Welcome to our second South West advanced practice update for 2024
South West Advanced Practice Faculty Update
2024-2025 Annual Demand Scoping for Funding
The South West Faculty would like to thank the organisations who have taken the time to submit funding applications for their advanced practice trainees. This work has enabled us to send provisional funding offers to trainees in primary care, NHS organisations, community interest companies, and hospices.
The next chance to apply for NHS England advanced practice funding will be through our next annual demand scoping survey. Consistent with prior years, this survey will be sent to advanced practice leads in February 2025.
We do not accept funding applications direct from individuals, if you wish to apply for funding please speak to your organisation or primary care training hub advanced practice lead. If you are unsure who this person is, please reach out to the South West Faculty for Advancing Practice at england.advancingpractice.sw@nhs.net.
For further details on the application process and eligibility criteria, please visit our website or contact us via the above email. We look forward to supporting the continued growth and development of advanced practitioners in the South West region.
South West Advanced Practice Networking Event
We are delighted to reflect on the success of our South West Advanced Practice Virtual Networking Event held in May. This event brought together 103 professionals working in or supporting advanced practice training within the South West region to share experiences, insights and knowledge.
The event focused on workforce planning for advanced practice. We included themes around advanced practice workforce development, planning for new roles, recruitment and supervision of trainee advanced practitioners. The agenda included a range of 12 expert speakers from NHS England as well as organisations training advanced practitioners based in the South West region.
Event outcomes included:
Enhanced understanding of trainee development: Attendees gained an overview of the requirements and support processes involved in developing a trainee advanced practitioner. The event also offered insights into good practice in recruitment processes for trainee advanced practitioners, to help organisations refine their approach to attracting and selecting suitable candidates.
Knowledge sharing and collaboration: The event provided a platform for advanced practitioners and services employing and training advanced practitioners to share their expertise and models of working. Participants were provided with links to useful workforce planning and supervision tools.
Sharing of experiences and best practices: Attendees and presenters engaged in workshops to discuss their own experiences, difficulties and successes in advanced practice training.
Regional networking opportunities: The networking room and chat function at the event help provide contact between colleagues from different services and organisations. We hope these connections will lead to collaborative efforts, shared resources, and support systems across the region.
We received positive feedback from event attendees:
South West Case Studies
Community Mental Health – Laura Miller
Laura is currently working as a trainee Advanced Practitioner in an Adult Community Mental Health team at Dorset HealthCare University NHS Foundation Trust. Laura is a registered Mental Health nurse by professional background and has previously worked across a multitude of mental health services before commencing on her advanced practice journey.
Find out more about Laura’s role
South West Podcasts
Advanced Practice Research
In this episode we explore how to engage with the Research Pillar of Advanced Practice. Our discussion explores a modernised view of research activity within NHS clinical settings, including service evaluation, audit and quality improvement. We discuss the barriers clinicians might face in developing research activity and how they might be overcome. We highlight and discuss frameworks, toolkits, networks and developmental opportunities which can further research activity.
Listen to our podcast and find out more
Advanced Practice South West Networking Opportunities
South West Surgery Advanced Practice Network
Hayley Kirtland, Trainee Surgical Advanced Clinical Practitioner, Somerset NHS Foundation Trust
Hello, I would like to introduce the South West Faculty for Surgical Advancing Practice, this group is growing in size as new roles and additional advanced practitioners immerge within areas of surgical practice. To reach out to other surgical advanced practitioners a WhatsApp group has been set up. If you would like to join the group, please email england.advancingpractice.sw@nhs.net, with your name and phone number.
A communication Padlet (online post it wall) has been introduced which allows members to share clinical, educational, leadership and research related stories, advancements in practice, and talk about new roles or highlight topics for discussion. Please follow this link or scan the QR code.
South West Learning Disability & Autism Advanced and Consultant Practice Network
James Cook, Advanced Practitioner in Learning Disabilities, University Hospitals Plymouth NHS Foundation Trust
There are a range of existing and developing advanced and consultant level roles across the South West working with people with a learning disability and/or autistic people, underpinned by exciting opportunities over the past few years to develop new roles. Although there are existing networks, at national as well as some local networks existing within an Integrated Care Board, we know this is varied across the region.
We would like to propose a network at a regional level, bringing together clinicians from across the South West who are developing in to, or currently in, advanced practice or consultant level roles working with people with a learning disability and autistic people. Our hope is that this will ensure an opportunity to build connections & networks and consider learning which might be specific to our region. It will allow for support and mentoring, helping you to meet the expectations of your roles. Our Community of Practice would complement rather than replace those taking place at a national or county level, with a proposal they take place on a quarterly basis.
Next steps: We want to hear from you to help us develop this plan, with both positive and constructive feedback welcome. We would welcome thoughts via this survey link, which also allows an opportunity to register an interest in being part of the Network.
Our launch meeting will be on 23rd September 12:30-13:30 (via MS Teams), hosted by James Cook, Advanced Practitioner in Learning Disabilities, University Hospitals Plymouth NHS Foundation Trust, who will be chairing the network. You can use the link above to indicate if you wish to attend, and further details will be distributed closer to the time.
If anyone wants to read more about communities of practice, an interesting article can be found at www.wenger-trayner.com/introduction-to-communities-of-practice/
Advanced practice updates and good news from the South West
Gloucestershire, Susie Durrell, Advanced Practice Integrated Care Board Lead for Gloucestershire
Course Prize for Excellence – a celebration
Rebecca Cook, is an Advanced Practitioner MSK Physiotherapist at Gloucestershire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust. She works in the MSK Advanced Practitioner Service (single point of access to elective orthopaedics) and in the Core Therapy Service. Rebecca completed her 3 year MSc Advanced Practice (MSK Pathway) at Coventry University in January 2024. During her studies she awarded the Digital Badge award, and more recently received the ‘Course Prize for Excellence.’ Congratulations Rebecca.
Her supervisor Susie Durrell, Consultant Physiotherapist, said: “Rebecca engaged positively and tirelessly with her academic journey whilst developing capability in practice. Enabling her to upskill to critically inform undifferentiated patient MSK diagnosis gave her confidence in her capability managing patients with complex physical and mental health co-morbidities. Now Rebecca is setting objectives for the transition growing priorities beyond the clinical pillar such as leading change and engaging in education and research.”
Rebecca said she was thrilled to receive the award
She said: “I have had such amazing support from all my colleagues here at Gloucestershire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust and would not have been able to achieve this without the excellent supervision, mentorship and learning opportunities I have had throughout this process. I look forward to continuing to develop my four pillars of practice and enjoy advancing the skills and capabilities that come with this.”