R23 Response Accepted AI-assessed

TVN training and qualification

Recommendation

Health Boards should ensure that a nurse appointed as Tissue Viability Nurse (TVN) is appropriately trained and possesses, or is working towards, a recognised specialist post-registration qualification.

Published Evidence Summary
The following publicly available evidence relates to this recommendation:
According to the Scottish Government, this recommendation was accepted, noting that accredited education programmes for specialist roles, including Tissue Viability Nurses (TVNs), are available through universities and funded by NHS boards, supported by a £1 million investment in 2012 for postgraduate education. According to Healthcare Improvement Scotland's Excellence in Care framework, nursing specialist training is covered, and according to NHS Education for Scotland (NES), specialist training pathways are provided via Turas Learn, though no specific national TVN qualification requirement has been mandated; furthermore, according to the available evidence, no further published evidence has been identified since 2025.
How was this assessed?
Assessed by gemini-2.5-flash on 19 Mar 2026
Checked data held on this site (government responses, progress updates, independent evidence)
External sources searched: www.gov.uk, www.gov.scot, www.legislation.gov.uk, hansard.parliament.uk
This recommendation requires implementation across many organisations. The assessment reflects central policy response, not adoption in individual organisations.
Jurisdiction
Scotland
Response
Accepted
Accepted Scottish Government
18 Jun 2015

Section 4.3 of the Scottish Government's response indicates that accredited education programmes for specialist and advanced practice roles, including for Tissue Viability Nurses, are available through universities and funded by NHS boards. The government provided £1 million in March 2012 to support increased postgraduate education for the existing workforce. The 'Setting the Direction' action plan will ensure these education programmes for specialist roles continue to be available and accessible across Scotland.

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Published Evidence

Published assessments of implementation progress from inspectorates, select committees, official progress reports, and other sources. Check the source type badge to see whether each assessment is independent or government self-reported.

Reasonable Progress
01 Jan 2025
Healthcare Improvement Scotland Other

Excellence in Care framework covers nursing specialist training requirements. NES provides specialist training pathways including tissue viability nursing through the Turas Learn platform.

View detailed findings

National education infrastructure supports specialist nurse training but no specific national TVN qualification requirement has been mandated.

Excellence in Care and NES specialist training View Source
Source
Inquiry Vale of Leven Inquiry
Report The Vale of Leven Hospital Inquiry Report 24 Nov 2014
View Source
Responsible Bodies
NHS Health Boards (Scotland) Primary
Themes & Tags
Staff training and development Unqualified Staff Deployment Nursing Tissue Viability Training
Recommendation age 11.3 yrs
Last formal update 3932 days ago