New academy training future healthcare professionals
Joshua Rose, BSc(Hons) Physiotherapy Apprentice
A new academy programme has been launched to help meet the demand for healthcare professionals across the region.
City Health Care Partnership (CHCP) has developed the apprenticeship scheme for its employees in both clinical and non-clinical roles, to train to become nurses, nursing associates, physiotherapists, occupational therapists, podiatrists and assistant practitioners.
CHCP, which delivers more than 70 community health and social care services across Hull and the East Riding, as well as the North West, and employs over 2,000 people, set up the programme in response to a continuous challenge locally and nationally to recruit enough clinicians.
The Academy of Clinical Excellence (ACE) enables CHCP employees who don’t currently have the required qualifications or experience for a clinical role to gain both, without having to give up their existing job.
Jacqui Laycock, Lead Practitioner for Clinical Service Development, said: “Nationally there is a continuous struggle to recruit enough clinicians to meet the increasingly complex needs of our populations. Quite simply, there are not enough qualified clinicians living and working locally to meet the needs of the wider healthcare provider market.
“To resolve this issue, CHCP has created the Academy of Clinical Excellence, a virtual school of clinical apprenticeships. Working with partner organisations and educational institutions, CHCP will be able to ‘grow its own’ clinicians at a larger scale and in a fairer and more sustainable way, developing a local health and social care workforce.
Sam Jefferson, Trainee Nurse Associate Apprentice
“We’ll be supporting those who would not be able to train to become a health and social care professional through the more traditional routes.
“It was evident to us that we had a large number of people in the organisation who really wanted to develop and take that next step. This could be in nursing, occupational therapy, physio – we can offer progression into a whole range of different roles.
“We have people going through the academy now who’ve worked in administration jobs for a long time and have found it difficult to make that transition, because if you apply for a clinical role the first thing you are asked is ‘what’s your experience?’ Quite often, the applicant doesn’t have any experience because they’ve been working in non-clinical areas.
“The academy is available to anyone working for CHCP or one of our associated organisations who has the required level of qualification for the particular apprenticeship they want to do, as well as that passion to take the next step.”
ACE incorporates numerous apprenticeships that all meet the standards required by the Education and Skills Funding Agency (ESFA).
The apprenticeships are provided by a range of colleges and universities, with participants building up their practical skills and experience with CHCP.
Sue Mellors, Trainee Nurse Associate
Jo Deighton, Operational Practitioner for Clinical Service Development, said the level of support offered to staff going through the academy is a key aspect of the ACE programme.
“The academy offers a bit of everything – career development, peer support, advice, academic progression and practical training,” she said. “We centre the learning around the apprentice, so it’s bespoke to each of them.
“We provide a really high level of support because we want them to succeed, both for themselves and the good of CHCP.”
Apprentices retain a substantive contract during their time on the programme, so are employed throughout, and CHCP pays their course fees, so they don’t accrue any debt.
“They get a qualification, they don’t have a debt, they are employed throughout, and at the end of it they are guaranteed a job,” said Jo.
“If they don’t fulfil the apprenticeship for any reason, we can offer them the equivalent of their old job back.
“It’s win, win.”