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A new process was introduced in 2018 following a successful pilot. From 2018 there will be no face-to-face meeting between assessors and applicants and there will be no detailed feedback before the credentialing day. ACPs who wish to apply must be confident, along with their supervisors, that they will have appropriate evidence on ePortfolio before the end of the application window (anything uploaded afterwards will not count) of acquisition of all required competences. Please refer to the guidance for further information.

Spring and Autumn 2022 EC-ACP Credentialing application dates
The Spring 2022 Credentialing application window is open here.
Application fee structure

Full resubmission (for ACPs who have received a prior "unsuccessful" outcome, or a "limited resubmission" outcome awarded prior to the previous credentialing window)

£295

Limited resubmission (for ACPs who received a "limited resubmission" outcome in the previous credentialing window)
£75

NB: if a "limited resubmission" outcome was awarded prior to the previous credentialing window, the application will be recognised as a "full resubmission".

ACPs, Credentialing and COVID

Due to the ongoing challenges resulting from the pandemic, ACPs who are nearing completion of the portfolio may be anxious about access to mandatory courses and workplace-based assessments. We recognise that there is a significant reduction in opportunities for WPBAs and possibly for supervision meetings. The chief priorities are clinical safety and patient/staff wellbeing. We would recommend virtual supervision meetings as it is critical to continue to seek the guidance and support of your Educational Supervisor at this time.

Candidates for the Spring 2022 window should continue to collect evidence in their portfolio and work towards submission for credentialing. However, as the process for credentialing is purely based on examination of evidence, there will be no opportunity for a change in the amount and type of evidence required. This may mean that applicants will need to defer their application. We will apply the rules for currency of evidence (all within 5 years and the majority within 3) flexibly for each individual.

Life support courses for ACPs credentialing in Spring 2022

We are aware that some ACPs are currently having difficulty in accessing mandatory life support courses. If you are intending to submit a credentialing application within the Spring 2022 window, and you have been unable to certify or re-certify in any of the mandatory life support courses, you will still be able to apply providing you are able to provide evidence of a place allocated on a course within 6 months of the credentialing date, i.e. by 11 November 2022. If you are successful in your credentialing application, the credential will be approved once evidence is received of successful completion of the life support course in the College office. Guidance for the Autumn 2022 credentialing window will be reviewed nearer the time once the situation is clearer.

The guidance on the RCEM website will provide information on all other aspects of credentialing.

Checklists

The RCEM is committed to supporting ACPs in gaining their recognition as credentialed ACPs. We have had numerous comments on the checklist and concerns about what is perceived as changes to the requirements. The checklist is developed as a guide to the evidence required - but each individual application is considered as a unique application recognising that there is considerable local variation in context, case mix and working practises.

The checklist is designed to be a helpful guide to the minimum required, it is continuously reviewed to ensure it is clear - after every panel there may be elements that the panel believe need clarifying. However the minimum requirements for credentialing do not significantly change between iterations of the checklists and applicants are strongly advised not to rely on the checklist alone but to use the curriculum to guide the ACP in their personal development and the Guide to Emergency Care ACP Credentialing for the ACP and their supervisor to determine what is required.

Following migration to the Kaizen ePortfolio platform, applicants are no longer required to complete the checklist that was previously available to download form the College website and upload it as a Word document to the personal library. The checklist has now been incorporated into Kaizen and can be located on your dashboard. Please check that you have the correct checklist assigned to your Kaizen account for the curriculum against which you are intending to submit your credentialing application, e.g. adult, paediatrics or adult & paediatrics. If an incorrect checklist has been added to your Kaizen account, please contact ePortfolio@rcem.ac.uk

Applicants should link the single most appropriate/relevant item (or two if requested) to each item (event target) in the checklist that the ACP wishes to be considered as the primary evidence for the mandated assessments/elements.

The checklists may still be downloaded (below) as pdf documents for reference but should not be completed by the ACP and uploaded to the portfolio. The ACP Credentialing Panel will only refer to your Kaizen checklist.
RCEM EC-ACP Academic Component Credentialing Declaration
All ACPs are required to demonstrate how the learning outcomes of the modules completed as part of their advanced practice qualification fulfil the learning outcomes required by the College for the topics of history and examination, and diagnostics and clinical reasoning. The RCEM EC-ACP Academic Component Credentialing Declaration form has now been incorporated into Kaizen and should be linked to the Academic Competences section of your checklist. Within this form you will need to map the relevant learning outcomes from your studied modules to the individual RCEM learning outcomes identified in the declaration by providing the name of the module and full text of the outcome.

Please note: if you have already completed the Word version of the Academic Component Credentialing Declaration which was previously available to download from the College website, please link this document from your documents library to the Academic Competences section of your checklist. You do not need to complete the Kaizen form of the same name.
Sign-off of the portfolio by the named Educational Supervisor
Prior to submission of your credentialing application, your portfolio of evidence must be signed off by your named Educational Supervisor to confirm that they have examined all the evidence and believe it is complete and meets the standard required. This sign-off process has now been incorporated into the checklist on Kaizen. Your named Educational Supervisor is required to mark each section of the checklist as 'achieved' once they have reviewed the evidence.

The sign-off by the Educational Supervisor is the final action to be completed prior to submission of your credentialing application.

Pre-Screening
Due to the volume of portfolios to be reviewed, a pre-screening process was introduced in 2020. This process, undertaken by the College staff, will identify portfolios where there is evidence clearly missing according to thescreening checklist.

Having confirmed the evidence is missing, the Credentialing Panel will reject the application and the ACP will have to resubmit (for a full fee and against the guidance and checklist valid at the time) within a future credentialing window. A small administrative charge will be retained from the application fee.
Self-entered forms
Please note that as from 07 December 2020, self-entered forms for summative CBD, Mini-CEX and DOPs will not be accepted as evidence.

