East Midlands Ambulance Service NHS Trust

East Midlands Ambulance Service NHS Trust Monitoring visit report

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Type of provider: Independent learning provider

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Address:

1 Horizon Place Mellors Way Nottingham Business Park Nottingham NG8 6PY Monitoring visit: East Midlands Ambulance Service NHS Trust, 25–26 July 2018

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Context and focus of visit

This monitoring visit was undertaken as part of a series of monitoring visits to a sample of new apprenticeship training providers that are funded through the apprenticeship levy. Ofsted’s intention to carry out monitoring visits to these new providers was first announced by Her Majesty’s Chief Inspector in November 2017. The focus of these visits is on the three themes set out below.

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Context and focus of visit

The East Midlands Ambulance Service NHS Trust (EMAS) delivers the associate ambulance practitioner apprenticeship at level 4 for ambulance technicians across all five counties in the East Midlands. The first cohort of apprentices, most of whom were existing staff in non-technical roles within EMAS, plus a small number of external applicants, began in May 2017. At the time of the monitoring visit, EMAS had 107 apprentices on the standards apprenticeship programme.

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Context and focus of visit

Following their recruitment, apprentices attend a seven-week intensive theory course at one of EMAS’s training centres in Leicester, Nottingham or Lincoln. EMAS allocates all apprentices to a regional ambulance station, where they work alongside experienced colleagues, supported by a mentor. In order to succeed on the 43-week programme, apprentices attend 15 weeks of off-the-job training and complete a range of practical and theoretical assignments. They must also achieve a certificate in emergency response ambulance driving at level 3, which requires a further four weeks’ off-the-job training. After the 42 weeks, apprentices have a minimum of three months in which to prepare for the end-point assessment.

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Reasonable progress

EMAS’s advanced ambulance practitioner programme meets the essential requirements of an apprenticeship.

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Reasonable progress

The service’s recruitment, selection and initial assessment processes are rigorous. Applicants are required to have good grades in GCSE English, mathematics and a science subject and a clean driving licence, and to pass an interview and assessment exercise. Few current apprentices have any special educational needs, although arrangements for supporting learners who have dyslexia are good. Trainers promote the use of technical language skilfully in learning sessions and they integrate mathematical topics when dealing with medical subjects appropriately. Monitoring visit: East Midlands Ambulance Service NHS Trust, 25–26 July 2018 EMAS recruits most of its apprentices from within the ambulance service and provides a comprehensive and rigorous training programme that equips apprentices with new knowledge, skills and behaviours to help them to progress in their role. The service ensures that apprentices receive their entitlement to 20% of their working

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Reasonable progress

week in receiving good-quality off-the-job training that meets apprenticeship requirements and supports them to work effectively and efficiently as emergency first responders.

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Reasonable progress

Members of EMAS’s team of specialist clinical trainers are well qualified and experienced. They provide carefully planned and organised off-the-job clinical training sessions that cover the specialist knowledge, skills and behaviours required to carry out effectively the ambulance technician role. The service provides well- equipped training centres that have the technical and specialist resources essential to ensuring that apprentices learn quickly using suitable and relevant tools and learning resources.

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Reasonable progress

As a result of carefully planned and organised off-the-job training, most apprentices make good progress and can describe the knowledge, skills and behaviours they have learned. Mentors provide good on-the-job support to apprentices and meet with them regularly to review progress and to help them progress and achieve. Trainers provide suitable guidance during induction on the careers and promotion opportunities available in EMAS. Most apprentices have a very clear idea about how they intend to progress in their career.

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Reasonable progress

Apprentices complete a detailed and thorough practical skills portfolio in which they record the range of knowledge, technical skills, behaviours and attitudes they use when working with more experienced ambulance technicians and paramedics.

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Reasonable progress

The coordination of on- and off-the-job training is good. Apprentices apply recently learned skills and techniques in the workplace successfully. They can demonstrate the new behaviours and attitudes they have developed, particularly in relation to dealing with patients in distress and their families.

