Calderdale and Huddersfield NHS Foundation

Further education and skills inspection report

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Inspection of Calderdale and Huddersfield NHS Foundation Trust

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Overall effectiveness Good

The quality of education Good Behaviour and attitudes Outstanding Personal development Good Leadership and management Good Apprenticeships Good Overall effectiveness at previous inspection Not previously inspected

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Information about this provider

Calderdale and Huddersfield NHS Foundation Trust (the trust) is an employer provider that began delivering apprenticeship programmes in 2017. The trust provides training that offers an entry into employment in the healthcare sector for candidates who would otherwise be excluded from applying to work at the trust due to lack of relevant experience.

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Information about this provider

At the time of the inspection, there were 82 apprentices on the level 2 healthcare support worker apprenticeship standard. Most apprentices are based either at Huddersfield Royal Infirmary or Calderdale Royal Hospital, with a few working across both hospitals. 7–9 July 2021

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What is it like to be a learner with this provider?

Apprentices have exceptionally positive attitudes to their learning. They are highly motivated and conduct themselves in a very professional manner while in training and in the workplace. They have demonstrated a high level of flexibility and responsiveness during the COVID-19 (coronavirus) pandemic. For example, many willingly changed roles to work in critical care departments to provide urgent care. Consequently, apprentices make very positive contributions to the workplace and play a vital role in the local response to the pandemic.

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What is it like to be a learner with this provider?

Apprentices rapidly develop their maturity, confidence and independence as a result of their training. They take responsibility for providing good-quality care and use their own initiative to prevent problems occurring by taking proactive steps outside of the remit of their role.

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What is it like to be a learner with this provider?

Apprentices display model behaviours for the care and medical sector. They have a significant understanding of their employers’ values and are caring and compassionate employees. Apprentices take very seriously their responsibility to be an advocate for their patients. The trust’s leaders, managers and staff highly value their apprentices and recognise the critical role that apprentices play in providing patient-centred care.

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What is it like to be a learner with this provider?

Apprentices feel safe and work safely within their departments. They apply their knowledge of health and safety precisely to ensure the personal safety of themselves and others. For example, they learn about infection control, follow strict rules on the use of personal protective equipment and remind others how to comply with requirements.

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What is it like to be a learner with this provider?

Workplace mentors and tutors provide excellent support to apprentices that enables them to become resilient healthcare support workers. They contact apprentices frequently to check on their well-being and use the broad range of support services available across the trust to support apprentices’ well-being and mental health.

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better?

Senior leaders and managers ably achieve their strategic aim to provide opportunities for people from disadvantaged backgrounds to begin careers in healthcare. They provide a valuable apprenticeship programme that demonstrates high aspirations for apprentices by providing an entry route to the trust’s career development pathways. All apprentices who complete the healthcare support worker programme are offered substantive posts in the trust and a significant number are successful in progressing to the trainee nurse associate programme.

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better?

Managers recruit well-qualified and clinically experienced trainers to teach apprentices. Trainers have extensive healthcare experience and use this very well to teach apprentices the links between clinical theory and practice. Managers work closely with current clinical practitioners to provide specialist training to apprentices. 7–9 July 2021 This means that apprentices benefit from up-to-date and effective clinical training in areas such as end-of-life care, basic life support and infection control.

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better?

Staff plan and teach a well-structured curriculum that successfully provides apprentices with knowledge of the basic concepts of care before they begin working on the ward. Trainers revisit topics throughout the apprenticeship to provide more in-depth knowledge and skills development once apprentices have gained first-hand experience in a clinical setting. For example, apprentices learn about the duty of care linked to trust policies during induction and how this applies to their own area of responsibility. They revisit this topic after several weeks on the ward to learn about the broader concept of care and how this applies to their role and those of colleagues who they work alongside.

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better?

Trainers use assessment well to identify gaps in apprentices’ clinical knowledge and skills. They work productively with workplace managers to provide additional training and to plan opportunities for apprentices to practise their skills on other wards. For example, apprentices working in the outpatients department do not have the opportunity to monitor fluid intake or nutrition. They work on other wards to gain this important knowledge and practise the skills that they need to be good healthcare support workers.

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better?

Trainers ensure that apprentices are well prepared for their end-point assessment. They use the results of mock assessments to provide useful feedback to apprentices. Apprentices reflect on and respond to feedback, which helps them improve their assignments and perform better in assessments. As a result, all apprentices who have completed their end-point assessments so far have passed, and a significant proportion have achieved distinction grades.

