International Consultant - Primary care consultant, Nurse

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1. Area of expertise:

International Consultant - Primary care consultant, Nurse

2. Purpose of consultancy:

The World Health Organization (WHO) seeks to engage an international consultant with expertise in primary care/family practice nursing and postgraduate curriculum development to support the Palestinian Ministry of Health (MoH) in the review and update of postgraduate training for nurses working in primary care.

The consultancy aims to strengthen primary care service delivery, improve quality and continuity of care, and contribute to advancing UHC in the occupied Palestinian territory (oPt) through the following activities:

1.Completion of postgraduate training mapping documents, for primary care/family practice opportunities for nurses: Mapping and review will consider existing training programmes, models and providers through desk review and key informant interviews; to identify current options for training, delivery modalities, strengths and gaps. The review will consider different international models for postgraduate training and provide recommendations for the MoH and the National Primary Care Steering Committee.

2.Development of a national competency based postgraduate curriculum in primary care/family practice for nurses: The curriculum will be developed through a participatory process with partner educational institution/s in the West Bank, to be selected by WHO and MoH following the mapping and review process of programmes and providers, and the consultant will provide leadership and technical guidance. This will inform the development/revision of a training package by the institution/s, guided by the consultant. The competency-based curriculum will be guided primarily by the updated Essential Health Service Package, the Primary Care Nursing Guidelines and Universal Health Coverage principles, with a holistic approach to primary care/family practice nursing in the Palestinian context. The curriculum will promote an integrated approach to primary care/family practice, considering the nursing role within a wider multi-disciplinary team of doctors, midwives, and allied health professionals.

3.Review and development of a pathway for national accreditation, professional recognition and licensing of primary care/family practice nursing in the occupied Palestinian territory: The pathway will detail the accreditation process for training programmes and training institutions in primary care/family medicine, recognition of primary care/family practice nursing, licensing of specialized nurses; and identify the next steps for operationalization in the health system. This will be developed in close collaboration with the MoH and regulatory stakeholders.

4.Produce recommendations for a continuous professional development (CPD) programme for primary care/family practice nurses: A scoping review of CPD systems in similar contexts will be conducted, and a proposal will be produced for design and implementation of a pilot CPD system in oPt.

The consultant will work closely with WHO technical advisors, the Ministry of Health, and selected partner educational institutes. All outputs must be evidence-informed, operationally feasible within the West Bank context, and aligned with MoH regulatory frameworks.

3. Background:

The Ministry of Health (MoH) has requested the review and revision of national postgraduate training in primary care for doctors and nurses, to develop and promote the specialization in family medicine/family health/primary care as part of the multi-disciplinary primary care team. This will build on existing work to promote training opportunities in primary care. The revision aims to address gaps in primary care service delivery, workforce competencies, respond to emerging and growing health needs, including noncommunicable diseases (NCDs), mental health, and support an integrated, person-centred approach to care. The content will enable service delivery of the Essential Health Service Package in primary care.

The Palestinian health system in the West Bank operates within a complex and protracted emergency context characterized by political instability, movement restrictions, fiscal pressures, and service fragmentation. The shortage of specialized family practice doctors and nurses presents a major barrier to comprehensive, community-oriented care. The West Bank has a lower density of primary care providers relative to population needs, limiting access to preventive, diagnostic, and continuous care services. By investing in the training of primary care professionals, across disciplines, this project will increase the quality and comprehensiveness of primary care services, promoting a more resilient and equitable healthcare system that can respond effectively to community health needs. The consultancy will support MoH-led activities under WHO's technical assistance for primary care, funded through the Norwegian Representative Office (NRO) grant improving the quality, accessibility and resilience of primary care in the West Bank.

Given the operating context in the West Bank, timelines for the project may need to be adapted to accommodate security and operational constraints.

4. Deliverables:

Output 1: Updated mapping and review of existing postgraduate training mapping in primary care/family practice nursing in the West Bank

Deliverable 1.1: Inception Report

Inception report and desk review summary, including:

• A detailed mapping and analysis of postgraduate training, including continuing professional development opportunities (CPD), in primary care, covering: training programmes, provider institutions and organizations, geographical distribution across north, middle and south regions of the West Bank, training content and delivery capacity.

• A focused mapping of primary care content within undergraduate training curricula to identify the competencies nurses are expected to have before entering postgraduate training.

• Review of current curriculum content and delivery modalities in comparison to international training models.

• An overview of the primary care nursing workforce and projected needs for training capacity.

• Key informant interviews (MoH primary care focal points, training institution directors/trainers, primary care nurses and nurse specialists, partners engaged in primary care training and service delivery).

• Proposed workplan and methodology for curriculum revision in partnership with selected institutions, with a timeline for development and validation.

• Recommendations for the National Primary Care Steering Committee.

Output 2: Development of a national competency based postgraduate curriculum in primary care/family practice nursing

Deliverable 2.1: Postgraduate training curriculum

• Participatory development approach working with partner educational institution/s selected by WHO & MoH, and in coordination with other UN agencies & partners working in primary care nursing education.

• Development of framework.

• Formation of thematic groups for curriculum sections and provision of technical guidance.

• Modular curriculum structure aligned with scope of practice and delivery of Essential Health Service package, aligned with the Primary Care Nursing Guidelines.

• Submission of curriculum for necessary MoH and academic institution approval.

• Guidance to partner institution/s for development of accompanying training package.

Deliverable 2.2: Infrastructure and equipment assessment for training delivery

• Identify infrastructure limitations to deliver training, including equipment and technology support.

Output 3: Review and development of a pathway for national accreditation, professional recognition and licensing of primary care/family practice nursing in the occupied Palestinian territory

Deliverable 3.1: Consultation process

• Map and review existing accreditation process for training programmes and training institutions, professional recognition of primary care/family practice nursing and licensing standards for primary care professionals.

• Design the accreditation pathway for training, and for recognition of the specialization, detailing the process, requirements and sequencing.

• Identify the steps required for operationalization within the health system, in collaboration with relevant stakeholders.

• Contribute to primary care health workforce planning.

• Produce: (1) a policy brief to support adoption and (2) an operational guide detailing the procedures, criteria, timelines, required documentation, review and inspection processes, renewal, quality assurance and appeals of the updated accreditation/licensing standards, processes, and roles and responsibilities.

Output 4: Produce recommendations for designing and introducing a continuous professional development (CPD) programme for primary care/family practice nurses

Deliverable 4.1: Report on continuous professional development (CPD) models and recommendations

• Describe the components of a continuous professional development system for practitioners in primary care/family practice.

• Review and discuss potential models from comparable health systems.