Support and Development Resources for Notts Care Coordinators
Meet Darcie, your Care Coordinator Ambassador
My aim is to achieve a widespread understanding of the Care Coordinator role, correct utilisation and a friendly, beneficial support network for people in the role.
Darcie is your point of contact for support and development needs relating to your role as a Care Coordinator in Nottingham and Nottinghamshire.
Get in contact with Darcie
Feeling isolated and/or want to connect with peers?
Care Coordinator Network
Darcie can also connect you with Care Coordinators across Bassetlaw, Mid-Notts, Nottingham City, and South Notts in her growing Care Coordinator Peer Support Network. This uses Teams chat as their communication platform and they have Teams meeting approx. every 8 weeks. This network is purely for peer support and training / education updates.
Join the Notts Care Coordinator Peer Support Network
Personalised Care Roles Network
Our Personalised Care Community of Practice (CoP) is for Care Coordinators, Social Prescribing Link Workers, and Health and Wellbeing Coaches. The network fosters shared learning and peer support via a WhatsApp group to stay connected, alongside bespoke events to develop skills and knowledge (these training sessions run ad-hoc).
Are you encountering challenging scenarios within your work?
Darcie and the Care Coordinator networks can help you work through challenging scenarios within your work. A couple of common issues we hear you are experiencing are below, and Darcie has suggested ways on how you can handle them.
Scenario - I have no office space
You turn up to work to attend patient appointments and there is no office for you to use to see them.
As a Care Coordinator, you have the advantage of flexible working conditions. If you turn up to work and there is not a room available for you, contact your patients and arrange an alternative method of support. This could be a telephone call, a home visit or a meeting elsewhere, such as a quiet space for a walk (if the appointment is not too in depth and is more just support and a chat).
Scenario - My patient asks, "Why am I not seeing a GP?"
A patient doesn’t understand your role and is asking why their appointment is not with a GP.
As a Care Coordinator you may be dealing with clinical information such as blood pressure readings. It is important to explain to the patient that your role is to work alongside clinicians to help with some clinical tasks, such as assessing their blood pressure. You can always reassure a patient that you are just processing their readings to support their GP and if there is anything that needs addressing, a suitable clinician will contact them.
Scenario - I'm worried about their mental health
You are having a discussion with a patient and they are struggling with their mental health. They need more support than you can offer but you are worried about them.
Know your own support networks and local services. It is important to know who to turn to and when. For example, know the details of your local mental health support services and talking services for referral and signposting. Know your beneficial contact such as Social Prescribers and Health & Wellbeing Coaches as they may have other support services they can access, such as housing, financial, and bereavement support. Know your clinicians, as you may need to refer to their GP for more clinical support. Also know the information for your local crisis team.
Get support from Darcie about a specific challenge you are experiencing
58% of you are not aware of your career progression routes as a Care Coordinator
Let's help change that. As a Care Coordinator you can have the opportunity to develop your skills and expand into a few different areas. You can seek apprenticeships to grow into leadership roles or Primary Care Network (PCN) management roles if you wish to develop in a similar role to care coordination.
Alternatively, you can develop your skills and become more clinical based by accessing training, apprenticeships, diplomas or degrees to progress into areas such as Health and Wellbeing Coaching, Pharmacy Technician, Health Care Support Work, Nursing and other clinical professions, depending on your interest.
Clicking on a pathway will jump you to more information about the training requirements to move into your next steps.
Care Coordinator
Speak with a learning and development specialist about your options
Steps to become a PCN / Practice Manager from a Care Coordinator role
Lead Care Coordinator
Pre-Registration Trainee Pharmacy Technician (PTPT) Programme (Apprenticeship).
Chat with Darcie about her experience as a Lead
Senior Care Coordinator / PCN Management Assistant
GPhC approved course and register with the General Pharmaceutical Council (GPhC).
Assistant PCN / Practice Manager
BTEC / Level3 in Pharmaceutical Services or equivalent and be a GPhC registered Pharmacy Technician as well as having experience.
PCN / Practice Manager
Essential to have a good standard of education with excellent literacy and numeracy skills and to have a leadership and/or management qualification. It is desirable to have an AMSPAR qualification and be educated to degree level in healthcare or business.
Steps to become a Healthcare Assistant Practitioner
Care Coordinator
Health Care Support Worker
Care Certificate or Level 2 Apprenticeship in Health Care Support work required. This can be supported by NATH funding through your employer.
Healthcare Senior Support Worker
Requires a Level 3 Apprenticeship. This can be supported by NATH funding through your employer.
Healthcare Assistant Practitioner
Requires a Level 5 Apprenticeship and can be supported by NATH funding through your employer.
Steps to become a Practice Nurse
Care Coordinator
Health Care Support Worker
Care Certificate or Level 2 Apprenticeship in Health Care Support work required. This can be supported by NATH funding through your employer.
Nursing Associate
Apprenticeship at Foundation Degree Level.
Chat with Ali about her experience as a Nursing Associate
Practice Nurse
Degree Level Qualification / Registration requirement.
Chat with Gemma about her experience as a Practice Nurse
Steps to become a Lead Pharmacy Technician
Care Coordinator
Pre-Registration Pharmacy Technician
Pre-Registration Trainee Pharmacy Technician (PTPT) Programme (Apprenticeship).
GP Pharmacy Technician
GPhC approved course and register with the General Pharmaceutical Council (GPhC).
Lead Pharmacy Technician
BTEC / Level3 in Pharmaceutical Services or equivalent and be a GPhC registered Pharmacy Technician as well as having experience.
Chat with Sam about her experience as a Lead
More career development routes available to you
GP Assistant
No mandatory requirements, but it is desirable to have a clinical background to be familiar with Primary Care and have administration, organisational and basic IT skills.
Social Prescribing Link Worker
No set requirements but an understanding of the community, services and core skills are desirable.
Chat with Marcella about her experience as a SPLW
Health and Wellbeing Coach
Requires experience working in health and wellbeing, public or voluntary sector (inclusive of a sport / leisure environment), have patient / customer facing experience, brief intervention experience and educated to an A Level or equivalent in a relevant field.
Access further development offers for Care Coordinators for free!
Apprenticeships
Can help your role by accessing educational opportunities to learn new skills and progress.
Developing Mental Health Capability
Support a greater understanding for your role on patient approaches and how to manage mental health effectively.
Equality, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI)
Learn ways to approach and respect different cultures, and how they can shape / affect your patient care needs.
Funding for training and education
Subject to NHS England providing us with Workforce Development Funding grants, we can with your funding your training needs.
Grow Notts Primary Care App
You can stay up-to-date on relevant information and support via this free "Grow Notts Primary Care" app.
Multi-Professional Support Unit (MPSU)
Our MPSU events can update you on training and educational opportunities which helps in your self-development and skill building.
Student Placements
You can assist the future of Care Coordinators and support students who want to do a placement in care coordination.
Training Needs Analysis
This helps to identify Care Coordinator training needs so we can help you access support and development, enabling you to get to where you want to be.
Beneficial courses for your specialist interests
If you would like training on specific areas of your role, such as:
Cancer care
Personalised care and support planning
Health weight coaching
Frailty training
Informed decision making
...and much more
Please visit the Personalised Care Institute to access a range of beneficial courses.