The impact of Scope-practitioners' views on its relevance and potential for service development

Abstract

The United Kingdom Central Council for Nursing, Midwifery and Health Visiting (UKCC) published The Scope of Professional Practice (Scope) in 1992. The research reported here is one strand of a large study commissioned by the UKCC to investigate the document's impact. This stage involved interviews with 53 practitioners, selected because they had reported that Scope had had an impact on their work. It focused on the nature of this impact on service delivery, how it operated in a multi-professional setting, how the Scope principles were viewed and what support was required to implement them effectively.

It was clear that the practitioners interviewed had a great deal to say about how Scope was influencing their practice and about how it could enhance their work in the future. Their attitudes towards, and perceptions of, Scope were overwhelmingly positive. A small number detailed precisely how it was having an impact on their work and on the ways they were able to deliver care. Others were aware of the principles and were exploring what their potential might be. Scope, it was felt, could empower practitioners, facilitate personal and professional development and result in constructive levels of accountability. It could encourage innovation and provide safeguards for service development.