26 November 2019

TO:	National Department of Health
	Provincial Departments of Health
	Private Health Care Providers
	All Stakeholders

 

Training of Registered Nurses and Midwives to perform paracervical lock as an aspect of pain management during termination of pregnancy (TOP)

 

The South African Nursing Council (SANC) is cognizant of a number of initiatives by Non-Governmental Organizations (NGO’s) aimed at improving the health outcomes in an effort to improve the health and wellbeing of South Africans, which is highly commendable. However, it has come to the attention of Council that some of the training provided to nurse practitioners requires them to function beyond their Scope of Practice, as outlined in the Regulations Relating to the Scope of Practice of Persons Who are Registered or Enrolled under the Nursing Act, 1984. (GG No. R2598 of 30 November 1984).

 

This matter was discussed by the Council at its meeting held in September 2019. The Council expressed concern in particular with the training of Registered Nurses and Midwives to perform Paracervical block (PCB) to clients undergoing Manual Vacuum Extraction during Termination of Pregnancy (TOP). The SANC maintains that Paracervical block is an invasive procedure which is outside the current Scope of Practice of Registered Nurses and Midwives. For this reason, training of nurses to perform such a procedure is not supported by SANC. While the SANC supports professional development, it urges and encourages employers to ensure that in-service trainings/capacity building/skills development initiatives provided to nurse practitioners complies with the regulatory prescripts of the nursing profession and does not unduly expose nurses and midwives to potential unprofessional conduct.

 

Nurse practitioners are also reminded that they are independent practitioners who are personally accountable for their decisions and actions while carrying out their responsibilities in the profession and are urged to practice their profession within the ambit of legislation.

 

Kind Regards

(Signed)

Ms SA Mchunu
Registrar and CEO
South African Nursing Council

 

22 November 2019

TO:	National Department of Health
	Provincial Departments of Health
	Nursing Education Institutions
	All Stakeholders

 

South African Nursing Council – Year-end Closure

 

The South African Nursing Council offices will be closed for the year-end from Tuesday, 24 December 2019 at 12:00 midday, and re-open on Monday, 6 January 2020 at 08:00 am. Kindly note that on 24 December, for operational reasons the gates will be closed at 11: 00 am already.

 

Annual fees must be paid into the Council’s bank account on or before 31 December 2019 to avoid restoration fees – note that banks take up to three (3) days to clear payments and thus all bank electronic transfers need to be made by 24 December to ensure it reaches the SANC by 31 December 2019. 

 

The SANC banking details are: 

Name of bank:	First National Bank
Account number :	514 211 86 193
Branch code :	253145
Reference :	Person’s own SANC Reference Number followed by ANLFEES

 

Whilst waiting for the Annual Practising Certificate to be posted by the SANC, the employer can verify the registration status of the practitioner through the SANC website by logging into the SANC eRegister at https://www.sanc.co.za/eRegister.htm. To do this, they will require the practitioner’s SANC reference number or Identity Number (ID No).

 

We wish you all the best over the festive season and look forward to working with you in 2020.

 

Kind regards

(Signed)

Ms SA Mchunu
Registrar and CEO
South African Nursing Council

14 October 2019

TO:	News Editor
FROM:	Ms SA Mchunu Registrar and CEO

 

SANC warns against intake for nurses’ Bridging course

 

The South African Nursing Council (SANC) notes with concern that Clinix Health Group/Academy has published an advertisement for applications for admission into the Bridging Course for Enrolled Nurses leading to Registration as General Nurse.

 

“The public is again reminded that the last intake for the Bridging Course for Enrolled Nurses leading to registration as a General Nurse was in June 2019, and this institution is thus not approved for an intake for the Bridging Course. Enrolled Nurses are warned NOT to deposit money into an account of any institution for this programme. The SANC will not register any students who register for this course,” says Ms Sizo Mchunu, Registrar and CEO.

ENDS

Issued by:
Mrs. Adri van Eeden
Senior Manager: Marketing and Communication
South African Nursing Council 
E-mail : [email protected]
Website : www.sanc.co.za 
Tel : 012 426-9542

Official Spokesperson and person to be quoted:
Ms. S Mchunu
Registrar and CEO: SA Nursing Council

11 July 2019

TO:	SANC staff and clients
FROM:	Ms SA Mchunu Registrar and CEO

 

SANC open at 9:30 on Monday, 15 April 2019

DATE : 11 JULY 2019

Please be informed that the South African Nursing Council offices will open at 09:30am on Monday, 15 July 2019 due to operational reasons.

