Pre-Nursing Experience Pilot The journey so far

Transcription

1 Developing people for health and healthcare Pre-Nursing Experience Pilot The journey so far Health Education England

2 Professor Ian Cumming OBE, Chief Executive, Health Education England Foreword Our pre-nursing experience programme really demonstrates why Health Education England (HEE) exists to, above all, improve the quality of care delivered to patients. It is important that everyone who wishes to start a programme of training and education that will eventually lead to them caring for people at their most vulnerable, when they are ill or infirm, should have the right values and the right personal attributes to be a carer. Through these pilots, prospective nursing students are on paid placements, providing care for patients now whilst building their own experience and preparing them better for their university courses. We have been privileged to meet the participants in several of the pilots, and have been consistently impressed by their enthusiasm at working for the NHS, showing a genuine desire to care, and living and breathing the values of the NHS Constitution. We are seeing and hearing about the positive experiences many of the prospective nursing students are having, through what is so often their first experience of caring for someone who is sick. And for a very small number, they have realised that nursing isn t for them, only highlighting that the pilots are helping people decide their future careers and most importantly not waste tax payers money on a funded degree. HEE has been bold in leading these innovative pilots and our work will allow the NHS to be confident that the people produced by our education and training, not only have the technical skills and knowledge but also the personal attributes that we would expect of those we entrust with our care. Sir Stephen Moss, Chair of Pre-Nursing Experience Pilot Steering Group Contents 4 Introduction 5 Background 7 Interview Health Education North East 9 Interview Health Education West Midlands 10 Views about the pilot programme 13 Interview Health Education North West 14 Interview Health Education North Central and East London 16 Pre-Nursing Experience Pilot Health Education East of England Regional Launch 17 Pre-Nursing Experience Pilot Evaluation 18 Next steps 2 3

3 Introduction Background I was delighted and proud to be asked to implement the challenge of evaluating a pre-nursing experience pilot. This exciting opportunity for aspiring nurses with no, or very little, care experience in a real paid, hands on job as a healthcare assistant (HCA), is an innovative approach to assure we get the best possible students. Robert Francis highlighted the importance of ensuring the culture of our organisation is caring and compassionate at the core. I do not believe anyone enters nursing to not care for patients but, as Mid Staffs demonstrated, sometimes something happens along the way that allows poor and uncaring practice to flourish. Our participants, and in fact all our students, are the future of healthcare - the eyes and ears of the system. Their role is vital in ensuring that patients receive the high quality and compassionate care they deserve and would expect. I would like to thank our pilot participants who are articulating and demonstrating the values and behaviours of care and compassion we would expect. As we go around the country listening to their stories, you can t help but get swept away with their enthusiasm and drive to be the best and most caring future nurses they can be. Dr Lisa Bayliss-Pratt, Director of Nursing, Health Education England Our participants, and in fact all our students, are the future of healthcare - the eyes and ears of the system. In response to the Francis Inquiry, the Government asked HEE to implement and evaluate a pilot for prospective nurse students to work for up to a year as a healthcare assistant, to gain care experience and test their values and behaviours of care and compassion. The aim of the pilot was to recruit aspiring nurse students, with no or little experience, into paid HCA posts from September 2013, allowing them to gain caring experience in real jobs, testing to see if they are right for the job and that the job is right for them. The pilot is running over one year to September A steering group of key stakeholders has been guiding and monitoring the pilot, they set out a series of guiding principles. Six Local Education and Training Boards (LETBs) took those principles and developed pilot sites in partnership with universities and employers over 30 employers and around 20 universities are involved across the pilot. The six LETBs are: Health Education East of England Health Education East Midlands Health Education North Central and East London Health Education North West Health Education North East Health Education West Midlands - University Hospital Birmingham NHS Foundation Trust We recruited 165 participants to undertake a year in post as HCAs gaining experience; also getting support from employers and Higher Education Institutes in their applications to university. 4 5

