Our Projects and Workstreams
Index of our projects and workstreams
Contact us via alliance.hub1@nhs.net to find out more about any of our projects. To help us navigate your query to the appropriate project lead, please state the project title in the subject line.
System Wide Advanced Practice Development
Duration of project: June 2021 - May 2024
Workforce transformation programmes in the Nottingham and Nottinghamshire Integrated Care System (ICS) have resulted in the implementation of Advanced Practice (AP) roles without a standardised ICS AP governance structure. This has produced inequity of access to AP training and funding, inaccurate data regarding the ICS AP workforce and a high variation in AP nomenclature, definition, educational preparation, role development and governance.
The System Wide AP project supports and develops initiations to standardise AP across the ICS from a governance and support perspective; in particular to improve equity in access to training and funding opportunities and to understand differing AP priorities and requirements.
Examples of current work in progress includes the roll-out of the NHSE AP Governance Maturity Matrix, a radiology requesting pilot for APs in Primary Care, and ICS guidance for essential criteria to be included in advanced practice appraisals.
Apprenticeships
Duration of workstream: Ongoing
There is so much more to apprenticeships than you might think. They are for anyone, at any age, and another route into employment with their own benefits. This includes gaining more hands-on practical experience than you would with a university degree alone. It is great for people who love to learn and get stuck in!
We can help support you to find the right courses for you and your staff. We will work with you to screen relevant providers. We can help secure funding for any apprenticeships you require, and we will support you with paperwork and processes as required.
ARRS Ambassadors
Duration of project: July 2023 - March 2024
PCNs across the county are actively engaged in the Additional Roles Reimbursement Scheme (ARRS) which helps fund 16 new roles into Primary Care. There are some challenges around recruitment and retention as these roles become embedded. Some ARRS staff are feeling isolated and struggling with the transition into Primary Care / Primary Care Network (PCN) working, and some roles are still misunderstood by Practice teams.
The ARRS Ambassadors Project aims to address these challenges in recruitment and retention; support, develop and connect the ARRS workforce; and engage with stakeholders across the ICS to improve understanding and utilisation of these roles. They will represent the voice of ARRS roles, their needs and suggest solutions to enhance the integration of a Primary Care multi-professional team.
BUILD Programme: Building Insight, Learning and Development
Duration of project: Ongoing
This programme is funded by the Primary Care Workforce Group (PCWG) and aims to support primary care colleagues (clinical and non-clinical), working in Nottingham or Nottinghamshire, who may be experiencing difficulty at work, or may be struggling to return to work. This includes Practice Managers, admin staff, Practice Nurses, any of the ARRS roles, Healthcare Assistants and GPs.
The intervention is delivered by experienced facilitators and involves a combination of coaching, mentoring and self-regulated educational support. The aim is to develop an intervention that can be rolled out as a future service.
Equality, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI)
Project lead: Errum Mumtaz
Duration of workstream: Ongoing
Equality, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) is the golden thread that must run through all our activity. Our priority is to ensure Nottingham and Nottinghamshire’s Primary, Community and Social Care teams have a solid understanding of what EDI means, and support them to build an inclusive, positive culture where everyone can bring their whole selves to work.
Being an inclusive organisation with diverse representation at all levels of our team is important to us. We recognise diversity helps us attain a rich pool of skills, mind sets and experiences which leads to resourcefulness, greater resilience and innovation.
Evidence Support Services
Project lead: Sarah Thomas
Duration of project: Ongoing
This project forms part of a national pilot from NHS England to support Training Hubs in sixteen regions across the country. The aim is to enable primary care staff to access and use evidence from published research and best practice, to underpin decision making.
Sarah Thomas is Nottingham and Nottinghamshire’s Primary Care Evidence Support Specialist. Her offers include support and guidance to access BMJ Best Practice and OpenAthens (library of e-journals, databases and NHS resources); group or 1:1 training on literature searching, database searching and health literacy awareness; support with finding research to clinical questions, project evidence or if you want to undertake your own research.
GP Assistant Spread and Adoption across the Midlands
Duration of project: April 2019 – March 2023 (Cohort 3 running from April 2022 – March 2023)
A framework for upskilling our own practice staff into the GP Assistant (GPA) role. This uses an accredited competency framework which is certified by Chester University. The role is a mixed clinical/administrative role to support clinicians, reduce administrative burden and add flexibility to our Primary Care workforce. No prior training or qualifications is required. GP Assistants have come from a range of different (clinical and administrative) backgrounds such as receptionists, administrators and Healthcare Assistants (HCAs).
