South West Faculty Update October to December 2021

As the year comes to a close, the last 3 months have provided plenty of headlines to pack into the Christmas edition of our quarterly update.

Advanced Practice Week November 8th – 12th 2021  

Advanced practice (AP) week was celebrated in style in the SW, with events running each day of the week. The week was created to raise awareness of what AP is, what AP’s do and showcase the contribution they make to improving patient care.

Monday: HEE’s Centre for Advancing Practice Conference 2021, Extraordinary People, Extraordinary Care, took place on Monday 8th and Thursday 11th November 2021. A record number of delegates attended and heard from some fascinating speakers. The main announcement was the AP Centre’s intention to move towards digital badges upon recognition by HEE. The decision not to pursue the option of a searchable directory was made to enable the more flexible and functional solution of digital badges. This option also addresses concerns that a practitioner directory may give the impression that HEE has a regulatory function which is not the case.  All talks were recorded and are now available to watch. Information on the conference and recordings of the talks can be found here.  

As part of day 1 of the National AP Conference, Jane Moses, our S&A Lead for Mental Health, Learning Disability & Autism, Occupational Therapy took part in a cross-regional talk on AP in Mental Health. Watch the session here  

Tuesday; In conjunction with the NHS Leadership Academy, we hosted a leadership webinar for aspiring, trainee and qualified APs. We discussed the role of leadership in AP, what trainee APs want from leadership training, and how APs can integrate leadership into practice. You can find information and watch a recording of the webinar here. 

Wednesday: The first episode of our new Advanced Practice Podcast was launched. This episode captures the journey of training as an EC ACP. 

It was hosted by Martin Horton, S&A Lead for Emergency Medicine and consultant/AP lead at Musgrove Park. 

Guests were Sophie Stabbins, Trainee EC ACP, and Simon Laing, EM Consultant and producer of TheResusRoom podcast. 

Further episodes with different scopes of practice will be released monthly, and is available to subscribe on your usual podcast platform or via this link. 

Thursday: Day 2 of the National AP Conference had two speakers from our Faculty speak. Carole Boulanger, S&A for ACCP gave us her unique perspective on Establishing a Regional ACCP Training Programme (watch the session here).  

Simon Ingram our S&A Lead for Primary Care, was joined by Kerri Magnus​, AP Lead for BNSSG Training Hub & Avon LMC Chair, and Martyn Hewett​, Associate Postgraduate Dean for Post-CCT GP Education and IGPR in the Severn School of Primary Care​. They talked about Quality Assured and Sustainable Supervision in Primary Care (watch the session here). 

Friday: To wrap up AP week we hosted a webinar discussing the upcoming frailty, older persons care and rehabilitation credentials, with real world examples of those working in and developing these areas of practice. Before the event delegates were sent four pre-recorded sessions, then on the day there was a live Q&A panel answering questions and focussing on the themes from the recording.  

The session was hosted by Rachael Hosznyak our S&A Lead for Frailty, Rehabilitation and Social Work​, and the panellists were Jo Jennings, HEE AP Older People Credential Lead, Dr Esther Clift, HEE Lead for Community Rehabilitation Credential and Victoria Neilson, Lead AP for Frailty at RUH Bath​. You can find information about webinar and watch the pre-recorded talks here. 

Throughout the week the AP Faculty also released short videos introducing themselves and their roles as part of the AP Faculty onto Twitter. 

Following on from the Quarter 3 update, our Mental Health S&A lead Jane Moses hosted two webinars in conjunction with colleagues in the East of England and the Midlands.

The first explored the trainee AP experience, clinical career progression and the potential roles for APs in Mental Health settings. The second focussed on the challenges and barriers to effective workforce transformation, including embedding AP roles into MH Trusts. You can catch up with the mental health webinars here

We are thrilled to announce Sharon Wade will be joining us in January as the Supervision and Assessment lead for Surgery and Anaesthesia. She is a surgical nurse consultant by background working in Gloucestershire Hospitals. She adds to our already highly experienced S&A leads, ensuring that our Faculty will remain at the forefront of all AP training developments in the future and supporting excellence in AP training across the Region.

There will be further opportunities to join this dynamic team and we will soon be recruiting to our Faculty Administrator post. This key role within our team will be advertised on NHS Jobs so please keep an eye out and join us in shaping the future of Advanced Practice in the South West.

Details on the first round of applications for the supported portfolio route were announced. This has been led by the National Centre of AP and further information can be found on their webpage https://advanced-practice.hee.nhs.uk/supported-eportfolio-route/, along with an FAQ and a link to the recording of the webinar that took place on 6th December. The webinar covered the steps in the current process from eligibility for the expressions of interest, through to submission of portfolio and outcome. 

The first round of expressions of interest are open from the 13th December 2021 and the submissions will be reviewed on the 14th January. If all 3000 places available in this round are not filled, the window will remain open. Please note this is not a full portfolio submission, but an expression of interest to eligible practitioners and there will be further rounds for expressions of interest in the coming financial year(s).

We are delighted to announce that Lou Buckle has joined the AP faculty team working as Project Manager for Workforce Transformation. Lou will be leading on liaison and relationship management with our SW systems and providers ensuring all are kept involved and informed as we develop future initiatives for Advanced Practice training and careers. Over the next few months Lou will be focusing on ensuring all our systems and providers are supported and well prepared to participate in our 2022 AP demand scoping exercise.

As with this years scoping exercise this will enable us to be responsive to system workforce needs by establishing the demand for AP training places across the region and will also support planning with our Education Providers to ensure the capacity required can be realised.