Self-entered forms completed prior to 07 December must either be repeated by the original assessor (using the outcome of the original self-entered form if they are in agreement) or a new assessment should be completed.
Patient case mix logbook templates
ACPs may find it helpful to use these example templates to provide a summary breakdown of their case mix. Use of this template is not mandatory but will give guidance on the type of information required. ACPs may also submit their raw anonymised data but must include a summary table.

Adult case mix logbook template
Paediatric case mix logbook template
Credentialing applicants should pay particular attention to the following elements of their portfolios of evidence:

Supervisor signing off the portfolio must have attended the RCEM ACP Supervisor Training (please see above)

Academic Component Credentialing Declaration is completed with the learning outcomes mapped

The correct checklist is completed on Kaizen (as above)

There is clear evidence in the CV of three years of complete practice as a tACP at the time of submission (minimum 30 hours per week pro-rata in EM)

Checklist has only one item linked per competence (or two if adult and child)

Each item in curriculum should have max 7 items (excluding e-learning) - more may be accepted for Common Competences (within reason)

Common competences are signed off at appropriate level - i.e. the majority at level 2 with only a few at level 4

Mandatory courses are in date

FEGS and STR are present for each year of training - three required over three years. If an ACP cannot provide three FEGS/STRs, the final FEGS and STR must explain why there is no training record for the previous years.

There is an appropriate balance of mini-CEX and CBD in consultant assessments - approx. 50:50

Scanned documents should be PDF format

MSF: this should be the summary report only - not individual forms

All documents have any patient identifiable information removed, including hospital numbers

Examination of the joint must be a different assessment to the manipulation assessment

If adult and child application - there must be evidence of experience in children in the patient log/CV and some additional evidence of paediatric cases within the adult competences that are not replicated in the children's curriculum

All applicants must have prescribing competences

ACPs should also note the following clarification issued for Autumn 2020:

STR and FEGS: an STR and FEGS must be provided for each year of training declared (three required over three years). Previous checklists stipulated that an STR and FEGS should be provided for each year of training but did not specify the number. If an ACP cannot provide three FEGS/STRs, the final FEGS and STR must explain why there is no training record for the previous years.

For ACPs wishing to credential in both adults and children, there must be sufficient evidence relating to the care of children. There should be evidence in all competences of consideration of children with this presentation and approximately 25% of all mandated adult assessments must have an additional assessment in a child.

PP16 and PP17 must be different cases. This was also clarified in the Spring 2020 checklists.

C3AP2a and C3AP2b require one for upper limb and one for lower limb. This has always been the requirement, but this is further clarified in the Autumn 2020 checklists.

There must be three MSF summary reports - one MSF per year. Previous checklists indicated that one MSF was required per year but did not specifically state three were required.

The ACP Credentialing Panel has also produced a list of helpful hints from the Spring 2020 credentialing opportunity which can be viewed here.
Further information

Presentations from our recent Emergency Care ACP Conference:

To register your interest for the Emergency Care ACP credentialing process, please complete the online registration form available from here. EC ACPs who register must also become a member of the College (category Associate Member (ACP)).

Please see the tab above for FAQs on the Emergency Care ACP. This will be updated as questions are raised throughout the implementation of the curriculum and credentialing process.

Have a question? Please write to acp@rcem.ac.uk

For information on access to the RCEM e-portfolio adapted for Emergency Care ACPs/Associate Membership (ACP), please see the initial application form.
RCEMLearning
The College has an eLearning resource, RCEMLearning, content of which has been mapped to the curriculum. For information about accessing the RCEMLearning site, please contact RCEMLearning@rcem.ac.uk

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Emergency Care Advanced Clinical Practitioner

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A new process was introduced in 2018 following a successful pilot. From 2018 there will be no face-to-face meeting between assessors and applicants and there will be no detailed feedback before the credentialing day.

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Practitioners can come from a range of allied health profession (AHP) disciplines including physiotherapy, osteopathy and podiatry. As part of HEE’s advanced clinical practice (ACP) developments, we are supporting the growth of first contact practice (FCP), designed to deliver a streamlined, person-centred service and support the growing demands on general practice and secondary care. Take a look at the NHS England website for more Musculoskeletal information.

HEE is supporting the national NHS England MSK FCP programme that involves the evaluation of 41 pilots – one in virtually all Sustainability and Transformation Partnerships (STP) in England. Our support to the national MSK FCP programme includes a range of developments building upon previous work.

We have developed a series of videos on MSK first contact practitioners to explain the role and its benefits - take a look at the overview below.

First contact practice is an increasingly established model of care designed to deliver a streamlined, patient-centred service and support the growing demands on general practice and secondary care. This overview demonstrates the efficacy of this service both in quality of outcomes as well as efficiency – people see the right person, in the right place, first time.

Resources:

As part of the national work in advanced clinical practice an MSK ACP project group, is developing resources to support clinicians, higher education institutes, providers and professional bodies to understand what MSK ACP roles look like, who might do them and how we support practitioners’ learning and development. The suite of resources will illustrate these roles and how we develop them including a series of case study videos.

A national multi-professional network for MSK FCP jointly funded with the Chartered Society of Physiotherapists (CSP) has been established  and already has over 1000 multi-professional members. The network is open to all professions, as well as all interested parties, including commissioners, GP staff and researchers.

Sylvia Wojciechowski, an Advanced Practice Physiotherapist and MSK First Contact Practitioner (FCP) lead at Frimley Health NHS Foundation Trust describes the role:

“When I first graduated, senior Physiotherapy roles were more inclined to management. The development of advanced  practice has allowed senior clinicians to continue along a clinical route and first contact is a natural development of this, allowing people to see the right person at the right time and in the right place.