Your co-operation in this regard is appreciated.

Yours sincerely

_______________
Ms SA Mchunu
Registrrar and CEO
South African Nursing Council

 

7 June 2019

TO:	National Department of Health
	Provincial Departments of Health
	Nursing Education Institutions
	All Stakeholders

This Circular serves as confirmation of the South African Nursing Council’s fees and fines as stipulated in the Government Gazette published on 31 May 2019.

 

1. ANNUAL FEES FOR 2020

1.1 NORMAL ANNUAL FEES

The annual fees for the calendar year 2020 for different categories of practitioners are provided in the table below:

CATEGORY	ANNUAL FEE FOR 2020
Registered Nurses and Midwives	R670.00
Enrolled Nurses and Midwives	R400.00
Enrolled Nursing Auxiliaries	R280.00

 

1.2 REDUCTIONS IN ANNUAL FEES FOR AGE 60 AND OVER

The Council has resolved to introduce reduced fees for nurses 60 years of age and over as per the table below:

1.2.1 60 TO 64 YEARS OF AGE ON 1 JANUARY 2020 (25% REDUCTION)

CATEGORY	ANNUAL FEE FOR 2020
Registered Nurses and Midwives	R500.00
Enrolled Nurses and Midwives	R300.00
Enrolled Nursing Auxiliaries	R210.00

 

1.2.2 65 YEARS OF AGE AND OLDER ON 1 JANUARY 2020 (50% REDUCTION)

CATEGORY	ANNUAL FEE FOR 2020
Registered Nurses and Midwives	R340.00
Enrolled Nurses and Midwives	R200.00
Enrolled Nursing Auxiliaries	R150.00

NB: To qualify for the discount amounts, practitioners may be required to submit a certified copy of their identity document in order to confirm their age.

Notes: 

The annual fees for 2020 must be received by the SANC on or before 31 December 2019.

The amounts in the tables above all include 15% VAT.

 

2. RESTORATION FEES FOR 2020

The restoration fees for different categories applicable from 1 January 2020 are shown in the following table.

CATEGORY	NORMAL RESTORATION FEE	REDUCED RESTORATION FEE
Registered Nurses and Midwives	R2 010.00	R140.00
Enrolled Nurses and Midwives	R1 210.00	R140.00
Enrolled Nursing Auxiliaries	R850.00	R140.00
Retired Nurses	R140.00	R140.00

Notes:

The reduced restoration fee only applies to a practitioner:
– Who must have been removed from the register at his/her own request; or
– Who must be 60 years of age or older on 1 January 2020. However, this must be confirmed with the Council before paying the reduced amount.

 

3. VOLUNTARY REMOVAL

A Nurse Practitioner who no longer wishes to practise in South Africa or who is unemployed, may request, in writing, voluntary removal of his/her name from the register, by completing the form available from the SANC. If voluntary removal is granted by the SANC, the nurse practitioner’s name will be removed accordingly on the 31 December of the year in which the application is received. Once removed, the nurse practitioner will no longer be required to pay annual fees while he/she is removed from the register.

If the nurse practitioner requires reinstatement onto the register, he/she will, in addition to paying the reduced restoration fee, be required to complete a Restoration Form. It must be noted that practising while not being registered is illegal.

 

4. CLOSING DATE FOR PAYMENT OF ANNUAL FEES

Please note that for the calendar year 2020, the closing date for the payment of annual fees is 31 December 2019. Payments must reach the SANC bank account on or before the closing date. You are, therefore, urged not to leave payment for the last minute to avoid problems associated with making payments at year end. Remember: Bank transfers from non-FNB banks may take up to 3 working days – pay well in advance to meet 31 December 2019 deadline.

 

5. OTHER FEES

Please note that other fees and fees payable by institutions will be applicable with effect from 1 January 2020.

 

6. E REGISTER

The SANC has made an eRegister facility available on the SANC website which can be utilised by employers to verify the registration status of all nurse practitioners in their employ. Employers are urged to utilise this facility in the absence of a physical Annual Practising Certificate (APC). 

