Support for AHPs transitioning to work in Primary Care
Written by Amelia Lawrence, published 13/07/2023
As part of the Long-Term Plan, Primary Care Networks (PCNs) and General Practices are encouraged to build a team with diverse skills and competencies to support increased access for patients, alleviate pressures on existing staff, and improve the quality of care and services. The Additional Roles Reimbursement Scheme (ARRS) provides PCNs with funding for some of these additional roles.
Staff can be reimbursed in line with their skills and capabilities, and the role that they are undertaking, up to the maximum level of reimbursement set out in the Network Contract DES. To be eligible for reimbursement staff must be able to deliver the responsibilities of the role set out in the DES.
Employers need to ensure that staff are operating within the limits of their capability and scope of practice, and that they are provided with appropriate supervision to enable them to do so. It is not a requirement for allied health professionals (AHPs) to be First Contact Practitioners (FCPs) or Advanced Practitioners (APs) to work in primary care.
To support FCPs, a national Primary Care educational pathway has been created for clinicians moving into FCP roles which may lead on to AP status with appropriate additional education, and education providers have been procured to deliver this training and education package.
This will ultimately:
Provide a pipeline of professionals at different levels of practice
Help recruitment and retention in primary care
Create sustainability for multi-professional FCP roles
Demonstrate the capability of the clinician assuring both patient and clinician safety
NHS England have commissioned 8 education providers to support allied health professionals transitioning to work in Primary Care. These are:
Anglo-European college of Chiropractic
University of Bradford
University of Central Lancashire
Coventry University
University of Cumbria
Essex University
University of Hertfordshire
Teesside University
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