“GP practice patients are booked directly in to see one of my team allowing the GP to see the patients the need to see. The patients are thenassessed, given the appropriate selfcare and prevention advice about how to manage their problems and any necessary treatment.

“Since starting our service, referral rates to secondary care have reduced by 15% so there is a significant system-wide financial benefit from the FCP model and we now want to measure our belief that early intervention can prevent persistent and chronic problems developing. We have shown that we can manage 79% with self-care and physiotherapy. Capacity for general practice has increased both for the immediate and routine appointments. There has also been valuable shared learning between us, the GPs, other AHPs, and MDT clinicians working within primary care. Recent recruitment has shown that Physiotherapists are keen to work in these roles.

“The success of the FCP service has led us to create an accelerated learning program to develop other senior physiotherapists into the first contact role providing training in non-medical prescribing and injections, so that we can future proof the workforce.”

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Practitioners can come from a range of allied health profession (AHP) disciplines including physiotherapy, osteopathy and podiatry. As part of HEE's advanced clinical practice (ACP) developments, we are supporting the growth of first contact practice (FCP), designed to deliver a streamlined, person-centred service and support the growing demands on general practice and secondary care.

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Centre for Advancing Practice Conference 2023 - Registration open

We are delighted to announce registration for our annual Centre for Advancing Practice Conference is now open!

Registration is now open for our Advancing Practice Conference 2022 - Empowering People, Transforming Care

Our flagship event, the annual conference, is our premier learning and networking opportunity at the cutting-edge of the Advancing Practice landscape is now open for registrations.

Second and third cohorts announced for the ePortfolio (supported) Route

The Centre for Advancing Practice is delighted to announce that funding has been secured for a second and third cohort to go through the ePortfolio (supported) Route.

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Building a recognised and visible advanced practitioner workforce is a priority for the NHS; there is a clear and identified need for highly experienced clinicians who are trained to an advanced level of practice.

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In 2017, Health Education England and NHS England and NHS Improvement worked in partnership to develop a national framework for advanced clinical practice, which ensures that there is national consistency and understanding about advanced level practice. This is the first time that a national framework has existed in England and has established a shared understanding of the advanced level practitioners and how they can be deployed to deliver better patient care.

The framework offers opportunities for mid-career development of new skills such as prevention, shared decision making, and self-care. The framework includes:

a national definition of the role

what the requirements for entry are

guidance and principles that advanced practitioners should adhere to in their professional practice

a clear career pathway into and within the profession.

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Multi-professional framework for advanced clinical practice in England - Advanced Practice

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In 2017, Health Education England and NHS England and NHS Improvement worked in partnership to develop a national framework for advanced clinical practice, which ensures that there is national consistency and understanding about advanced level practice.

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What is advanced clinical practice? Advanced clinical practice (ACP) is a defined level of practice within clinical professions such as nursing, pharmacy, paramedics and occupational therapy. This level of practice is designed to transform and modernise pathways of care, enabling the safe and effect…

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Story of the FourteenFish MACP portal

Proudly launching our FourteenFish CPD portal - the MACP MSK Capability Portal

On the 6th June 2022 the MACP Executive was delighted to announce a partnership with UK software company FourteenFish to provide you with a brand new eportfolio for Continual Professional Development.

Prior to this collaboration, the MACP spent many months researching and observing the marketplace for e-portfolios. After great consideration FourteenFish were seen as the preferred provider due to their existing work with the Royal College of General Practitioners (RCGPs). Both the RCGPs and FourteenFish had an excellent understanding of the requirements of the MACP in establishing a portal designed for Physiotherapists - in the first instance - and ultimately all allied health professionals involved in MSK Practice.

Our joint aim was to support members' aspirations in centralising their professional portfolio. Thus, the partnership between the MACP and FourteenFish was born. Throughout the discovery and research phase, the MACP maintained constant communication with both HEE (Health Education England) and the CSP.

- The MACP portal provides access to an e-portfolio that intuitively maps to MACP and therefore IFOMPT Standards as well as FCP standards and MSK Advanced Practice (AP) standards.
- The e-portfolio supports those seeking to provide evidence of capability in completing their FCP and AP frameworks.
- The e-portfolio can support those wishing to join the MACP as Full Members in assisting them in submitting evidence for membership.
- The MACP also recognised the importance of developing the platform to include the upcoming Consultant Framework Capabilities to ensure inclusivity for all our members in recording CPD.

We received convincing and impressive feedback from trial users as follows:

- 100% of trial users said this would be a useful tool for experienced and inexperienced staff in recording CPD - "brings everything together nicely and can be used throughout your career"
- 90% of trial users felt the e-portfolio was useful for recording CPD
- "great to have everything in one place"
- "easy to navigate: graphics are excellent"
- "looks good overall"
- "the portal as a way of collating info in general is logical and easy to use"
- "Intuitive and clear. I have completed the FCP roadmap so am fairly familiar with the different parts of it, but I still found the portal very simple, clear and walked me through it really clearly"
- "I think this has the utility for FCP and will be really useful as it maps effectively to the KSA and also automatically populates for exemptions eg if MACP members certificate is submitted"

- "Works well on mobile, which is brilliant for me"

The MACP recognises that there are many ways to maintain CPD requirements, however to our knowledge these lack the superior function of the FourteenFish e-portfolio.

Some of these benefits are around its flexibility and ease of use. It can be easily accessed on or offline, from your phone, computer, laptop or tablet. It allows the physiotherapist to share the evidence they choose with managers or supervisors to comment on, enhances HCPC audit and can create colleagues and patient surveys.

We hope that you will all enjoy using this fantastic new member benefit to help with your career journey! We will continue to provide you with updates as they become available.