Visit: https://www.sanc.co.za/eRegister.aspx for more details. 

 

7. COMMUNITY SERVICE PRACTITIONERS

Community Service Practitioners are not eligible to be issued with an APC and therefore should NOT pay annual fees. They MUST pay a conversion fee on completion of their Community Service in order to be registered as Nurse Practitioners using the REGFPRA registration fee code instead of ANLFEES (e.g. 12345678 REGFPRA).

 

 

Yours sincerely,

(Signed)

Ms SA Mchunu
Registrar and CEO
South African Nursing Council

 

6 May 2019

TO:	News Editor
FROM:	Ms SA Mchunu Registrar and CEO

 

SANC responds to claims regarding training of nurses

 

The South African Nursing Council (SANC) notes with concern the recent article in the news by Solidarity’s Occupational Guild for Nursing regarding the training of nurses in South Africa.

According to the article South Africa is experiencing critical problems with regards to the training of nurses, with Mr Hennie Bierman, Head of the Occupational Guild for Nursing is quoted as saying: “…. the SANC’s ineffectiveness has a negative impact on the finalisation of regulations on nursing training”.

The statement is factually incorrect. The SANC has developed and duly submitted all regulations regarding the offering of the new nursing programmes. Regulations relating to undergraduate programmes were promulgated by the Minister as far back as 2013 including regulations for the accreditation of institutions as Nursing Education Institutions (NEIs). Those regarding the offering of post-graduate diploma programmes were completed and submitted in 2017. The Department of Health has been processing and continues to process these regulations and consults with the South African Nursing Council as it deems fit. It is not clear which Regulations the article is referring to as there are no outstanding regulations for offering of the Undergraduate programmes that have not been developed by the SANC and duly submitted to the Department of Health.

The article further states that “…the SANC’s ineffectiveness has a negative impact on the ……accreditation of new training institutions for nursing training, practice, and programmes, as well as the reaccreditation of existing institutions and programmes offering nurses’ training”. This statement is incorrect and misinformed. The SANC can only accredit institutions that have duly applied and met the set accreditation criteria and requirements. Those training institutions that have met such requirements now have either full or conditional accreditation and will in all likelihood commence offering the new nursing programmes in 2020. These include some universities and private institutions. In addition, the process of reaccreditation is not automatic, and institutions that have the capacity to offer the new nursing qualifications have duly applied. Names of institutions, both private and public, which have been accredited by the SANC will be published on its website www.sanc.co.za to assist the public.

The article proceeded to describe a lack of communication between the SANC and the Department of Higher Education as the main reason for the delay in “……accreditation of all nursing courses and the approval of private training institutions have been dragging on since 2014”. This statement is not just false and generic but malicious as the SANC is in communication with applicant institutions to keep them informed about where they are in the process. Communication with the Department of Higher Education, which is not mandatory, has taken place as and when where both parties had matters to discuss.

Another statement: “Unfortunately, neither the private training institutions nor the new curricula have been approved or accredited. Therefore, nurses’ training has ground to a halt to a large extent. Due to these problems, most private training institutions have not taken in any new nursing students since 2016,” clearly reflects on the author’s lack of information regarding the process that informed the academic and professional reasons for the phasing-out of the legacy programmes that are referred to.

Accusations regarding “…. the delay was impeding accredited private nursing training institutions, and that no private institution had received approval for training over the past three years, and the SANC has suspended many of the courses offered by the existing private institutions back in 2015” is a broad generalisation made without basic insight into facts on why some legacy courses were phased out. Institutions that are a subject of lamentation are also not mentioned in the article, casting doubt on the authenticity of the complaint. Factually, there were only two courses, not many as it is alleged in the article, that were phased out because they were no longer in sync with any framework that located nursing in higher education. Nurses’ training has not ground to a halt as there are still more than twelve (12) programmes that are still offered by qualifying institutions. If the SANC had been contacted, the author of the article would have been enlightened.

The SANC is blamed directly by stating that “This means that even fewer nurses are being trained, putting extra pressure on the existing nurses in the profession, which again impacts service delivery. Given that 60% of the country’s nursing training is done by private training institutions, accreditation of these institutions can prevent shortages of nursing staff in the future.”

The lamentation is not clear and is biased as the author is not specific about the category of nurse that is in short supply and would be resolved by continued training of the two phased-out programmes, which are the one-year auxiliary nursing programme and the two-year programme leading to enrolment as nurse. No evidence exists that products from these two programmes are in short supply.

Claims made that “The SANC and the Department of Health must urgently prioritise their training framework for nursing and they must see to it that they align themselves to avert a training disaster that is in the making,” further demonstrates a total lack of understanding about the required frameworks for training of nurses.

“The SANC would like to make it clear that frameworks that reside within its jurisdiction are in place and are known by its stakeholders, specifically Nursing Education Institutions. There are no training regulations that are outstanding from the SANC’s side, competencies for specialization programmes and curriculum frameworks have been developed and published and accreditation requirements as well as processes are in place. Any statements or rumours made to the contrary are a blatant display of lack of proper communication and consultation by the author involved and could have been avoided had the necessary steps been taken to obtain the correct information prior to publishing defamatory claims against the SANC. The overt lack of basic understanding of these matters on the side of the author is regrettable,” says Ms Sizo Mchunu, Registrar and CEO of the SANC.

ENDS

Issued by:
Mrs. Adri van Eeden
Senior Manager: Marketing and Communication
South African Nursing Council 
E-mail : [email protected]
Website : www.sanc.co.za 
Tel : 012 426-9542

Official Spokesperson and person to be quoted:
Ms. S Mchunu
Registrar and CEO: SA Nursing Council

For more information or to arrange for an interview with the Spokesperson, please contact Mrs. Adri van Eeden on Tel. (012) 426-9542 or email: [email protected] 

31 May 2019

TO:	News Editor
FROM:	Ms SA Mchunu Registrar and CEO

 

SANC responds regarding nurse videos

The South African Nursing Council (SANC) is shocked by the apparent conduct of nurses during the incidences on video in two separate cases this past week in Mamelodi and Bloemfontein.

“The SANC would like to provide assurance that we view the matters in a very serious light and as such have already started with our own investigations into these matters, to establish facts. As regulator of the nursing profession in South Africa we view any unprofessional conduct as unacceptable,” says Ms Sizo Mchunu, Registrar and CEO of the SANC.

As soon as investigations and possible hearings have been completed the SANC will update the public.

ENDS

Issued by:
Mrs. Adri van Eeden
Senior Manager: Marketing and Communication
South African Nursing Council 
E-mail : [email protected]
Website : www.sanc.co.za 
Tel : 012 426-9542

Official Spokesperson and person to be quoted:
Ms. S Mchunu
Registrar and CEO: SA Nursing Council

For more information or to arrange for an interview with the Spokesperson, please contact Mrs. Adri van Eeden on Tel. (012) 426-9542 or email: [email protected] 

31 May 2019

TO:	National Department of Health
	Provincial Departments of Health
	Nursing Education Institutions
	All Stakeholders

 

1. PURPOSE

The purpose of this Circular is to update the National Department of Health, Provincial Departments of Health, Nursing Education Institutions (NEIs) and other relevant stakeholders about the following matters:

1.1 Special concession granted by the South African Nursing Council to qualifying Nursing Education Institutions to have a final intake of students in 2019 for the following nursing programmes:

•	Course leading to registration as a Nurse (General, Psychiatric and Community) and Midwife (Government Notice No. R.425 of 22 February 1985, as amended);
•	Course in Clinical Nursing Science leading to registration of an Additional Qualification (Government Notice No. R.212 of 19 February 1993, as amended);
•	Diploma course in Clinical Nursing Science, Health Assessment, Treatment and Care (Government Notice No. R.48 of 22 January 1982, as amended);
•	Course leading to registration of the Additional Qualification in Nursing Education (Government Notice No. R.118 of 23 January 1987, as amended);
•	Course for the Diploma in Nursing Administration (Government Notice No. R.1501 of 08 July 1983, as amended).

1.2 De-accreditation of Nursing Education Institutions that are only accredited to offer the phased out nursing qualifications, as follows:

•	Course leading to enrolment as a Nursing Auxiliary (Government Notice No. R.2176 of 19 November 1993, as amended);
•	Course leading to enrolment as an Enrolled Nurse (Government Notice No. R.2175 of 19 November 1993, as amended).