We have 60 places across the Midlands Region in 2022. For more information, contact david.peachey@nhs.net.
General Practice Nurse (GPN) Strategy
Duration of project: Ongoing
Every year we have a General Practice Nurse (GPN) strategy that creates the framework for all the work we undertake to support the GPN workforce across Nottingham and Nottinghamshire. For the current year 2023-24 we have 5 pillars of focus; Recruitment, Retention, Reform, CPD and Leadership, and Equality, Diversity and Inclusion.
We have a variety of projects linked to the strategy that are focused around stages of a nurse career. This is from student nurses, new to practice, mid-career and late career practice nurses. The projects will have a focus around wellbeing of staff, professional development, supporting our nursing colleagues reach their full potential in areas of interest and areas to support clinical practice, and support improvement of local patient population health needs.
Grow Notts Primary Care App
Duration of project: March 2022 - March 2024
Finding out about all the information, CPD and educational opportunities across Nottinghamshire has always been a challenge. There are so many providers and great content out there it can be hard to keep track and pick out the best things.
The Grow Notts Primary Care App will bring all of these together in one easy to use space on your phone!
The app is hosted by us and is free for all primary care workers in Nottingham and Nottinghamshire. It aims to make planning your personal and professional development effortless and accessible. It will also bring updates and information to users in real time.
Developing Mental Health Capability in Primary Care
Duration of project: October 2020 onwards
This project has several important deliverables including redesigning the work of the primary care healthcare team based on the creation of a new healthcare model. This is similar to the approach of long-term condition management within the physical health care setting. This group has achieved:
A review of primary care roles
Creation of a new pathway
Unpacking the primary care team into its constituent roles and using the new pathway to identify role-specific training
Helping to create multi-disciplinary teams
Improvements include a tool kit for use at practice and/or PCN level and piloting University level training modules.
Multi-Professional Support Unit (MPSU)
Duration of project: April 2021 onwards
The Multi-Professional Support Unit (MPSU) was created to provide support and development opportunities to meet the training needs of the currently expanding primary care workforce within Nottingham and Nottinghamshire. This includes:
Monthly Continuous Professional Development (CPD) opportunities aimed at the wider primary care team
Clinical supervision training and virtual drop-in support meetings
New appraiser training and virtual drop-in support meetings
‘New to Practice’ networking and training
Foundation training opportunities in management / leadership skills for the primary care team
Bi-monthly information bulletins
Student Placements
Duration of workstream: Ongoing
We find suitable placement opportunities for students who want to gain experience in, or are seeking a career in Primary and Community Care. Placements form a valuable part of their learning experience. It enables students to gain real life skills and knowledge that will support their course objectives and career development. Placements vary in length depending on individual course requirements.
We would like to encourage all Practices in Nottingham and Nottinghamshire to consider offering a student placement. We feel the local area offers excellent examples of Primary and Community Care provision. By offering a placement, it encourages students to remain in the county after graduation. This in turn supports local workforce planning. We can help facilitate placements.
Placement Quality
Duration of workstream: March 2023 - onwards
With the increasing workforce in primary care, there is a need to increase the number of educators and learning environments. This will also allow the learners to have an exposure and experience of primary care. The Workforce, Training and Education Directorate (WT&E) in NHS England hold the strategic responsibility for the quality assurance of educators and clinical learning environments. These processes will be held by the Training Hubs (TH) with the support of stake holders.
Each TH in Midlands has appointed a Multi-Professional Educator Quality Lead (MPEQL) to facilitate and support this process. (Dr. Saira Jawaid for NATH). The local process follows the multi-professional principles of the HEE quality framework. The scope of this process includes the approval and on-going recognition of learning environments in primary care, responsible for hosting undergraduate medical students, foundation doctors, postgraduate GP specialist trainees, undergraduate and postgraduate nursing students, pharmacists, Allied Health Professionals (AHPs) and Advanced Clinical Practitioners (ACPs).
Resources:
Widening Participation Pilot
Duration of project: April - October 2023
This pilot provides mentoring support to pharmacy students who may have less opportunities to facilitate their healthcare career journey. It will:
Ensure that diverse talent is not missed.
Ensure our healthcare workforce is fully inclusive, with all having the right support and opportunities to thrive and reach their full potential.
Broaden mentor exposure to diversity issues by encouraging them to take part in insightful conversations and experiences that they may otherwise not encounter.
Resources: