'Super nurses' to act as doctors

A new breed of "super nurses" with powers similar to junior doctors are being recruited to a London hospital.

The nurses will work in a ward attached to accident and emergency and take on roles traditionally the domain of doctors and therapists. They will be paid almost £30,000 a year.

The 19 healthcare practitioner posts at Kingston Hospital are the first in the country and it is hoped they will help to solve the capital's nursing crisis. The pilot scheme will start in September.

After six months' training, they nurses will admit and discharge patients, prescribe medicines, order x-rays, take medical histories and make clinical decisions.

The scheme is in response to the Government's Agenda for Change document which said dividing lines between doctors, nurses and healthcare workers should be changed. It is hoped the scheme will cut the time patients wait for doctors to approve treatment.

A spokesman for the Royal College of Nursing said: "This sounds like an innovative way to speed up care for patients."