knowledge
  • The process includes:
  • PDRP/QLP Progresssion
  • Equivalency recognition
  • Illness, disability or parental leave recognition
  • The submission process
  • The moderation process
  • The appeal process
  • Transportability and Transferability of the PDRP/QLP
  • The PDRP/QLP Policy will be reviewed every two years or as necessary.
  • The PDRP/QLP programme is reviewed every 5 years. The process of evaluation is facilitated by the PDRP Advisory Committee.
  • The NCNZ will audit the PDRP regularly as well as require a mid-term report to be sent in interim years.
  • Nurses who have submitted their portfolio and are endorsed onto the PDRP are deemed to have met NCNZ’s re-certification requirements and therefore exempt from Nursing Council audit over the 3 year period.
  • Nurses and Midwives, both applicants and PDRP resource/assessment personnel, will be guided by the following process for the PDRP/QLP.

Privacy and Confidentiality

  • All nurses and midwives are obliged to adhere to the Health Information Privacy Code, NCNZ’s Code of Conduct, NCNZ Professional Boundaries and each organisations code of conduct.
  • The portfolio is a personal document and the information it contains is private and confidential.
  • Assessors and resource staff are required to respect this expectation.
  • No information contained within a portfolio will identify a patient, their location or community, or a health team member (Performance Appraisals, Peer Reviews and other PDRP/QLP core documents will include health team members names however).
  • Consider professional implications before disclosing any unacceptable and/or inappropriate information about personal practice or that of others. If unsure, seek guidance.
  • Identified breaches of confidentiality within a portfolio will result in the portfolio being returned to the applicant for amendment. This may impact on the timeframes for assessment.

Storage of Portfolios

  • Every effort is made to ensure confidentiality and protection of the portfolio.
  • Portfolios must be stored securely in a locked filing cabinet and will only be removed when assigned to an assessor, for photocopying, or on return to the applicant.
  • If portfolios are assessed outside of the organisation, due care will be taken by the assessor to ensure confidentiality and protection for the portfolio.
  • Consent is granted for PDRP/QLP assessment, when the applicant signs the Consent Form.
  • On completion of the assessment process, the portfolio is returned to the relevant organisation or held until collected by the applicant.

Unsafe Practice

  • If a PDRP/QLP assessment identifies unsafe, potentially unsafe or concerning practice, the assessor has an ethical and legal responsibility to refer the matter to the PDRP/QLP Coordinator.
  • The PDRP/QLP Coordinator will then discuss concerns with the applicant
  • The PDRP/QLP Coordinator will then discuss the matter with the organisation’s DON/DOM or Nurse Directors (SDHB).
  • This evidence in the portfolio will not be used to initiate a disciplinary process, but a supportive development plan will be required to be formulated.
  • Unsafe practice will be addressed by the organisation’s Performance Management and Risk Management process.

PDRP/QLP Progression

PDRP (Nurses)

  • All nurses must have a current Annual Practicing Certificate (APC)
  • A current Performance Appraisal/Review, undertaken within the last 12 months, which is based on the NCNZ Competencies for RN and EN Scope of Practice
  • Failure to meet the competencies will be addressed using the performance management process.

Competent Level

Nurses applying at Competent Level, apply to the PDRP office using the ‘PDRP Competent Level’ documentation.

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Graduate Nurses (including NETP and graduate ENS) and Return to Nursing Staff

  • At the end of the first year of practice, the Programme Coordinator arranges for assessment to take place against the Competent Level criteria for NETP/NESP graduates. Graduate ENs and Return to Nursing Staff are assessed as required.
  • If this is achieved, they are entered on the PDRP at Competent level.

Proficient and Expert/Accomplished Levels

  • Nurses apply using the ‘PDRP Proficient or Expert/Accomplished’ documentation.
  • Their portfolio is submitted to the organisation’s PDRP Co-ordinator on the assessment dates advertised on the intranet (if applicable)
  • Portfolios are assessed by PDRP Assessors.

Progression to Senior Role

Nurses who have achieved Proficient or Expert level and progress to a senior role may choose to either

  • Maintain a Senior Nurse portfolio (in which case they will be assessed by a similarly scoped peer). N.B. A designated senior nurse progression through the salary scale is not dependent on PDRP, refer to MECA
  • Maintain Proficient or Expert Level without payment should their clinical roles require this, e.g. CNS may have national guidelines dictate this for their role, e.g. diabetes prescribing
  • Choose not to continue on the PDRP.

QLP (Midwives)

  • All Midwives must have
  • A current Annual Practicing Certificate (APC with no conditions)
  • A Performance Appraisal/Review based on Midwifery domains, within the last 12 months
  • Midwives with a current Annual Practicing Certificate and over 12 months experience of being either employed or self-employed may apply to be assessed for Confident or Leadership Domain at any time, using the ‘Confident/Leadership’ documentation.
  • Midwives applying for either of these levels submit their portfolio to the organisational PDRP/QLP Coordinator for assessment by QLP Assessors.

Graduate Midwives

Will remain on the Confident Domain for 12 months from the commencement of their employment before they can apply to move to the Leadership domain.

PDRP Expert Level and Post Graduate Education or Equivalence (PGE)

  • The preferred evidence for Expert RN is relevant Post Graduate education.
  • Part of the Expert Level requirements is that the applicant is required to show evidence of post graduate education or equivalence. Post graduate education is Level 8 and must be relevant to the area of practice. Post graduate certificates, diplomas and Masters degree all meet this requirement. Those nurses practising at Expert level who have not undertaken postgraduate education at Level 8 may apply to be considered for educational equivalence.
  • The post graduate equivalency process is required to be undertaken for nurses who have not had access to postgraduate level 8 education and wish to apply for Expert level. These nurses may have achieved the equivalent knowledge, skills and attributes through other pathways.
  • The applicant is required to demonstrate within their portfolio the integration of the nursing knowledge at level 8 into their nursing practice. Prior to submitting the portfolio, a nurse must apply to the postgraduate equivalency committee with evidence of how they have achieved postgraduate equivalency. Evidence should include:
  • post registration experience and education relevant to current area of practice which impacts at practice at expert level
  • changes in attitudes and skills which have occurred resulting in improved care delivery influencing patient outcomes
  • demonstration of expert practice, critical analysis and reflection in nursing practice and evidenced throughout the portfolio evidence
  • The nurse is required to submit their evidence using the equivalency template, have line manager/professional leader validation, and forward the equivalency form to the CHDB PDRP administrator for the postgraduate equivalency committee consideration.
  • The application will be reviewed by the Equivalency Committee, which meets quarterly. Applications should be received one week prior to the committee meeting. Formal feedback is given to each candidate
  • In the following three years after originally applying through the equivalency committee the expert applicant is required to submit a summary supplying evidence within their portfolio of how education is now applied in their current setting at Expert level. If the applicant has changed clinical roles into a new clinical setting they will be required to submit an application to the postgraduate equivalency process.
  • PGE is intended for PDRP purposes only and does not equate to post graduate requirements for employment or other purposes

Interim Year

PDRP

  • A nurse who has been endorsed onto the PDRP is deemed to have met NCNZ’s Re-certification Requirements for 3 years. It is a requirement that the nurse continues to maintain their competence at this level during this time
  • The nurse should bring examples of evidence of how they have maintained their current PDRP level at their Annual Performance Appraisal/Interim Review.
  • The nurse will be advised in writing prior to their anniversary date for resubmission.
  • Nurses at Proficient or Expert/Accomplished level will be sent a reminder to complete a ‘PDRPInterim Year Revalidation form’ (minimum 1 month prior to revalidation due date) which is then completed by the applicant and signed by both the Nurse Manager and the applicant. and returned to the PDRP office
  • If this form is not received by the due date, a reminder letter will be sent out.
  • If after 1 month from the expiry date, no Proficient or Expert/ Accomplished Interim form is received, the applicant (and the Nurse Manager) will be notified that their level of practice payment is stopped (if applicable) and a note placed onto the database.

QLP

  • In the interim years, the midwife will discuss with the Charge Midwife Manager how they maintain the domain of practice.
  • Should the domain not be maintained, see Failure to Maintain Level of Practice.

Failure to Maintain Level of Practice

A nurse or midwife who is unable to maintain the level of practice following feedback, coaching and support within a specified timeframe eg 3 months, may result in a reassessment of the level of practice allowance (if applicable) or they may choose to not continue with the PDRP process.

Illness/Disability

  • In the case of illness/disability the PDRP/QLP level should remain the same, with the same assessment process continuing.
  • The nurse/midwife resubmits their portfolio at the same level on their anniversary date when the portfolio is due.
  • If this is not possible, an extension or review is arranged by the organisational DON/DOM or their representative and the PDRP Coordinator will liaise with Nursing Council
  • If the level is not able to be maintained, the same process will occur as above in Failure to Maintain Level of Practice process.
  • If an extension is requested at the time of resubmission, please see Re-Submission Three Yearly.

Parental Leave

  • In the case of parental leave the PDRP/QLP level should remain the same in the interim year.
  • When the applicant starts parental leave they will notify the PDRP/QLP Coordinator of their status and they will be placed on suspended status on the database.
  • An interim year re-validation will not be required, until they return to work.
  • Upon return to work, the applicant meets with their Nurse/Midwifery Manager to form a development plan to determine how they will meet the interim year revalidation requirements at the next anniversary date.
  • If post parental leave interim year revalidation requirements cannot be met, the same process will occur as above in Failure to Maintain Level of Practice.
  • If parental leave occurs around the time of resubmission, see Re-Submission Three Yearly.

Re-Submission Three Yearly