Discussion Note NES Healthcare Science Advisory Committee

Transcription

1 Discussion Note NES Healthcare Science Advisory Committee Meeting Discussion Note 2: NHS Career Framework 2 4, HCS Modern Apprenticeships (MAs) Amanda McKie Background A number of NHS Boards in partnership with NES are exploring Modern Apprenticeships as the educational solution for workforce development of HCS support worker, senior support worker and assistant practitioner staff. A Healthcare Science (HCS) Modern Apprenticeship (MA) discussion took place on Thursday 13 th October at the Royal College of Physicians, Edinburgh. The HCS MA discussion summary and actions document is attached for reference Three key action areas were agreed to take Healthcare Science Modern Apprenticeships forward in NHS Scotland 1. The Science Technology Engineering and Maths (STEM) MA framework the development of a STEM MA framework to facilitate a grow your own approach across HCS at HCS support worker level with progression into HCS strand specific pathways at HCS senior support worker and assistant practitioner levels 2. STEM transitions (facilitating the transition of young people from school to positive career destinations) 3. Healthcare Science careers information, advice and guidance (HCS CIAG) Advice sought Do HCS AG members have any additional comments / observations in respect of the HCS MA discussion actions (Table 2)? If NES, in partnership with NHS Boards, is able to develop a STEM transitions package How do HCS AG members see STEM transitions working operationally in NHS Boards? What are the HCS AG members thoughts around a central focus for HCS CIAG? How could this be achieved?

2 Healthcare Science (HCS) Modern Apprenticeship (MA) discussion Summary and Actions HCS discussion event details A Healthcare Science (HCS) Modern Apprenticeship (MA) discussion took place on Thursday 13 th October at the Royal College of Physicians, Edinburgh. The discussion was organised by NHS Education for Scotland (NES) Healthcare Science in association with the Healthcare Science Officer, Scottish Government. The Healthcare Science specific discussion followed Making the most of Modern Apprenticeships in NHS Scotland organised by the Educational Development Directorate, NES. Table 1 gives details of the nineteen (19) people who attended the discussion. There was representation from nine (9) territorial NHS Boards across all three strands of HCS (life, physical and physiological sciences) and from Dental Technology within NES. Partners from the Sector Skills Council for Science, Engineering and Manufacturing (SEMTA), Skills Development Scotland (SDS) and two further education colleges also attended. Setting the scene A short presentation outlined the Scottish and UK HCS policy drivers and context for HCS support worker (SW) and assistant practitioner (AP) educational development, along with the benefits of using the NHS in Scotland Career framework to facilitate such developments. The role of the sector skills council, SEMTA, in developing Modern Apprenticeship frameworks was also outlined. The HCS MA discussion Two days before the event, delegates were sent ten (10) specific questions to consider in relation to modern apprenticeships. On the day, the questions were discussed via three facilitated groups. Responses to the specific questions from the small group discussions are summarised as follows: 1. What do you understand about the framework of a modern apprenticeship (MA)? There was a mixed understanding of a MA framework. There was a good understanding of the Life Sciences MA framework and the components of a MA in Life Sciences (SVQ, core skills and other elements e.g underpinning knowledge). 2

3 For Physical and Physiological Sciences there was a keenness to use MA frameworks as they make sense. MA frameworks are developed by Sector Skills Councils 2. How do you envisage MAs as providing an education and training solution for your HCS support worker (SW) and assistant practitioner (AP) staff? MAs can provide the academic knowledge and practical skills for HCS SW and AP staff. MAs are able to provide the educational solution for current and future workforce needs they can address the skills mix in the Modernising Scientific Careers (MSC) red box. MAs facilitate a grow your own approach. 3. What benefits do you believe implementing MAs in HCS would bring to your HCS workforce development? Nationally recognised and standardised approach Young people working and being exposed to the work environment Facilitate HCS staff skills mix changes Allows for succession planning Generates fit for purpose staff who are working at the appropriate level Increased staff morale, confidence, job satisfaction and retention Starts to address the age demographic issue that exists in physical sciences Enables career progression for support workers Return on Investment 4. When would you like to recruit MAs into your HCS strand / discipline? How does this fit in with a workforce plan for your HCS strand / discipline? Physiological and Physical Sciences would like to recruit MAs as soon as possible. For Life Sciences existing support worker staff are being developed using the Life Sciences MA. Physiology would recruit at Career Framework (CF) level 3 HCS senior SW. Physical Sciences would also like to recruit at CF level 3 in the first instance but would like to investigate how CF level 2 roles (HCS SW) could be developed in the future. Workforce plans indicate the re profiling of workforce towards lower banded staff and the recruitment of MAs provide an education and training solution to facilitate this. 3