4 Interview Health Education North East Emma Holt, Gateshead Health NHS Foundation Trust, Newcastle Upon Tyne It has only strengthened my desire to become a nurse and to decide this is exactly what I want to do. How did you hear about the pilot? I heard about the pilot though the NHS jobs website, where I first saw it advertised for other hospitals, so I kept on checking hoping one would come up a bit closer to where I live. Why do you want to be a nurse? I have always wanted to be a nurse and my main reasons are due to personal experiences received from nurses and whilst I worked as a domiciliary carer I worked closely with district nurses and I saw how they cared for each individual and how grateful the individuals were for the care they received and I wanted to be able to make the same difference. Tell me why you wanted to take part in the pilot? I thought it would be an interesting opportunity to gain some hands on experience of working within the NHS and it would give me the opportunity to see more of what nurses do every day. How is this pilot helping you make a decision about becoming a nurse? It has only strengthened my desire to become a nurse and to decide this is exactly what I want to do. What has been the best thing about your role so far? I wouldn t say any particular part has been the best as I have enjoyed every part and it s enabled me to broaden my knowledge. Would you recommend this pre-nursing care work? Yes, I would definitely recommend it I think it is so valuable to have relevant experience before entering university. What do you feel are the benefits of doing this role? I think the benefits are that you get to gain valuable experience in both a medical and surgical ward, it also enables you to speak to other health professionals about their role and what they think is the role of a nurse. 6 Generic HEE image 7

5 Interview Health Education West Midlands Chloe Marsh, University Hospital Birmingham NHS Foundation Trust Queen Elizabeth Hospital Birmingham. It is just giving me such a great opportunity to learn, you get straight in there, you have good and bad days. How did you hear about the pilot? I saw an advert in the Birmingham Mail, I was not really looking for an opportunity like that, just flicking through the paper, but then I saw the advert and was very interested. Why do you want to be a nurse? To be honest I had never really thought about it, I was working in a bar and read the advert and thought I could do this. It is the best thing I ever did. Tell me why you wanted to take part in the pilot? As it was a trial, I did not want to commit for too long, and realised there were going to be options open to me afterwards. How is this pilot helping you make a decision about becoming a nurse? It is just giving me such a great opportunity to learn, you get straight in there, you have good and bad days. More good days, I like getting up and coming in to work. What has been the best thing about your role so far? I love learning the medical side, if asked a question from my family I now feel I am able to answer. Also working very close to the patients - talking to them - and getting their trust. Would you recommend this pre-nursing care work? Yes, definitely. The amount of time over the year is good. I would recommend it to friends and have a friend who has already applied for the 6 month trial course. What do you feel are the benefits of doing this role? You get to see the job in real life and get an understanding of the role beforehand. I know a couple of people who have left the course, it was not for them, but that is the point of the pilot to see if this role is right for you. Very good to get to know the job. The pilot is great, really intense, but I feel like it has given me a proper life, I am enjoying it. Without this opportunity I would not have thought about becoming a nurse. Chloe Marsh 8 9