 

2. SPECIAL CONCESSION

2.1. The Minister of Higher Education and Training has, in line with the provisions of the Higher Education Act, 1997 (Act No. 101 of 1997) declared that the last date for first time entering students enrolling in academic programmes that are not aligned to the Higher Education Qualifications Sub-framework (HEQSF) is 31 December 2019. The implication of this declaration for nursing is that new intakes of students as of January 2020 should be for the new nursing qualifications only.

2.2. The South African Nursing Council is aware of the importance of ensuring that the transition between the offering of ‘legacy’ qualifications and the offering of the new nursing qualifications does not create a gap in the education and training of nurses.

2.3. The Council is further aware of the following matters pertaining to the education and training of nurses and nurse specialists, which are of paramount importance:

2.3.1 Despite the Regulations for undergraduate programmes having been promulgated by the Minister of Health in March 2013 already, many NEIs, including universities, public nursing colleges and private nursing schools have either not submitted any applications for offering these programmes, or only submitted their applications by late 2018. Some NEIs have been fully or conditionally accredited to offer the programmes applied for, while other applications are currently under review.

2.3.2 In terms of Section 2(1) of the Regulations relating to the accreditation of institutions as Nursing Education Institutions (Government Notice No. R.173 of 08 March 2019) an institution may be accredited as a nursing education institution “if, in the case of a public entity, it is established or declared by the Minister of Education as a higher education and training institution”.

Public Nursing Colleges have not been declared higher education and training institutions as yet, and therefore may not offer the new HEQSF-aligned nursing qualifications in 2020. In this regard, it is important also to note that public nursing colleges produce the majority of registered nurses that are comprehensively trained.

2.3.3 Regulations that regulate the postgraduate diploma programmes and the Advanced Diploma in Midwifery have not been promulgated as yet.

2.4. The Council therefore, at its meeting of 27 – 28 March 2019 resolved that all NEIs that are currently accredited to offer the programmes listed under section 1.1 above are allowed to have a last (final) intake of students during the final quarter of the academic year 2019, prior to 31 December 2019. This is a concession and is not mandatory. It is intended to mitigate the risk of creating a gap in comprehensively trained new nurses entering the profession, while the regulatory/ structural issues around the long term education and training of nurses as referred to above are being finalized. The concession will also ensure that there is no gap in training of nurse specialists.

 

3. IMPLICATIONS OF THE SPECIAL CONCESSION

3.1 The Nursing Education Institutions that are currently approved to have one intake per year (in January) for the programmes listed under section 1.1of this Circular may use the concession to have the last (special) intake in June 2019, rather than during the last quarter of the 2019 academic year. Should the NEI not wish to have an intake in June 2019, they may have their last intake during the last quarter of the academic year. However, if they have an intake in June 2019, they cannot have another (third) intake during the last quarter of the 2019 academic year.

3.2 Nursing Education Institutions who are currently approved to have two intakes per year, one in January and one in June of each year, may have the additional last (special) intake during the last quarter of the 2019 academic year.

3.3 Nursing Education Institutions intending to utilize the special concession during the last quarter of the academic year should ensure that all student applications are submitted to the SANC before 20 December 2019.

3.4 The Nursing Education Institutions must adhere to the approved numbers per intake.

 

4. DE-ACCREDITATION OF THE NURSING EDUCATION INSTITUTIONS THAT ARE ONLY ACCREDITED TO OFFER THE PHASED OUT NURSING QUALIFICATIONS

4.1 The phasing out of the two nursing programmes listed under item 1.2 of this Circular was communicated by the Council via Circular 13/2014, published on 30 September 2014. This was further gazetted as Government Notice No. R.928 of 09 October 2015.

4.2 The Regulations relating to the accreditation of institutions as Nursing Education Institutions (Government Notice No. R.173 of 08 March 2019) stipulate all the conditions and requirements for accreditation of an institution as a nursing education institution.

4.3 In terms of the Regulations relating to the accreditation of institutions as Nursing Education Institutions (Government Notice No. R.173 of 08 March 2019), a Nursing Education Institution must be accredited for and offer an accredited Nursing Programme; therefore all the Nursing Education Institutions that were offering only the phased out ‘legacy’ programmes can no longer be recognized as Nursing Education Institutions, as they no longer meet the criteria in terms of these Regulations.