4 5. Who would you recruit as a MA and why? School leavers with highers in science, maths and IT for HCS senior SW roles (CF level 3). Development of roles at HCS SW (CF level 2), access to Healthcare Science Intermediate 2. Returners to work and career changers should also be considered. 6. What are your views on having a common underpinning knowledge qualification across all HCS strands to support the implementation of MAs? (life, physiological and physical sciences)? Groups were supportive of having a common underpinning knowledge qualification across all HCS stands. A core to the qualification was suggested, that would be common to all strands of HCS e.g health and safety, patient safety, patient confidentiality, statistics. maths. A foundation in physiology as well as the three sciences was also suggested Specific modules would be taken for each strand of HCS to give focus. A common underpinning knowledge qualification for HCS was thought to be more viable and sustainable across Scotland. 7. What are your views of having a common foundation vocational qualification across all HCS strands to support the implementation of MAs? There was support for having a common foundation vocational qualification across all three strands of HCS. The wider the vocational base the better, to provide flexibility in the HCS workforce. A common foundation vocational qualification would be more applicable to the development of CF2 roles i.e HCS SW and would give employees a good insight and foundation across all HCS strands. Streaming into a specific HCS strand would take place at HCS senior support worker level (CF level 3). 4

5 8. How do you currently support work experience placements in your HCS strand / discipline? How is this co ordinated in your NHS Board? NHS Lothian support integrated BMS degree placements as well as placements for schools. School placements are co ordinated through the work placement team who are part of the HR department. In the future work experience placements may be co ordinated through the HCS educational development and training group (HCS EDTG). NHS Fife offer work placements (16 week START? programme) to longer term unemployed adults as well as work experience to school children, these are coordinated by the HR department. Medical Physics in NHS Lanarkshire and Forth Valley used to offer work experience placements to school children, they were co ordinated through HR departments. Medical Physics in NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde offer work experience placements to school children of colleagues who approach the department directly. Physiology in NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde take physiology degree students from Northern Ireland on work experience. A pre apprenticeship programme, incorporating Skills for Work, Laboratory Science is being piloted by Forth Valley College and local life science / chemical industry partners. 9. What HCS careers information, advice and guidance do you give? How is this co ordinated in your NHS Board? Most HCS careers information, advice and guidance (CIAG) given is ad hoc. HCS staff contribute to events organised by NHS Board HR departments (NHS Fife, Greater Glasgow and Clyde and Lothian) e.g careers fairs / events at schools There is little consistency or focus given to HCS CIAG. The NHS Scotland Careers website is out of date and is no longer updated by the Scottish Government Health Department. 5

6 10. Any other information which you think may be relevant to the MA agenda? Find out who are the champions / sponsors of the MA agenda in NHS Boards Aileen MacLennan, Director of Diagnostics and Dr David Keating, Interim Director of Department of Clinical Physics and Bioengineering (DCPB), NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde have been very supportive of the development of HCS SW and AP staff via MAs. Jim McGoldrick, Chair, NHS Fife is supportive of life long learning. Train scientific staff for supply to industry as well as NHS. Educational solutions and ideas Educational solutions for the development of HCS SW and AP staff were presented to the group for comment and further discussion. A clinical engineering pathway: SVQ (Engineering Maintenance: Servicing Medical Equipment ) core skills and HNC Applied Science could be built into the existing Life Sciences MA to enable modern apprenticeships to be offered in Physical Sciences: Clinical Engineering by August 2012 DCPB and workforce development, NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde are currently investigating a pilot for the Clinical Engineering MA route. Medical Physics in NHS Forth Valley and NHS Lanarkshire have expressed an interest in recruiting an MA in the near future. NHS Tayside have recruited an apprentice in Medical Instrumentation. An aspirational STEM (science, technology, engineering and maths) MA framework was presented as providing an educational solution for the development of support worker and senior support worker staff across all three strands of HCS. A foundation of core underpinning knowledge and vocational training across all three strands of HCS is suggested early on in the framework to develop HCS support worker staff and give flexibility in the workforce. This will be followed by HCS strand specific training at senior support worker level. The STEM MA framework has applicability to other healthcare disciplines underpinned by STEM (e.g radiography, pharmacy, dental technology) and also to private industry. 6