How to use and benefit from the Fourteenfish MACP portal

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Story of the FourteenFish MACP portal Proudly launching our FourteenFish CPD portal - the MACP MSK Capability Portal On the 6th June 2022 the MACP Executive was delighted to announce a partnership with UK software company FourteenFish to provide you with a brand new eportfolio for Continual Professional Development.

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Transforming MSK and Orthopaedic Elective Care Servies

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Transforming MSK and Orthopaedic Elective Care Servies

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An analysis of the utility, effectiveness and scope of APP in urgent treatment centre pilot

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An analysis of the utility, effectiveness and scope of APP in urgent treatment centre pilot

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An analysis of the utility effectiveness and scope of APP in UTC

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Multi-specialty workforce matrix guidance document phase 3 version 2 - Submitted to comms

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Introduction

To response to the need to better serve evolving community needs and expectations the NHS has published several plans. The NHS Long Term Plan aims to give people accessing services more options, better support and properly joined-up services at the right time, in the right setting. The NHS People plan focuses on making best use of the full range of staff skills and experience. Together these plans seek to achieve the best possible outcomes and experiences for the public.

The NHS Long Term Workforce Plan sets out intentions to modernise career pathways. To support their uptake, new opportunities are emerging for staff to develop across enhanced, advanced and consultant levels of practice. This will support staff retention and expand the number of senior decision makers. Active engagement of health and care practitioners in, and with, research is of central importance. It is key to:

1. ensuring safe evidence-based practice,

2. further strengthening and developing the evidence base, and

3. informing service design, clinical reasoning and shared decision-making with the people and communities they work alongside.

This theme is embedded in other national strategies. For example,

The central importance of engaging in, and with, research in contemporary practice is emphasised by the four pillars of practice:

1. clinical (or professional) practice;

2. leadership;

3. facilitation of learning, and

4. evidence, research and development.

Successfully transforming the workforce and service delivery requires active engagement with all four pillars by all practitioners. What that looks like, varies for individual practitioners at different stages of their careers, reflecting their particular circumstances and contexts.

There is no single 'correct' path to follow. However, all practitioners must make considered use of research evidence to inform decision-making. Beyond that, the emphasis might be on supporting, delivering or leading research. All contribute to the collective effort required to transform services, and the experiences and outcomes of individuals and communities. In so doing, all contribute to making the most effective use of a limited public purse. They also participate in the recruitment, retention, engagement and development of staff through more varied, exciting and rewarding career opportunities.

Purpose and intended use of the Multi-professional Practice-based Research Capabilities Framework

The purpose of the Multi-professional Practice-based Research Capabilities Framework is to:

1. facilitate transformation of health and care service delivery.

2. enhance outcomes and experiences of individuals and communities.

3. support health and care professionals to engage in, and with, research.

The Framework elaborates incremental research capability development as one of the pillars across four levels of practice. The focus is specifically on practice-based health and care professionals. The intended audience does not extend to colleagues in medicine and dentistry, for whom well-established guidance and structures already exist.

The Framework aims to highlight and promote active involvement in, and with, research as an integral component of practice for all health and care professionals. This is the case regardless of the setting in which they work - whether primary, secondary or tertiary care, in the community, social care or elsewhere. The Framework outlines a common set of core capabilities for the diverse disciplines outside medicine and dentistry.

The expectation is that all practice-based health and care professionals develop these fundamental capabilities, relevant to their level of practice. It is, however, recognised that individuals or groups of practitioners may possess or choose to develop capabilities beyond those outlined at a particular level of practice. This might relate to different entry level qualifications. It could apply to those in research delivery leadership roles or actively pursuing a clinical or practitioner academic development pathway.

The intention of the Framework is to facilitate and accelerate the development of practice-based research capabilities, capacity and career pathways across the health and care professions.

Developing research alongside the other three pillars of practice will strengthen practitioners' contributions to transforming services, outcomes and experiences.

The structure of the Framework is based on four levels of practice (entry, enhanced, advanced and consultant levels of practice, as set out in a later section). It will be a valuable tool for:

individual practitioners:

education and training providers:
Strategic alignment of the Multi-professional Practice-based Research Capabilities Framework

The design of the Multi-professional Practice-based Research Capabilities Framework aims to ensure alignment with existing national regulatory requirements, strategies and frameworks, (as outlined in Appendix 1). The anticipation is that it will also align with any other forthcoming national research strategies in England.

The Framework is focused on health and care professionals working in England. It may be a useful reference for those in the other three nations and other health and care disciplines.

Founding and guiding principles

The following principles further underpin the development and application of the Multi-professional Practice-based Research Capabilities Framework:

Figure 1: Situating the Multi-professional Practice-based Research Capabilities Framework within the context of the four pillars of practice

Defining and describing the Multi-professional Practice-based Research Capabilities Framework's four levels of practice

Entry level practice

The Standards of Practice or Proficiency published by regulatory bodies represent their threshold requirements for professional registration. These standards provide recognised and established threshold expectations of all registrants in particular professions. Always applicable while an individual remains on the register, they are a logical reference point for research-related capabilities at the start of practitioners' careers. The following have informed framework contents at the entry level:
The definition of the academic level underpinning entry to each profession is frequently noted within the Standards of Practice / Proficiency as published by the relevant regulatory body.

Enhanced level practice

Enhanced Practice is a level of practice that already exists within the health and care workforce. It is delivered by established clinicians, who are autonomous professionals, making a significant impact on patient care and clinical services.

Through use of profession-specific knowledge, skills, and behaviours, they make autonomous decisions within a defined area of practice, mitigating and managing risk to the patient, themselves, others, and the service. There are no 'generic' Enhanced Practitioner roles; practitioners are post qualification/registration and have experience and a recognised body of profession-specific knowledge. Recognising and formalising Enhanced Level Practice will drive cultural change and provide a positive impact on services.