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Reasonable progress

Clinical trainers use their extensive experience and expertise in all aspects of emergency medical care to enthuse and engage apprentices in learning. They make particularly good use of learning aids and resources to demonstrate techniques such as resuscitation, chest compression and manual defibrillation. As a result, apprentices make good progress and meet or exceed the expectations that their trainers have of them. Monitoring visit: East Midlands Ambulance Service NHS Trust, 25–26 July 2018 Trainers monitor apprentices’ progress informally through regular and frequent tutorials and by reviewing their progress against the programme schedule. Apprentices identified as failing to make sufficient progress receive additional help to enable them to catch up quickly. At the time of the monitoring visit, only a very few apprentices fell into this category.

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Reasonable progress

Trainers prepare apprentices thoroughly for the end-point assessment. Of the 11 apprentices who have completed their assessment, all but one have achieved, with the large majority achieving a merit grade.

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Reasonable progress

Aspects of the management of assessment are weak. Assessment of apprentices’ completed work is insufficiently frequent. Apprentices do not receive feedback on the standard of their written work until they have completed at least 50% of the theory. The quality of assessment judgements varies significantly, and the work of a few apprentices does not meet the minimum required standards. Leaders have recently acknowledged these weaknesses and have started to take steps to increase the frequency of assessment and to provide clearer guidance to ensure that assessed work meets at least the minimum expected standards.

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Reasonable progress

Of the 116 apprentices recruited to the programme since May 2017, nine have withdrawn early, but leaders have not carried out any analysis to identify the reasons for this or to establish any patterns or trends in how successfully learners progress and achieve.

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Reasonable progress

The results of the observation of off-the-job learning sessions are of limited value in helping trainers to improve. Observation reports focus heavily on what the trainer is doing and on teaching methods rather than on whether learning is taking place. Observers make few or no comments about how trainers could improve further their professional practices.

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Reasonable progress

EMAS has well-established arrangements for safeguarding that apply to apprentices and to all other staff employed by the service. Staff, including apprentices, receive an induction that covers all the key aspects of safeguarding and the ‘Prevent’ duty. They are able to articulate what they would do if they had to make a referral. Apprentices say that they feel safe at the training centre and at their place of work.

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Reasonable progress

All staff likely to come into contact with patients or vulnerable adults receive an appropriate security clearance check to ensure their suitability. EMAS’s designated safeguarding officer is responsible for maintaining an electronic log of staff who have received security clearance, as well as of safeguarding incidents and the actions taken to resolve them. Monitoring visit: East Midlands Ambulance Service NHS Trust, 25–26 July 2018 Apprentices receive clear guidance and training from trainers to keep them safe from the dangers of extremism and radicalisation, and most have a good knowledge of these dangers. Trainers reinforce safety and safeguarding messages very effectively during off-the-job training sessions. They cover the ‘Prevent’ duty and British values thoroughly, relating discussions of these topics to EMAS’s own standards and expectations. Apprentices demonstrate a commendably detailed understanding of

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Reasonable progress

these subjects. Monitoring visit: East Midlands Ambulance Service NHS Trust, 25–26 July 2018 the guidance ‘Raising concerns and making a complaint about Ofsted’, which is available from Ofsted’s website: www.gov.uk/government/publications/complaints-about-ofsted . If you would like Ofsted to send you a copy of the guidance, please telephone 0300 123 4234, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk . Learner View Learner View is a website where learners can tell Ofsted what they think about their college or provider. They can also see what other learners think about them too. To find out more go to www.learnerview.ofsted.gov.uk .

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Employer View Employer View is a website where employers can tell Ofsted what they think about their employees’ college or provider. They can also see what other employers think about them too. To find out more go to www.employerview.ofsted.gov.uk .

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Reasonable progress

achieve excellence in the care of children and young people, and in education and skills for learners of all ages. It regulates and inspects childcare and children’s social care, and inspects the Children and Family Court Advisory and Support Service (Cafcass), schools, colleges, initial teacher training, further education and skills, adult and community learning, and education and training in prisons and other secure establishments. It assesses council children’s services, and inspects services for children looked after, safeguarding and child protection. If you would like a copy of this document in a different format, such as large print or Braille, please telephone 0300 123 1231, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk . You may reuse this information (not including logos) free of charge in any format or medium, under the terms of the Open Government Licence. To view this licence, visit www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence , write to the Information Policy Team,

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Reasonable progress

The National Archives, Kew, London TW9 4DU, or email: psi@nationalarchives.gsi.gov.uk .

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Reasonable progress

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Reasonable progress

T: 0300 123 1231 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.gov.uk/ofsted

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