7 STEM transitions an initiative being led by SEMTA was introduced by Brian Humphrey. School children combine work experience with accredited SQA qualifications (i.e Skills for Work or Science Baccalaureate) to facilitate the transition into positive career destinations i.e MA employment, employment, further or higher education. It was considered that STEM transitions could develop the supply of candidates into HCS SW and ssw roles in NHS Scotland in the future. HCS careers information, advice and guidance (CIAG) was also discussed briefly as one of the mechanisms for creating the supply for candidates into STEM transitions and then in to HCS SW and ssw roles. It was considered that more consistent and focused HCS CIAG could contribute to an increased supply of candidates into HCS SW and ssw roles in NHS Scotland in the future. Areas for Action As a result of the HCS MA discussion, three key action areas were identified to take the agenda for HCS MAs forward, they are The STEM MA framework STEM transitions HCS CIAG Table 2 indicates the specific actions drawn up for each key area, responsibility for each action and timescales. It was agreed by the group that review and progress with actions would take place in the middle of January Dr Amanda McKie NES HCS 20 th October

8 Table 1: HCS MA discussion delegates First name Last name Job title Organisation address Susan Allen CQL Life Sciences Forth Valley College Gill Blair Life Sciences Manager Skills Development Scotland (SDS) Paul Britten Clinical Technologist NHS Greater Training Coordinator Glasgow & Clyde Roger Carter Consultant Clinical NHS Greater Scientist, Respiratory Glasgow & Clyde Medicine Alison Farrow Healthcare Science Educational Development Lead NHS Grampian/Highland Olga Greenan Service Manager NHS Fife (Laboratories) / HCS lead Brian Humphrey National Manager SEMTA bhumphrey@semta.org.uk Scotland Tom Hutchinson Head of Medical Physics NHS Lanarkshire tom.hutchinson@lanarkshire.scot.nhs.uk Karne McBride Principal Medical Physics Technologist Joseph McIntyre Director of Dental Technology Training Alastair McKay Healthcare Science Education Development Lead NHS Lothian NES NHS Dumfries & Galloway/Ayrshire & Arran karne.mcbride@luht.scot.nhs.uk joe.mcintyre@nes.scot.nhs.uk alastair.mckay@nhs.net 8

9 First name Last name Job title Organisation address Amanda McKie Research & Development NES Officer Healthcare Science Stewart McKinlay Business Partner SEMTA John Parker Head of School, Life Cardonald College Sciences David Smith Blood Sciences Manager NHS Highland Sarah Smith Healthcare Science NHS Lothian Education Development Lead/Training Manager David Stirling Healthcare Science Scottish Officer Government. Jack Watson Head of Medical Physics NHS Forth Valley Lindsay Yuile Technical Manager, Equipment Management NHS Greater Glasgow & Clyde 9

10 Table 2: Actions for taking the HCS MA agenda forward in NHS Scotland Area for action Action Who When STEM MA Review structure of HNC Sarah Smith (lead) (Life) Applied Sciences to Lindsay Yuile / Karne determine suitability as common underpinning knowledge qualification to McBride (Physics) Roger Carter + A N Other (Physiology) support implementation of STEM MA Primary focus on Physics to enable Clinical Engineering pathway to be incorporated into Life Sciences Modern Apprenticeship as interim step Present structure and components for underpinning knowledge component to support STEM MA framework across all 3 strands of HCS either as amendments to HNC in Applied Sciences and / or new qualification Physics element 9 th December 2011 Full review and solution complete 20 th January

11 Area for action Action Who When STEM MA Identify educational infrastructure that exists within NHS Boards (i.e. capacity to deliver workplace based training and assessment people and resources). HCS EDLs and Clinical Technologist Training coordinator. OG for NHS Fife and Tayside (tbc) Identify lead let AMc know 20th January 2012 Identify gaps in educational infrastructure and suggest educational interventions to cover gaps STEM MA Investigate sharing an apprentice with STEM industry partners Brian Humphrey / Stewart McKinlay 20 th January 2012 STEM MA Identify and send details of MA champion / sponsor(s) in your NHS Board to Amanda McKie ALL 9 th December

12 Area for action Action Who When STEM transitions Map outcomes for Skills for Work Laboratory Science for delivery in NHS workplace Amanda McKie (lead), Sarah Smith, David Wilson (tbc), Paul Britten, Roger Carter / Irene Crawford 20 th January 2012 What else could the NHS offer that is not covered by SfW? Present models for delivery for SfW / STEM transitions HCS CIAG Review existing HCS careers information, advice and guidance from professional body perspective Send to Amanda McKie ALL 9th December