The NHS’s efforts to support nurses following the pressures and trauma of the COVID-19 pandemic have been boosted by Coventry University academics producing the world’s first handbook for supporting Professional Nurse Advocates’ wellbeing.
Introduced in 2021 as part of the NHS response to the pandemic, Professional Nurse Advocates (PNAs) help nurses manage workplace pressures, improve wellbeing and build resilience.
As demand for PNAs continues to grow across the NHS, academics have developed The Professional Nurse Advocate’s Handbook, bringing together the voices, experiences and expertise of frontline healthcare professionals. The resource combines practical advice and real-world insights to help strengthen nurse wellbeing, foster compassionate leadership and improve patient care.
Each of the handbook’s eight chapters was written by a nurse or midwife PNA, ensuring the guidance is firmly grounded in clinical practice.
The handbook was edited by Professor Liz Lees-Deutsch, from the Centre for Care Excellence, a research partnership between Coventry University, University Hospitals Coventry and Warwickshire NHS Trust, and Coventry University’s Centre for Healthcare and Community Transformation; Professor Rosie Kneafsey, Academic Director at Coventry University’s School of Health and Care; and Professor Emma Wadey, Deputy Chief Executive and Chief Nursing Officer at Hertfordshire Partnership University NHS Foundation Trust, who led the national development and implementation of the Professional Nurse Advocate role.
Prof Kneafsey believes PNAs play a vital role in driving positive change across the NHS by ensuring nurses feel heard, supported and valued.
She said: “We wanted to make sure the voices of the Professional Nurse Advocates were acknowledged throughout the book. The examples had to be real, grounded in practice and something nurses could genuinely relate to.
“When nurses are listened to, supported and given space to reflect, meaningful change follows in wellbeing, leadership, retention and the quality and safety of care. Professional Nurse Advocates are central to this change and this handbook captures both the skill and the compassion at the heart of their work.”
Drawing on the experiences of practising PNAs from across the UK, the handbook combines practical guidance, case studies and