Recommendation R73: Band 4 associate practitioners
From Muckamore Abbey Hospital Inquiry Report, published 18 June 2026.
Recommendation
Consideration should be given to enhancing the post of healthcare assistant by creating Band 4 associate practitioners in both hospital and community settings in order to increase the skills of those providing the majority of direct care, and also to provide a career pathway that will retain these staff. Such posts must be in addition to, and not a substitution for, the correct number of registered nurses.
Government response
No government response to this recommendation is on the record yet.
Delivery
No statement on delivery from Health and Social Care Northern Ireland or Northern Ireland Executive has been found in the sources searched (last checked 22 June 2026). This is separate from the response above.