Assistant Practitioners:the journey through

education

Sue Cluroe

The University of Northampton

What is an Assistant Practitioner?

• A worker who competently delivers health and social care to and for people. They have a required level of knowledge and skill beyond that of the traditional healthcare assistant or support worker

– Skills for Health, 2009

Key early issues

• Possible registration

• Quality to meet The University standards and potentially a future professional body

• Consistency across Northamptonshire

• Link with Skills for Health /Care competencies

• Trust involvement in content

• It was agreed to link with the University of Northampton Foundation Degree in Health and Social Care

Basis for the Assistant Practitioner programme

• Foundation Degree in Health and Social Care was first validated in 2007

• The programme lasts 2 years and is modular in design

• This model was first used to develop a FdSc in adult Palliative Care (with LOROS),

• The Acute and Community pathway started in 2010

• Other pathways were developed later

What does this mean?

• The student is an employee and seconded to the University for the teaching component

• They are subject to all the normal employee regulations regarding shift patterns, mandatory skills, annual leave etc.

• They will have an allocated mentor who will provide a level of supervision and assessment via a portfolio in practice

• They have a Code of Conduct developed by Skills for Health specifically for APs and support workers

• Content reflects the needs of patients/clients and is regularly reviewed to ensure content is current

Entry criteria• The University entry criteria is:

– ‘A’ levels, Access course or NVQ level 3 (or equivalent qualification)

– English GCSE at grade C or above (or equivalent)

• The employer may ask for extra e.g.

– Experience in health and/or social care

• All candidates are interviewed jointly by the employer and the University. The interview includes a literacy test which must be passed

Assessment• The type of learner was explored

• It was felt that these would be practical people who had been away from study

• The range of assessments needed to reflect this as well as the needs of the service

• Methods of assessment include

– Presentations

– Written assignments

– Reflective accounts

– Case studies

– Examination

At the end of the course?

• Assistant Practitioners work usually at Band 4

• They are not currently registered but do have a Code of Conduct (Skills for Health)

• They have a knowledge base which underpins their work

• They may wish to continue to study and a top-up BSc Health and Social Care is available at the University

• A few may decide to move into a profession (eg. nursing, midwifery), although a recent survey of 49 students shows the AP students as wishing to remain in that role

Support for their course

• Mentors – need to be identified and prepared

• Clinical skills –

• Placement audits

• Time sheets

• Mandatory training

• Enhanced DBS

• Service user involvement

• Access to IT

• Uniforms

Positives of the course

• Students get the full support available at the University including ASSIST

• Guaranteed level of study overseen by the Quality Academic Partnerships

• Social Entrepreneurship

• Students gain confidence over the 2 years and feel able to contribute positively in their new role

Challenges of the course

• Confidence of the students

• Small numbers

• Ensuring students from disparate settings all get what they require

• Lack of understanding of the role by some practitioners, leading to inconsistency of support / role

Future issues

• Career progression

• Care Certificate Framework due to be fully implemented in March 2015

• Will AP’s be registered in the future?