Practitioners working at enhanced practice level do so across different sectors and settings. They hold and apply a focused depth of professional knowledge, skills, and behaviours within their individual scope of practice and sphere of influence to meet population health, patient care, service delivery, and workforce needs. Fundamental to practice at enhanced level (and all levels of practice) is practitioners having and exercising a developed understanding of their personal scope of practice at any one point in time and the limits of their scope and competence, and therefore knowing when they need to seek advice and guidance to ensure that patient safety is upheld.

The Enhanced Clinical Practitioner Apprenticeship Standard, and Health Education England (now NHS England) expectations shaped capabilities at this level.

Advanced level practice

In 2017 Health Education England published the Multi-professional Framework for Advanced Practice in England. Advanced level practice is delivered by experienced, registered health and care practitioners. It involves a high degree of autonomy and complex decision making and is based on a master's degree or equivalent.

Advanced practice requires the demonstration of core capabilities across all four pillars of practice. It includes:

the analysis and synthesis of complex problems across a range of settings,

enabling innovative solutions to enhance the experiences and improve the outcomes of people accessing services and wider communities.

Advanced level practitioners exercise autonomy and decision making in complex situations. They manage uncertainty and variable levels of risks and are accountable for their decisions.

The research pillar of the Multi-professional Framework for Advanced Practice shaped capabilities at this level.

Consultant level practice

In 2020, Health Education England published the Multi-professional Consultant Level Practice Capability and Impact Framework. Consultant level requires practitioners to demonstrate capabilities outlined for all four integrated domains of practice and to offer consultancy as a foundation for sharing expertise across systems of health and social care. Those working at this level deliver values-based professional practice. They work with individuals, families, carers, communities and others in complex and changing situations. They also provide leadership across pathways, services, organisations, and systems. Consultant practitioners support others to learn, develop, and improve in and from practice. In doing so, they support workforce transformation and promote excellence.

Consultant level practice involves continuous evaluation and improvement. It creates knowledge-rich and inquiring cultures across services and the system. It encompasses supervising research, contributing to and leading interdisciplinary research and innovation programmes that contribute to the knowledge base. Consultant level practice positively impacts on:

development,

quality (person centred, safe and effective care with continuity),

innovation in practice,

expanding capacity and capability in research

evaluation across the system and beyond to improve effectiveness.

The Framework for Higher Education Qualifications level 8 (doctoral level) equivalence characterises consultant level practice. An academic award at doctoral level is not mandatory for enabling effective consultant-level practice. However, consultant practitioners aspiring to work in clinical academic roles normally need to attain a doctorate as part of that role development.
The expectations set out in the research pillar of the Health Education England (2020) Multi-professional Consultant Level Practice Capability and Impact Framework shaped framework capabilities at consultant level.

Development of the Framework

Initial desk-based research scoped and collated a 'library' of multi- and uni-professional research capability frameworks (and similar) in England. Mapping these frameworks against the research pillars / elements of the capabilities established for entry, enhanced, advanced and consultant levels of practice. The initial draft of the Multi-professional Practice-based Research Capabilities Framework presented the reviewed, analysed and synthesised contents of 26 frameworks (see Appendix 3).

A phased approach was taken to engagement to help refine the draft Framework.

Phase 1 (spring 2023) involved national leaders of the relevant professions in NHS England, Health Education England and the National Institute for Health and Care Research. Phase 2 (summer 2023) involved a broader group of stakeholders including:

national professional leaders and representatives within NHS England

the National Institute for Health and Care Research

the Council of Deans of Health

the Council of Allied Health Professions Research

the professional bodies for in-scope professional groups

practitioners.

The first edition of the Multi-professional Practice-based Research Capabilities Framework considered all feedback received. Every effort was made to ensure the Framework is inclusive of as many professions as possible. A glossary of key terms is provided at Appendix 5.

Overview of structure and domains

Figure 2 shows the Framework capabilities organised into eight non-hierarchical, inter-related domains. The domains align with the evidence, research and development pillar of practice. They are to be interpreted in relation to individual roles, employment contexts and relevant professional and regulatory standards. Within each domain are a range of capabilities spanning the four levels of practice (see Figure 3). The number of capabilities within a domain has no bearing on its relative 'importance'. The capabilities identified within each level of practice build on, and incorporate, those that precede it.

Figure 2: Eight capability domains

Figure 3: Four levels of practice

Outlining the eight capability domains

Footnotes

[1] Support workers, senior support workers, technicians, assistants, assistant practitioners and associate practitioners work with and alongside the health and care professionals and in those disciplinary areas, playing an important and growing role in delivering of safe and effective care for people accessing health and care services and wider communities.

[2] Fraser S. & Greenhalgh T. (2001) Coping with complexity: educating for capability. British Medical Journal 323, 799-803.

[3] McGee P, Inman C Eds (2019) Advanced practice in healthcare: dynamic developments in nursing and allied health professions. 4th ed. Chichester: John Wiley & Sons.

[4] Brunner et al (2018) An eHealth capabilities framework for graduates and health professionals: Mixed-methods study. Journal of Medical Internet Research 20(5), DOI: 10.2196/10229

[5] Leary (2022) The Principles of Enhanced Level Practice

[6] Support workers, senior support workers, technicians, assistants, assistant practitioners and associate practitioners work with and alongside the health and care professionals and in those disciplinary areas, playing an important and growing role in delivering of safe and effective care for people accessing health and care services and wider communities.

Download

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Welcome to the Multi-professional Practice-based Research Capabilities Framework for the four levels of practice.

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Mike is a consultant spine surgeon and the national lead for spinal services optimisation and recovery for the NHS England & NHS Improvement BestMSKHealth improvement programme.