4.4 The Council therefore, at its meeting of 27 – 28 March 2019, resolved that all the Nursing Education Institutions which were accredited to offer only the phased out legacy programmes listed under section 1.2 of this Circular are to be de-accredited, as they no longer offer any nursing programme.

 

5. IMPLICATIONS FOR THE NURSING EDUCATION INSTITUTIONS THAT WERE PREVIOUSLY ACCREDITED TO OFFER THE PHASED OUT NURSING QUALIFICATIONS ONLY

Based on the content as set out under section 4 above, the SANC would like to notify all the Nursing Education Institutions that were previously accredited to only offer the phased out nursing programmes listed under 1.2 of this Circular of the following: 

5.1 The names of the affected NEIs will be reflected as ‘de-accredited’ in the SANC database.

5.2 These institutions must remove any reference to ‘accreditation by the South African Nursing Council (SANC)’ from all documentation, marketing/advertising material or displays containing such reference.

5.3 These institutions are free to apply to offer the HEQSF-aligned nursing qualifications. In order to be accredited as a Nursing Education Institution, each applicant must not only meet the Council’s requirements and any standards as may be determined from time to time, but all other requirements for the offering of such programmes as well.

 

6. IMPLEMENTATION

This Circular becomes implementable and valid on the date of issue.

 

For further information in respect of this Circular, you are advised to contact the SANC Senior Manager: Education and Training, Ms SJ Nxumalo at 012 420 1022 or [email protected].

 

Yours sincerely,

(Signed)

Ms SA Mchunu
Registrar and CEO
South African Nursing Council

04 April 2019

TO:	SANC staff and clients
FROM:	Ms SA Mchunu Registrar and CEO

 

SANC open at 11:00 on Tuesday, 9 April 2019

 

Please be informed that the South African Nursing Council offices will open at 11:00am on Tuesday, 9 April 2019 due to operational reasons.

 

Your co-operation in this regard is appreciated.

 

Yours sincerely

_______________
Ms SA Mchunu
Registrrar and CEO
South African Nursing Council

 

1 April 2019

TO:	News Editor
FROM:	Ms SA Mchunu Registrar and CEO

 

SANC announces partnership with Government on Annual Fee collection

 

The South African Nursing Council (SANC) has been and continues to be mindful of the challenges that nurse practitioners, employers and the SANC experience during the annual fees collection period, mostly affecting receipt of Annual Practising Certificates (APCs).

 

“It is therefore our pleasure to announce that a solution we have been working on steadfastly has now come to fruition, and will make a hugely positive impact on the annual registration process – no more queues and no need to travel to the SANC Head Office in Pretoria to make your annual payment,” says Ms Sizo Mchunu, Registrar and CEO.

 

“A proposal made to the Department of Health by the SANC to have annual fees collected through PERSAL, has resulted in the Public Health and Social Development Sectoral Bargaining Council (PHSDSBC) taking the following resolution:

Resolution 02 of 2018: Agreement on Payment of Annual Statutory Registration Fees in respect of Health Care Occupations for the Health and Social Development Departments.”

 

Summarily, the agreement captures the following, among others:

•	Recognition that payment of annual registration fees to statutory bodies is a mandatory legal requirement and that such registration is a requirement for employment and practising in the health and social development sector
•	Deduction of professional registration fees from salaries of employees
•	Payment of such statutory fees to Statutory Council by the employer on behalf of employees
•	The commitment is that the implementation date for this arrangement is year 2019.

 

The implementation process has begun between the Department of Health, PHSDSBC and the SANC for implementation in 2019. Nurses affected will be informed officially as soon as the process is ready. 

ENDS

Issued by:
Mrs. Adri van Eeden
Senior Manager: Marketing and Communication
South African Nursing Council 
E-mail : [email protected]
Website : www.sanc.co.za 
Tel : 012 426-9542

Official Spokesperson and person to be quoted:
Ms. S Mchunu
Registrar and CEO: SA Nursing Council

For more information or to arrange for an interview with the Spokesperson, please contact Mrs. Adri van Eeden on Tel. (012) 426-9542 or email: [email protected]