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better?

Trainers provide helpful support to apprentices who have additional needs. They use alternative assessment methods to enable apprentices to demonstrate their understanding more easily. For example, apprentices with dyslexia benefit from additional individual sessions, and trainers allow them to use recordings to demonstrate their knowledge and skills. This reduces the amount of written work that they need to produce to demonstrate their understanding.

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better?

Workplace mentors and trainers have used the challenges posed by the pandemic to broaden apprentices’ expertise outside of the core curriculum. They have provided significant opportunities for apprentices to learn how to support severely ill patients. As a result, apprentices have rapidly developed their skills in providing high-quality care. They quickly take ownership for managing patient care without the usual level of supervision from colleagues.

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better?

Staff provide apprentices with helpful information about how to progress in the trust on completion of their apprenticeship. There are clear career pathways in place that enable apprentices to complete further study and training.

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better?

Those responsible for governance have a clear oversight of the strengths and areas for development of the apprenticeship provision. They effectively hold managers to 7–9 July 2021 account for the performance of the programme. They have recently introduced an education committee with appropriate educational expertise to strengthen further their ability to provide challenge to leaders and managers about the quality of education and apprentices’ experience.

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better?

Managers and staff do not take sufficient account of the need to develop apprentices’ writing skills when planning training activities. As a result, a few apprentices struggle with formal writing and are not fully equipped with the study skills that they require for the apprenticeship and their chosen next steps.

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better?

In a few instances, managers and trainers have been too slow to put in place necessary interventions for the small number of apprentices who have fallen behind. They have recently taken a number of actions to tackle this issue, including additional one-to-one sessions with trainers, but it is too soon to measure the impact.

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better?

Managers do not review frequently enough the quality of training provided by the subcontractor that provides the elements of the programme linked to English and mathematics qualifications. Consequently, they are not able to identify fully the reasons why the small numbers of apprentices taking mathematics functional skills qualifications do not pass their examinations.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

Apprentices are safe and feel safe. They value the support that their trainers offer and feel comfortable to raise any issues or concerns about themselves or their colleagues. Apprentices have a thorough understanding about the safeguarding of patients. For example, they are clear on the signs they should look for that might suggest a patient is being abused or exploited.

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Safeguarding

Leaders and managers have implemented comprehensive safeguarding policies and procedures. They provide clear guidance to staff on what action they should take when issues and concerns arise.

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Safeguarding

Designated safeguarding staff have effective links with local agencies, such as the local authority, safeguarding boards and the police, to ensure a multi-agency response to support. However, despite leaders and managers having a detailed understanding of local risks such as modern-day slavery and child criminal exploitation, this does not translate into a detailed understanding for apprentices of what they should be aware of in the local area. 7–9 July 2021

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What does the provider need to do to improve?

 Plan and deliver training activities that support apprentices with the development of their writing and study skills to better prepare them for work and their next steps.  Swiftly implement intervention and support for those apprentices who have fallen behind on their programme, or who are at risk of doing so, to help them get back on track.  Ensure that managers have a thorough oversight of the quality of education provided by the subcontractor, so they are able to improve the quality of training and apprentices’ achievement, particularly in mathematics functional skills. 7–9 July 2021

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Provider details

Address Huddersfield Royal Infirmary Acre Mill Huddersfield HD3 3EA

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Provider details

Date of previous inspection Not previously inspected

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Provider details

Main subcontractors JM 1Qual 7–9 July 2021

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Information about this inspection

The inspection team was assisted by the head of apprenticeships & vocational training, as nominee. Inspectors took account of the provider’s most recent self- assessment report and development plans, and the previous inspection report. The inspection was carried out using the further education and skills inspection handbook and took into account all relevant provision at the provider. Inspectors collected a wide range of evidence to inform judgements including observing learning sessions, scrutinising learners’ work, seeking the views of learners, staff and other stakeholders, and examining the provider’s documentation and records.

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Inspection team

Sarah Lonsdale, lead inspector Her Majesty’s Inspector Hayley Lomas Her Majesty’s Inspector Chloe Rendall Her Majesty’s Inspector 7–9 July 2021 regulates and inspects to 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.

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Inspection team

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Inspection team

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Inspection team

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Inspection team

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