He worked at the Royal Devon and Exeter NHS Foundation Trust from 2007 to 2021, undertaking complex spine procedures in all areas of spinal surgery, including paediatric and adult spine deformity.

He currently works at Exeter Medical and Ramsay New Hall Hospital.

Mike held an executive position with the British Association of Spine Surgeons from 2009 to 2019 and led the British Spine Registry from 2012 to 2019. He was an expert advisor to the MHRA from 2012 to 2021 and has developed a National Emergency Referral Tool, which links to the British Spinal Registry.

He is currently the co-chair of the Spinal Orthopaedic Data Evaluation Panel and Beyond Compliance programme, and chair of the national Suspected Cauda Equina Pathway improvement programme.

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Spinal Services - Getting It Right First Time - GIRFT

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Spinal Services Spinal surgeons carry out a wide variety of spinal surgery, from simple procedures to the complex removal of tumours. Many of the conditions dealt with are not life-threatening but can have a major impact on quality of life. It is estimated that one-third of the population is suffering with lower back pain at [...]

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Connecting and supporting advanced practice physiotherapy across the UK, safely exploring emerging healthcare horizons and enhancing person-centred care through clinical excellence

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Advanced levels of practice including Advanced Practice and Consultant levels (linked to Career Levels 7 and 8 in the Career Framework respectively). These two levels of practice can be enacted within a number of roles, in different settings and with different job titles.

A flexible and adaptable workforce is critical to improving service delivery, with roles and careers shaped to reflect future needs and priorities. Nationally recognised capabilities ensure occupational therapists and other allied health professionals can articulate their level of experience and skills to embrace new professional development opportunities.

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Advanced levels of practice including Advanced Practice and Consultant levels (linked to Career Levels 7 and 8 in the Career Framework respectively). These two levels of practice can be enacted within a number of roles, in different settings and with different job titles.

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The British Association of Hand Therapists

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**PLEASE NOTE - the BAHT Advance Practice is now known as BAHT AP Network - updated terms of reference coming soon**
The BAHT AP Network supports hand therapists working in (and towards) advanced practice/extended scope roles. These advanced roles have developed over time to meet the growing demands placed on trauma and elective hand settings, with clinical responsibilities evolving to encompass tasks previously undertaken by the medical profession, such as requesting investigations, autonomous assessment and treatment delivery and injection therapy. The idea for this network grew from an awareness that many clinicians working in these advanced roles found it difficult to access formal educational opportunities relevant to this level of clinical practise. Equally, it became evident that for many, a gap existed in the availability of peer support. As a result, the BAHT AP Network was launched with the aim of supporting clinicians to meet both of these needs.

Since its launch in late 2019, members of the network have contributed their time and expertise to a number of projects. Most recently, this has involved the formation of a number of hand therapy standards, which were developed to complement the BSSH trauma standards. Network members are currently looking to develop an advanced practice competency framework that focuses on the specific nature of the role and the complexity of tasks frequently undertaken.

The priorities of the members are integral to the projects selected for development and meetings are held bi-monthly to network and discuss the progress made with each project. Working groups have been held virtually to bring together members from all corners of the UK. The meetings are currently being held virtually, with the aim of restoring at least one face-to-face meeting per year once Covid restrictions permit.

If you are a BAHT member working in (or towards) an advanced practice role and would like to join the Network, please complete the expression of interest and contact consent forms (see below) and return them to baht.acp@gmail.com.
Expression of Interest Form Consent Form

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PLEASE NOTE - the BAHT Advance Practice is now known as BAHT AP Network - updated terms of reference coming soon** The BAHT AP Network supports hand therapists working in (and towards) advanced practice/extended scope roles.

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Welcome to our South West Advanced Practice podcast series!

1. Episode 16, Advanced Practice in Radiography

2. Episode 15, Advanced Practice Workforce Transformation in Emerging Areas

3. Episode 14, Advanced Practice in Mental Health

4. Episode 13, Advanced Practice in Musculoskeletal (MSK)

5. Episode 12, Advanced Practice in Complex Nutrition Support

6. Episode 11, Advanced Practice in Ophthalmology

7. Episode 10, Advanced Practice Paramedics in Primary Care

8. Episode 9, Advanced Practice Leadership

9. Episode 8, Advanced Practice Supervision

10. Episode 7, Advanced Practice Governance

11. Episode 6, Advanced Practice in Frailty and Rehabilitation

12. Episode 5, Dealing with Feelings of Imposter Syndrome

13. Episode 4, Advanced Critical Care Practitioners

14. Episode 3, Advanced Neonatal Nurse Practitioners

15. Episode 2, Advanced Practice in the Allied Health Professions

16. Episode 1, Advanced Practice in Emergency Care

Episode 16, Advanced Practice in Radiography

In this episode of the NHSE South West Advancing Practice podcast series we explore the role of Advanced Practice within Radiography. We discuss the importance of supervision and governance, and discuss how the non-clinical pillars of advanced practice are important within an advanced practitioners job plan.

Host: Martin Nelson, NHS England WT&E, Advanced Practice Education & Training Development Lead

Guests: Richard Evans, Advanced Practitioner & James Reed, Reporting Radiographer and Co-Chair of the Advanced Practice Steering Group. Torbay and South Devon NHS Foundation Trust

Episode 15, Advanced Practice Workforce Transformation in Emerging Areas

In this episode of the NHSE South West Advancing Practice podcast series we are revisiting the Allied Health Professional in advanced practice conversation with two of our associate workforce leads. We talk through the insights and learning from their work into emerging areas of advanced practice and hear about the resources that have been developed to help take these conversations forward.

Host: Rachael Brandreth, (NHS England WT&E, Advanced Practice Education & Training Development Lead).

