South East Coast Ambulance Service Nhs Foundation Trust

South East Coast Ambulance Service NHS Foundation Trust Monitoring visit report

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Name of lead inspector: Kate Hill, Her Majesty’s Inspector

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Inspection date(s): 31 July–1 August 2019

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Address:

Banstead Regional Office The Horseshoe Bolters Lane Banstead Surrey SM7 2AS Monitoring visit: South East Coast Ambulance Service NHS Foundation Trust, 31 July–1 August 2019

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Context and focus of visit

From October 2018, Ofsted undertook to carry out monitoring visits to all newly directly funded providers of apprenticeship training provision which began to be funded from April 2017 or after by ESFA and/or the apprenticeship levy. This monitoring visit was undertaken as part of those arrangements and as outlined in the Further education and skills inspection handbook, especially the sections entitled ‘Providers newly directly funded to deliver apprenticeship training provision’ and ‘Monitoring visits’. The focus of these visits is on the themes set out below.

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Context and focus of visit

South East Coast Ambulance Service NHS Foundation Trust (SECAmb) is part of the National Health Service. Since May 2017, SECAmb has become an employer provider for levy-paid apprenticeship training. At the time of the monitoring visit, 132 apprentices were on levels 3 and 4 standards-based programmes in two specialist areas: associate ambulance practitioner and emergency support worker. Over two thirds are studying the level 3 emergency support worker programme.

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Insufficient progress

Leaders have not made sure that the programme meets the requirements of an apprenticeship, including the development of English and mathematics skills. Managers pay insufficient attention to the teaching of English and mathematics, so apprentices do not gain qualifications and improve their work skills.

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Insufficient progress

Leaders and managers do not have an effective process in place to improve the quality of teaching, learning and assessment. They do not complete observations of teaching, learning and assessment so are not able to identify actions for improvement.

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Insufficient progress

Leaders and managers have not been effective in the quality assurance of the apprenticeship programme. Quality improvement planning has an insufficient focus on apprentices, targets are not sufficiently specific or timebound and reviews of progress are not recorded. Managers do not deal with identified weaknesses quickly enough.

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Insufficient progress

Senior leaders and managers do not use data effectively so they do not know the current progress of learners and whether they will complete within the planned timescale.

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Insufficient progress

Facilitators and programme leads do not set and record detailed development targets for apprentices linked to their work. Only apprentices that fall behind are set targets Monitoring visit: South East Coast Ambulance Service NHS Foundation Trust, 31 July–1 August 2019 to complete as part of an action plan. Apprentices are not aware of the requirements of the end-point assessment or what the criteria for success are. Because of this, they are not able to prepare sufficiently well.

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Insufficient progress

Governance arrangements for the apprenticeship programme are not good enough. Because of this, leaders do not receive constructive challenge or scrutiny and are not held accountable for the delivery of high-quality training.

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Insufficient progress

Leaders and managers have a clear rationale for offering the current apprenticeship training programmes. They increased the number of new apprenticeships as a part of the workforce strategic plan to offer new career pathway opportunities and upskill staff to meet the needs of a regional and national skills shortage.

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Insufficient progress

Managers do not make sure that operational team leaders (OTLs) in the workplace are sufficiently involved in apprentices’ training. OTLs are not aware of the progress apprentices are making or their developmental needs. Because of this, OTLs do not support apprentices’ learning of new knowledge, skills and behaviours.

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Insufficient progress

Leaders and managers are not able to monitor the progress of apprentices well enough. They rely on a large number of different systems that result in apprentices not having a clear understanding of their learning and progress. Managers do not link the new knowledge and skills that apprentices develop during classroom sessions to their jobs in order to support apprentices’ learning.

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Insufficient progress

Trainers complete initial assessments of apprentices’ English and mathematics skills and previous attainment at the start of their programmes. However, they do not use these results to plan learning or monitor the progress of apprentices. Facilitators and programme leads do not create learning plans to meet apprentices’ individual needs.

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Insufficient progress

Trainers do not emphasise the importance of developing good English and mathematical skills linked to the apprentices’ work. Apprentices that need to complete functional skills qualifications in English and mathematics as part of their apprenticeship do not receive any support or tuition. Trainers do not pay enough attention to developing English and mathematics skills for work.

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Insufficient progress

Feedback on apprentices’ work is brief, overly positive and does not help apprentices understand how to improve their work. A significant minority of apprentices wait for months to have submitted work returned. As a result, they do not know whether their work is to the required standard.

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Insufficient progress

Apprentices benefit from highly experienced, vocational experts teaching them. These staff deliver a mixture of theory and practical sessions using their own Monitoring visit: South East Coast Ambulance Service NHS Foundation Trust, 31 July–1 August 2019 experiences to contextualise learning. As a result, apprentices develop new knowledge and skills.

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Reasonable progress

Leaders and managers place a high priority on safeguarding and make sure that safeguarding arrangements are effective. Managers have suitable policies and procedures in place.

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Reasonable progress

Apprentices feel safe and are aware of the safeguarding processes and what to do if they have any concerns. They have a good awareness of the ‘Prevent’ duty and are able to give realistic examples of how this applies to their roles in the community.

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Reasonable progress

All staff and apprentices complete extensive training in safeguarding and the ‘Prevent’ duty to make sure they fully understand their responsibilities about how to keep themselves and others safe and protect them from harm.

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Reasonable progress

Managers have appropriate processes in place to record any incidents, but there have been none to date.

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Reasonable progress

All staff are subject to safe recruitment practice to make sure they are suitable to work with apprentices. Monitoring visit: South East Coast Ambulance Service NHS Foundation Trust, 31 July–1 August 2019 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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Reasonable progress

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

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Reasonable progress

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Reasonable progress

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Reasonable progress

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