6 Trish Knight, Director of Workforce, Education and Quality at Health Education East Midlands It s important for aspirant nurses to get a feel of what is required of nursing and to provide compassionate care for individuals who may be at their most vulnerable. This is in addition to giving us a chance to test whether they have the right caring attributes and values to work in the NHS. We re enthusiastic about being part of this pilot to explore and evaluate ways of ensuring the NHS recruits the right people with the right values to work for our patients. Experiencing the front line at the very beginning of their career will allow those considering a nursing career, before committing to a healthcare profession to get a first-hand understanding of patient needs. Jacqueline Davis, Head of Nursing - Practice Development, Kettering General Hospital The model used in Northamptonshire as part of the national pilot has given people who had all the criteria to enter their nursing degree course apart from caring experience a real opportunity to gain that experience and realise their dream. The pilot has provided some key learning from which to build an excellent and pragmatic option to increase the pool of people entering nursing Kathy Branson, Director Special Projects, Health Education East of England (HE EoE) Health Education East of England is delighted to be part of the pre-nursing experience national pilot. We believe that experience of high quality essential care, delivered with kindness and compassion is a fundamental pre-requisite for future nurses. We have recruited 48 new healthcare assistants (HCAs) across seven pilot sites, working in partnership with service and education providers. All of the HCAs have undergone the HEEoE HCA Apprenticeship Framework, including training on self-awareness and personal resilience, the implementation of the 6Cs (compassion, care, commitment, courage, competence and communication) and preparation for entry to university. Some of the HCAs have already gained places at university and some have decided that nursing is not the career for them. Personally I am very impressed with how the HCAs have used this time to understand and internalise the delivery of the 6Cs in practice; their stories about how they deliver essential care to patients with a focus on getting the little things right are both moving and humbling. Liz Libiszewski, Director of Nursing, Quality & Patient Experience, James Paget Hospital The Trust is really pleased to participate in the pilot nursing scheme. Lauren, Rachel and Sophie, HCAs taking part in the pilot, have already been able to demonstrate the benefit of the programme, particularly with regards to their understanding of the 6Cs of nursing; compassion, care, commitment, courage, competence and communication. They are an integral part of the James Paget family. Gemma, pilot HCA student, Chesterfield Royal Hospital NHS Foundation Trust Being part of this national pilot has been really exciting; it feels like you re part of history! We are a new generation of nurses coming into nurse training. Denise Baker, Programme Leader - Foundation Degree (Assistant Practitioner) / Senior Lecturer Healthcare Practice, School of Health, University of Derby It s been really helpful to build relationships with the HCAs right from the start of the programme. Support workers from the University of Derby have been onto the wards at both of the Derbyshire pilot sites to see first-hand what experiences the HCAs are having. The good relationships and dialogue between the University of Derby and the NHS have been key to the success story. Laura, pilot HCA student, Derby Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust I ve learned so much. My placement has built my confidence and knowledge - learning new things every day, learning how to interact with other healthcare professionals, and of course, the patients

7 Interview I would value a career in which I could help people during their time of need. Health Education North West Emily Minchew, HCA pilot student, Wirral University Teaching Hospital NHS Foundation Trust How did you hear about the pilot? I used to regularly check the NHS jobs website for healthcare jobs or similar roles in order to get some hospital experience to aid my university application. Why do you want to be a nurse? I want to be a nurse because I believe I am kind, caring and compassionate and I would value a career in which I could help people during their time of need. I believe nursing would be a rewarding and fulfilling career and I would enjoy the daily challenges that would face me in this role. I think a career in nursing would provide endless learning opportunities and I am very keen to learn new skills. Also, my mum has worked in nursing for almost thirty years and has inspired me to pursue this career. Tell me why you wanted to take part in the pilot? I wanted to take part in this pilot as I have applied to universities to study nursing for the past two years, and although I have had interviews, I have been unsuccessful. I hope that by gaining experience in a hospital environment I will have more chance of getting onto a child nursing course, as this is where my interests lie and it is the career I can see myself doing in the future. I also wanted to gain new skills which would make me more confident and competent should I be successful in the future. Emily Minchew conditions. This pilot is helping me to make a decision about becoming a nurse because it is giving me an insight into what is involved in the job, the challenges I may be faced with and the expectations of the role. What has been the best thing about your role so far? The best things about my role so far have been the learning experiences as I am always eager to learn, and also meeting some lovely people, both staff and patients. It makes my day when I m helping to look after a patient who I can have a good chat with and who genuinely appreciates my help. One patient asked what my role was and when I explained the pilot to her she said she thought I would make a fantastic nurse because I was so caring and even offered to write me a reference! This made me feel really positive about myself and the job that I was doing. Would you recommend this pre-nursing care work? I would recommend this pre-degree nursing care work to anyone who wants to go into nursing as I believe it offers invaluable experience. What do you feel are the benefits of doing this role? 12 Generic HEE image How is this pilot helping you make a decision about becoming a nurse? During my time at the trust I am being given placements on three different wards in order to learn about a variety of different types of nursing and different medical There are a number of benefits to this role, for example, it helps you to decide if nursing is really the career for you, and it also prepares you for life as a student nurse should you be successful, making you more confident in your role.

