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ASCN UK referenced in HSJ article exploring NHS transformation and specialist nursing roles
Date: 28 April 2026
A recent Health Service Journal (HSJ) article, From policy to practice: Partnership as an enabler of the NHS three shifts, highlights the importance of workforce capability and specialist nursing in delivering sustainable change across the NHS.
Authored by Professor Alison Leary MBE, the piece explores current system pressures, including workforce shortages and rising demand, and the need to move towards a greater focus on capability, expertise and decision-making within workforce planning.
The article highlights the role of Clinical Nurse Specialists (CNS) and specialist nursing in managing complexity, coordinating care and supporting safe patient pathways, alongside the importance of recognising the “hidden workload” within nursing.
Within the article, ASCN UK is referenced alongside published work in the British Journal of Nursing (BJN), reflecting the Association’s contribution to the wider evidence base supporting specialist stoma care nursing practice. This reinforces the visibility of ASCN UK within national discussions on workforce capability and system design.
The article underlines the importance of specialist roles in improving patient outcomes and strengthening system resilience through more effective use of expertise.
ASCN UK welcomes its inclusion within this national publication and remains committed to supporting excellence in stoma care nursing, strengthening the voice of specialist nurses, and contributing to evidence-informed workforce development.