Guests: Jennifer Lloyd & Luke Cunningham, (NHS England WT&E, Advanced Practice Workforce Transformation Associates)

Episode 14, Advanced Practice in Mental Health

In this podcast episode, we talk to the Cornwall Partnership NHS Foundation Trust to explore the challenges and benefits of advanced practice in mental health. They share their journey of implementing advanced practice within the Trust, taking us through their strategic planning for the training and supervision. They discuss the importance of multi-professional advanced practice which will improve patient care and encourage a holistic approach.

Host: Fiona Ramsay, Advancing Practice Supervision & Assessment Lead for Mental Health, Learning Disability & Autism, NHS England, South West Faculty for Advancing Practice

Guests: Jodie Ley, Advanced Clinical Practitioner/ Consultant Nurse and Advanced Practice Lead for Mental Health, Cornwall Partnership NHS Foundation Trust. William Lee, Consultant Liaison Psychiatrist, Royal Cornwall Hospital. Lucy Bentley, Trainee Advanced Practitioner in the Psychiatric Liaison Team, Royal Cornwall Hospital

Episode 13, Advanced Practice in Musculoskeletal (MSK)

This episode of the South West Advancing Practice podcast series explores the role of Advanced Practice within the field of Musculoskeletal (MSK) health. We review the impact of MSK conditions on population health and the potential scope of multi-professional MSK Advanced Practice across healthcare settings. We also discuss the upcoming MSK Advanced Practice Credential and the role this will have in developing the future MSK workforce across the four pillars of Advanced Practice.

Host: Simon Ingram, Advancing Practice Supervision & Assessment Lead for Physiotherapy and MSK, NHS England, South West Faculty for Advancing Practice

Guests: Susie Durrell, Consultant Physiotherapist, Gloucestershire Advanced Practice ICB Lead, Gloucestershire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
Nick Sullivan, Regional Faculty Lead for Advancing Practice - NHS England, London Faculty for Advancing Practice.

Episode 12, Advanced Practice in Complex Nutrition Support

In this episode of our advanced practice podcast series we explore the development of advanced practice in complex nutrition support. We talk to a trainee advanced practitioner and service manager. Discussing the benefits and challenges of setting up the roles and implementation in practice.

Host: Rachael Brandreth, Advancing Practice Supervision and Assessment Lead for Speech & Language Therapy, Dietetics, Podiatry, Occupational Therapy. South West Faculty for Advancing Practice, NHS England WT&E

Guests: Raphaella Rookes, Head of Nutrition and Dietetics, Yeovil District Hospital
Sarah Brownlie, Trainee Advanced Clinical Practitioner, Nutrition & Vascular Access Nurse Specialist, Yeovil District Hospital
Want to hear more from Sarah? Read her case study here
Episode 11, Advanced Practice in Ophthalmology

In this episode of the HEE South West Advancing Practice podcast series we are exploring advanced practice in ophthalmology. We talk about developing and supporting a trainee advanced practitioner from the orthoptic profession. Considering the benefits that their background can bring to their current role and service.

Host: Sharon Wade, Advancing Practice Supervision and Assessment Lead for Anaesthesia & Surgery. South West Faculty for Advancing Practice, NHS England WT&E

Guests: Helen McCarthy, Head Orthoptist, University Hospitals Bristol and Weston NHS FT . Gurdeep Matharu, Trainee Advanced Practitioner & Senior Orthoptist, University Hospitals Bristol and Weston NHS FT

Episode 10, Advanced Practice Paramedics in Primary Care

This episode of the South West Advancing Practice podcast series looks at challenges and opportunities for Advanced Practice Paramedics training and working within Primary Care. We explore some of the opportunities Paramedics and Primary Care environments can provide each other. Whilst considering the value of Paramedics using their Advanced Practice skills as integrated team members, achieving positive outcomes for patient services and multi-professional team working.

Host: Steve Blakeway, Advancing Practice Supervision and Assessment Lead for Primary Care, Nursing, Paramedics. South West Faculty for Advancing Practice, NHS England WT&E

Guests: K irstie Brown, Senior Lecturer MSc Advanced Clinical Practice, University of Exeter. Claire-Louise Moore, Trainee Advanced Practice Paramedic, South Hams Primary Care Network.

Episode 9, Advanced Practice Leadership

This episode of the HEE South West Advancing Practice podcast series places Leadership within Advanced Practice under the "podlight". We explore the many facets of leadership, and how vital clinical leadership is within Advanced Practice. The multi-professional panel, reflect on their Leadership experiences in relation to supervision and training and how it integrates with of the other "pillars" of Advanced Practice. Ways to develop leadership skills and the impact effective leadership can have at service, organisational and system level are discussed by the panel, illustrating the multifaceted nature of leadership and why it is an essential aspect of Advanced Practice.

Martin Nelson: Advancing Practice Supervision & Assessment Lead for Radiography and Oncology, South West Faculty for Advancing Practice
Simon Ingram: Advancing Practice Supervision & Assessment Lead for Physiotherapy and MSK, South West Faculty for Advancing Practice
Valentino Oriolo: Advancing Practice Supervision & Assessment Lead for Acute Internal Medicine and Medical Specialities. HEE South West Faculty for Advancing Practice
South West Faculty for Advancing Practice, NHS England WT&E

Episode 8, Advanced Practice Supervision

This episode of the HEE South West Advancing Practice podcast series we explore supervision in advanced practice, crucial for both professional and patient safety. We explore why advanced practice supervision is different to medical models and what this means in clinical practice for supervisors and trainees. It addresses some potential challenges and provides guidance on how to successfully implement an integrated approach to Advanced Practice supervision, which utilises the multi professional team.