8 Interview Health Education North Central and East London Camden and Islington NHS Mental Health Trust HCA Pilot student How did you hear about the pilot? I saw an advert in the Evening Standard and that came just at the right time! Why do you want to be a nurse? I wanted to have a job with a purpose and that was more rewarding than previous jobs I have had before. Tell me why you wanted to take part in the pilot? Because I was curious about becoming a nurse but I didn t have the qualifications to apply for university or the money to pay for an access course. How is this pilot helping you make a decision about becoming a nurse? It s helped to decide that I actually don t want to be a nurse, such as the fact that I am dyslexic, so I struggle to read certain things off the computer. The workload of an HCA is more manageable and enjoyable for me at the moment and I would like to stick to that. What has been the best thing about your role so far? The patients and the spirit of staff. Would you recommend this pre-nursing care work? Definitely! What do you feel are the benefits of doing this role? You learn something new every day whilst getting paid for experience which is really helpful. endless learning opportunities compassion right values confidence and knowledge see the job in real life a genuine desire to care the best thing I ever did an insight into what courage is involved in the job improve the quality of care broaden my knowledge recruit aspiring nurse students care an interesting opportunity to gain some hands on experience competence innovative approach working communication very close to the patients a focus on getting the little things right positive experiences commitment 14 15

9 Health Education East of England (HE EoE) Pre-Nursing Experience Pilot Regional Launch Monday 27 January 2014 Trinity Park, Ipswich This event was one of the regional events held to informally launch the pre-nursing experience pilot this particular one in the East of England shared and celebrated best practice. Over 150 people attended including the pre-nursing experience HCAs, their mentors, ward and team leaders, and many more. Delegates heard that Health Education East of England has the biggest pilot cohort of 48 HCAs and thanked the seven pilot sites for their incredible hard work in implementing the project. They also heard from the HCAs themselves - telling their incredibly moving and humbling stories, and how they demonstrate the 6Cs during the course of their duties. Delegates were also involved in a marketplace showcasing best practice, in addition to hosting a series of workshops to share and build upon the things learnt, such as the best mentorship support for HCAs. Emma McKay, Director of Nursing, Norfolk & Norwich University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust said: These HCAs are of incredibly high calibre. I have been impressed with everything they have achieved and look forward to employing them when they graduate. Pre-Nursing Experience Pilot Evaluation A case study service evaluation of the six pilot LETB sites is underway. This method is being used as the situation under investigation is novel and it allows for the local variations in approach. For example, the different approaches to recruiting the HCAs to the Pre-Nursing Experience Pilot; the length of time they are employed in clinical service; the nature of that clinical experience; the experience of the HCAs and their mentors; the professional aspirations of the HCAs; and the impact of this development on the clinical service. The data is collected through a mixed methods methodology which includes surveys, focus groups with HCAs and mentors/supervisors, and individual interviews. There are three main data collection points: at the beginning of their pre-nursing experience; midway through the pilot; and immediately prior to starting their pre-registration undergraduate nursing course. The Department of Health Policy Research programme has decided to fund a substantive longitudinal study following the experience of these HCAs through their pre-registration education and training. This research study on the evaluation of the impact of care experience prior to undertaking NHS funded education and training will commence in September 2014 and aim to report in

10 Next steps Five of the current six pilot sites are planning a further cohort of participants in February/March: East Midlands proposed a further cohort of around 20 for 6 months. North Central and East London a further cohort of around 30 for 6 months. North East proposed a further cohort of up to 20 for 6 months. North West Plan to recruit a further 17 in February/March for a year, to make up to original 33 projected recruitment number. West Midlands (Birmingham) a further cohort of around 20 for 9 months. We are also working with further LETBs to introduce cohorts in September. Dr Lisa Bayliss-Pratt reflects: We know that the UK faces major health and social care challenges over the coming years. The nursing and healthcare support workforce will have an instrumental role in meeting those challenges. This pilot is a fantastic step towards addressing some of those issues. Never before has there been so much interest in the nursing profession, with all eyes on it and these pilot HCAs are pioneers in a new learning opportunity that could well be adopted and spread amongst other professions. We must seize every opportunity to lead and innovate with the care that we give. We are the touchstones for the patient and when we get it right, we know we can make such a difference to the people that we treat and care for. We must seize every opportunity to lead and innovate with the care that we give 18

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