John Power and Olivia McManus describe the training and practical requirements of introducing advanced nurse practice in a hospital in Northern Ireland Development of a short - stay unit in an emergency department

■ ■ Improve the quality and delivery of patient care. In the authors’ experience, however, similar units in northern Ireland often become overwhelmed by demand as patients occupy their beds for extended periods. It was deemed crucial, therefore, that the SSU at Royal Victoria Hospital was planned meticulously, that its staff were trained appropriately and that its practice was delivered according to specific protocols. A steering group comprising senior nurses and consultant doctors was set up to plan the unit and supervise the training of nurses who would work in it. By remaining committed to their vision of an SSU, adopting an incremental approach, responding to feedback and suggestions, protecting care pathways, and advancing the idea of nurse practitioners, the group eventually succeeded in establishing the SSU. The steering group decided that the success of the SSU would depend on its patients being managed according to specific and rigorously enforced care pathways, and on diagnoses and treatments being delivered quickly. At an early stage of the unit’s development, therefore, the multidisciplinary team drew up a prototype ICP. This was designed to ensure that future ICPs would be: