Creating New Roles Assistant Practitioners

1
Creating New Roles Assistant Practitioners

• Developing workforce within a medium secure
  forensic learning disability service

2
National Drivers for change

• NHS Plan
• Department of Health
• Nurse Agenda
• Strategic Health Authority
• Clinical Support
• Workforce Planning
• Leadership Agenda

3
Career framework for health

• Initial entry jobs cadets, modern apprentices.
• Support Workers healthcare assistant.
• Senior Assistants/Technicians.
• Assistant Practitioners.
• Practitioners staff nurses
• Senior Practitioners
• Advanced Practitioner
• Consultant Practitioners

4
Key responsibilities of Assistant Practitioner

• Manage caseload (complex cases)
• Assess and implement effective programmes
• Risk assessment
• Motivation of staff/clients
• Commitment to quality
• Professional development
• Service improvement

5
Historical perspective

• All support staff on band 3 equates to senior
  assistant on career framework
• Only development was via widening access onto
  nurse training
• In past a band 4 post was introduced across
  services with variable impact. This role linked
  to NVQ 3 attainment Agenda for Change
  compromised this role

6
Workforce need at Calderstones

• Uncertainty nationally re Learning Disability
  nursing branch
• Ageing registered nurse pool
• Service development especially off site
  community focussed services needing new roles
  for business demand
• Career structures for un qualified staff
• Increasingly challenging complex clients

7
Foundation Degrees and Assistant Practitioners

• Foundation degrees exist now as stand alone
  courses in many Universities/Further Education
  establishments
• Designed to acknowledge vocational skills
• Students remain in work if not school leavers
• Aimed at non traditional entrants
• Support employers looking to develop new roles

8
University of Cumbria Foundation Degree

• Health and Social Care foundation degree already
  established
• Structure 6 modules at level 4 3 pathway
  focussed modules
• Structure 6 modules at level 5 3 pathway
  focussed, 1 on free choice
• Modules include face to face teaching, self
  directed study, tutor directed study and work
  based learning

9
Collaborative Working

• Through the strong partnership existing between
  the Social Work and Applied Behavioural Studies
  faculty and Calderstones Partnership NHS
  Foundation Trust we have developed a bespoke
  foundation degree course best suited to the needs
  of staff working in medium/low secure care

10
Module structure

• Shared modules Personal Development Planning
  Workplace contexts Foundations for decision
  making Appraising and using evidence
  Collaborative working Managing self and others
• Pathway modules Self Awareness and Relationship
  building Practitioner values Social and Legal
  aspects Challenging behaviour Risk and safety

11
Module Structure

• Free choice Pathway modules Negotiated learning
  in working with clients with offending behaviour
  Understanding origins/manifestations of
  aggression Understanding Advocacy Working with
  service users who self harm Understanding
  borderline personality disorder

12
Innovative Practice Development

• Development bespoke foundation degree course
  aimed at workers in secure settings working with
  service users with Learning Disability
• Delivery of course at Calderstones by
  Calderstones staff
• Competency framework for assistant practitioner
  role
• Linkage of Assistant to Advanced Practitioner role