Background The Professional Nurse Advocate (PNA) role is an emerging concept, promoting four key functions: Clinical Supervision (Restorative Function), Education and Development (Formative Function), Monitoring and Evaluation of Quality (Normative Function), and Personal Action for Quality Improvement. Staff wellbeing is crucial for enhanced care quality, professionalism, and ultimately better health outcomes for patients. Hence, our hospice has established a team of PNAs.

Aim Recognising the importance of clinical supervision, both the CQC and the NMC emphasise its significance. The Care Quality Commission (CQC. Supporting information and guidance: supporting effective clinical supervision. 2013) highlights its role in assisting staff to manage the emotional demands of their work, particularly in complex or emotive situations while the Nursing & Midwifery Council (NMC. Future nurse: standards of proficiency for registered nurses. 2018) advises that nurses should access clinical supervision, despite the challenges in implementation (Driscoll, Stacey, Harrison-Dening, et al. Nurs Standard. 2019;34(5):43–50). The aim of forming a team of PNAs was to facilitate peer-level supervision and levelling hierarchy. This independent team is self-managed yet reports to senior management to convey themes and propose quality improvement ideas. The PNA model was preferred due to its national support network.

Methods We invited expressions of interest from all staff below senior nurse level, deliberately aiming to mitigate hierarchical issues. As a result, three nurses have qualified as PNAs, with two more scheduled to commence the course, completing the team. This self-regulating team focuses on the four functions according to the needs of staff and patients.

Results This project is ongoing, our goal is to present background information, setup details, and early evaluations to the conference.

Conclusion The PNA role offers an opportunity for staff to support colleagues, patients, and services through supervision and quality improvement. While data on the impact of the PNA role in nursing is limited due to its infancy, we anticipate it will foster clinical leadership within our team, aiding staff and service development (Driscoll et al, 2019).