Host: Diane Keeling, Supervision and Assessment Lead for Neonatal & Maternal Care, Women's Health, Paediatrics. South West Faculty for Advancing Practice, NHS England WT&E
Guest: Professor Deborah Harding, Subject Matter Expert Multi-professional Supervision, Health Education England, St George's University of London

There is an accompanying slide pack to go alongside our Advanced Practice Supervision podcast. You can view and download the pack here. You can also view this podcast below as a video with slides included.

Episode 7, Advanced Practice Governance

This episode of the HEE South West Advancing Practice podcast series looks at the importance of governance in developing and implementing advanced practice in health and care organisations. We talk about the difficulties and challenges around advanced practice governance, discuss examples of good practice, and look at the information and guidance available.
For more information on the HEE Advanced Practice Governance Matrix please go to our governance web page.

Host - Valentino Oriolo, Advancing Practice Supervision and Assessment Lead for Acute Internal Medicine & Medical Specialities. South West Faculty for Advancing Practice, NHS England WT&E
Guests - Dr Julie Gripton, Health and Social Care Academy: Principal / Cornwall Partnership NHS Foundation Trust.
Neal Aplin, Advanced Practitioner, Emergency Department, Great Western Hospital NHS Foundation Trust / Bath and North East Somerset, Swindon and Wiltshire ICS Advanced Practice Workforce Transformation Lead.

Episode 6, Advanced Practice in Frailty and Rehabilitation

This episode of the HEE South West Advanced Practice podcast series explores the opportunities and challenges surrounding advanced practice in frailty and rehabilitation and discusses topics such as entering the speciality, multi-professional working, credentials, and the separate but related role of the consultant practitioner.

Host - Rachael Hosznyak, Advancing Practice Supervision and Assessment Lead for Frailty, Rehabilitation and Urgent Emergency Care. South West Faculty for Advancing Practice, NHS England WT&E
Guests - Dr Esther Clift (Consultant Practitioner in Frailty, Southern Health NHS FT, Chair Nurses and AHP Council & British Geriatrics Society)
Sarah Paterson (Consultant Therapist, Stroke & Rehabilitation, Salisbury NHS Foundation Trust)

Episode 5, Dealing with Feelings of Imposter Syndrome

This episode of the HEE South West Advanced Practice podcast series explores the issues arround feelings of imposter syndrome in advanced practitioners and advanced practice trainees and discusses some of the strategies that can help to overcome it.

Host- Jane Moses Advancing Practice Supervision and Assessment Lead for Mental Health, Learning Disability & Autism. South West Faculty for Advancing Practice, NHS England WT&E
Guests - Carole Boulanger Advancing Practice Supervision & Assessment Lead for ACCP. South West Faculty for Advancing Practice, NHS England WT&E
Valentino Oriolo Advancing Practice Supervision & Assessment Lead for Acute Internal Medicine. South West Faculty for Advancing Practice, NHS England WT&E

There is an accompanying video to this podcast exploring the issues around feelings of imposter syndrome in advanced practitioners and advanced practice trainees. Individuals share their experience of imposter syndrome and discusses some of the strategies that can help to overcome it.

Episode 4, Advanced Critical Care Practitioners

This episode of the HEE South West Advanced Practice podcast series explores the benefits and challenges for Allied Health professionals entering Advanced Critical Care Practitioner Training. The ACCP role can be viewed as predominantly a role for ICU nurses, however there are great advantages to the ICU team and AHPs undertaking this career pathway. In this podcast we explore how the previous skills, knowledge and experiences of a critical care physiotherapist and a senior paramedic provide a valuable foundation for ACCP training. We explore some of the myths, challenges and benefits of joining the ICU team in an advanced practice role from an AHP background.

Host - Carole Boulanger Supervision & Assessment Lead for ACCP. South West Faculty for Advancing Practice, NHS England WT&E. Senior ACCP and paramedic by background.
Guests - Adam Smith, trainee Advanced Practice ACCP and Romain Lefebvre a Critical Care Physiotherapist.

Episode 3, Advanced Neonatal Nurse Practitioners

This episode discusses the journey of Advanced Neonatal Nurse Practitioners in relation to training, career progression and service development. It explores the experiences of ANNPs at different stages of their career, as they reflect upon how ANNP training, supervision and career opportunities have evolved, the challenges along the way and the future of ANNPs as APs within the HEE centre of advancing practice.

Host Diane Keeling, Supervision and Assessment Lead for Neonatal & Maternal Care, Women's Health, Paediatrics. South West Faculty for Advancing Practice, NHS England WT&E
Guests - Roisin McKeon -Carter ( ANNP/ Nurse Consultant/ Chair of the NNA), Rachel Gibbons (ANNP)

Episode 2, Advanced Practice in the Allied Health Professions

This episode explores the narrative around advanced practice in relation to Allied Health Professionals.

Host - Rachael Brandreth Regional Advancing Practice Supervision and Assessment Lead
for Speech & Language Therapy, Dietetics, Podiatry. South West Faculty for Advancing Practice, NHS England WT&E
Guests - Luke Cunningham & Jennifer Lloyd Workforce Transformation Associates focusing on AHP in advanced practice. South West Faculty for Advancing Practice, NHS England WT&E

Episode 1, Advanced Practice in Emergency Care

This episode discusses the journey of training as an emergency care advanced practitioner. What it takes to train and lessons learned along the way, from the perspectives of a trainee, an AP lead, and an educational supervisor.
Host - Martin Horton (HEE S&A Lead) South West Faculty for Advancing Practice, NHS England WT&E
Guests - Sophie Stabbins (Trainee AP) and Simon Laing (Emergency Medicine Consultant / TheResusRoom)
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Join us for our advanced practice podcast series! We talk with experts, leaders, and those working and training in advanced practice in the South West.