The scoping survey will open in February 2022 and run until mid-March and is the single route through which we will be allocating funding support to eligible AP trainees and employers. Building on the 2021 support offer in 2022 we will be offering a variety of funding opportunities to those wishing to attain HEE recognition as an Advanced Practitioner:

1. Apprenticeship Advanced Practice MSc (3 years)
2. Advanced Practice MSc – non apprenticeship (3 years)
3. Fast-Track Route – for those who have started their MSc Advanced Practice and have between 60-120 credits (to complete MSc within 2 years)
4. MSc Final Year – for those who have started their MSc Advanced Practice and have over 120 credits (to complete the MSc within 1 year)

As in 2021 this process will be undertaken supported by the Readiness for Advanced Practice checklist that allows both systems and organisations to self-assess where they currently are and help identify the next steps in undertaking Advanced Practice training.

If you or your organisation would like to know any more information or would like to discuss how we can support Advanced Practice, then please drop us an email advancingpractice.sw@hee.nhs.uk

The theme for National Apprenticeship Week 2022 has been announced as ‘Build the Future’ and will begin on the 7th February 2022. We will be hosting an AP apprenticeship webinar on the 10th February 2022, and aim to cover the benefits to the staff, employer and patient of employing AP apprentices as well as provide information about apprenticeships in general.

Diane Keeling: Regional Advanced Practice Supervision and Assessment Lead for Neonates, Paediatrics, Women’s Health and Midwifery. 

I’d like to take this opportunity to introduce myself and share with you the progress being made for APs within Neonatal & Maternal Care, Women’s Health and Paediatrics. As an Advanced Neonatal Nurse Practitioner (ANNP) I am delighted that the SW has a HEE accredited MSc ANNP apprenticeship and MSc ANNP modular programme, delivered in partnership with University Hospitals Plymouth and the University of Plymouth. As the result of a demand scoping exercise earlier this year, HEE has funded 3 trainees to undertake the MSc ANNP apprenticeship and is supporting others to complete their MSc award, via the modular route. Having an accredited course within region is advantageous, as it provides accessibility to a funded training programme, benefitting employers and trainees alike. We have a well-established team of ANNPs in the SW and hope to identify any prospective ANNP trainees within the next scoping exercise being done by the AP Faculty in February 2022.

I am pleased to say we have an evolving Advanced Paediatric Nurse Practitioner (APNP) team in the SW, as I know empirically the valuable contribution they make to the paediatric team, and the children and families they care for. We are aiming to ensure that APNP trainees have access to courses which meet their specific learning needs and prepare them to undertake their new role upon completion of their MSc.

Therefore, HEE is working closely with the RCPCH and Educational Institutes to develop an Advanced Practice Paediatric Curriculum and Assessment Framework, with the aim of embedding it into education programmes. This work is steadily moving forward and is now in its second consultation phase, with the aim of being approved in 2022. It would be a significant achievement if the SW region could offer a HEE accredited, Neonatal and Paediatric AP programme for trainees, to support the workforce development. 

I’m also delighted that there is increasing interest in Midwifery AP roles, both nationally and within region. An MSc programme, mapped to midwife credentials is currently being developed and a pilot group of midwives are scheduled to undertake training later next year. 

In a short space of time so much has been achieved, but there is much more to do. If you require any further information on these projects or wish to discuss a related issue, I would love to hear from you.  Get in touch with Diane at advancingpractice.sw@hee.nhs.uk 

Luke Cunningham and Jennifer Lloyd – Workforce Transformation Associates for AHPs in Advanced Practice 

We joined the Southwest Faculty of Advancing Practice in November of this year as part of the response to the 2021/22 Advanced Practice (AP) Demand Scoping Analysis. The results showed that the majority of AP submissions for the southwest systems came from our nursing colleagues, posing the questions “where are all the AHPs?” and “how do we get them into AP roles?” Our 12 month, job-share secondment is hoping to go some way in providing an answer to these questions.  

AHPs Into Action, released in 2017 and due to be expanded on in 2022, contained case studies that demonstrated the significant impact from AHPs in addressing the challenges set by NHS England’s Five Year Forward View. Now more than ever before, healthcare in the UK is at a crossroads and new initiatives and frameworks must utilise skills and attributes from all sections of the workforce. 

There are many AHP trail blazers working at an advanced practice level already in the southwest and beyond. We are hoping to work closely with our Faculty colleagues to find and showcase these exemplars to help demonstrate the role of AHPs as Advanced Practitioners and to encourage systems in the southwest to keep AHPs (as well as our other non-medical colleagues) and Advanced Practice roles in their thoughts when designing and discussing workforce strategy.  

We are really excited to have started to work on unpacking the perceptions, barriers and opportunities for advanced practice within the AHP workforce in the southwest, and are very much looking forward to seeing what the next 12 months will bring. 

We will be seeking experiences and feedback from a wide range of people to develop this piece of work via individual conversations, surveys and focus groups.  If you would like to be involved, please get in touch at advancingpractice.sw@hee.nhs.uk 

Thursday 14 October was Allied Health Professions (AHPs) Day, which celebrated and showcased the varied and wonderful professions within the AHP family. AHPs are the third largest healthcare workforce and make a huge impact in the delivery of high-quality care.  

To celebrate HEE South West ran a case study poster competition to celebrate AHPs in advanced practice. Advanced Practitioner AHP’s were invited to submit case studies to showcase the work they do as part the wider multidisciplinary team. 

Our winner was Cath Lee, a trainee Advanced Practice Sonographer (Interventional) at Royal Devon & Exeter NHS Foundation Trust. Her role involves performing a range of interventional procedures to increase capacity and improve patient flow.