NHS South Central Widening Participation Overview

Emma WiltonWidening Participation Manager

23 June 2010

Background

• 30,000 staff employed in bands 1 – 4 across NHS SC

• Constitute 38% of total workforce population

• Occupy roles such as healthcare assistant, pharmacy technician, dental nurse, radiography assistant, emergency care assistant, administrator, medical secretary, cleaner, estates maintenance worker, engineer.

• Employers signed Skills Pledge demonstrating support for developing non-registered workforce.

Context

• Financial challenges – doing more with less

• Growing our own workforce – increasing skill mix

• Greater efficiencies, reducing duplication

• Strive to improve quality

• 2010/11 widening participation budget allocated to support development of staff via, NVQs, LAs, Apprenticeships and Foundation Degrees.

2009/10 Widening Participation Activity

• Across NHS SC support was provided for provision of:

• 1,554 NVQs (non Train to Gain)

• 502 NVQs (Train to Gain)

• 3,725 Learning Accounts

• 332 Skills for Life

• 379 Apprenticeships

• 80 Foundation Degrees

Evaluation – Learners

• “I understand more what I am doing and would like to go on to do nursing as a career. I wouldn’t be thinking that I could do this if I hadn’t done my NVQ.” (NVQ Learner)

• “I am actually achieving so much more than the department, than the management, than anybody thought that I could, I’m doing so much more, which is really satisfying”. (FD Learner)

• “I have learnt a lot. I now have an in-depth knowledge of policies and legislation that underpin my role. I am able to challenge myself, it is hard work but I love it!” (Apprentice)

Evaluation – Line Managers

• It gives me confidence to know that my staff are working with a recognised level of competence and skill.

(Manager, NVQ completer)

• APs are a cost effective way of working from an NHS point of view, it’s not always essential to have qualified staff to be effective and offer quality healthcare. (AP Manager)

• I can have more non-registered staff so allowing the qualified staff to have more time to spend with patients at a level requiring clinical expertise. More patients are now seen.

(AP Manager)

Assistant/Associate Practitioner – Why

• Growing demand for the Assistant/Associate Practitioner across NHS South Central.

• Drivers for development include supporting service transformation, workforce redesign, increasing skill mix and introduction of all graduate nursing workforce.

• Competent, experienced, skilled staff at bands 2 and 3 who want to develop professionally and academically.

Assistant/Associate Practitioner – How

• AP Development Strategy includes:

• Enabling transferability, supporting flexibility of the workforce and portability of learning.

• Gaining regional consistency in development and delivery of education and training.

• Increasing flexibility in how education and training is commissioned, including modules of learning at Foundation Degree level.

Assistant/Associate Practitioner Strategy

• Core education and training for all APs – based on National Standards (November 2009).

• Pathway specific education and training – to reflect NSR pathways and a generic pathway, allied to Nursing.

• Education and training will be competency based and clinically relevant.

• Modules of learning can be tailored to an individual role.

AP Workshop 25 May

• Agreed core competences for AP

• Identified pathway specific functions to be delivered by APs across NHS South Central

• Information used to inform development of curriculum at levels 4 and 5 across NHS South Central.

Progression Pathways

• Driven by need to develop all-graduate nursing workforce, increase skill mix and reduce unnecessary duplication of learning

• Supporting progression from NVQs and Apprenticeships at Level 3 into Pre-Reg Nursing Degree Programmes

• Need for clear, consistent progression pathways across NHS South Central

Progression Pathways

Academic Level 5

Academic Level 4

Academic Level 3

Academic Level 2

Academic Level 1

Entry Qualification

NVQ

NVQ

Bridging Programme

Higher Apprenticeship (In development)

Foundation Degree

Honours Degree

Apprenticeships

Apprenticeships

Advanced Apprenticeship

Progression Pathways

• Workshop held with FECs and HEIs on 24 June

• Exploring curriculum requirements for bridging programme

• Feedback from workshop will be shared with Trusts & PCTs

• Securing progression agreements between FECs and HEIs

Widening Participation Activity 2010/11

• Across NHS SC we are supporting provision of:

• 1,101 NVQs (non Train to Gain)

• 1,333 Learning Accounts

• 652 Apprenticeships

• 135 Foundation Degrees

Future Challenges

• Availability of funding

• Development of local learning infrastructures to sustain activity

• Embedding good practice

• Time off for training

• Increasing skill mix

emma.wilton@nesc.nhs.uk

07824 546967