South East Coast Ambulance Service Nhs Foundation Trust

Further education and skills inspection report

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Inspection of South East Coast Ambulance Service NHS Foundation Trust

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The quality of education Inadequate Behaviour and attitudes Requires improvement Personal development Requires improvement Leadership and management Inadequate Overall effectiveness at previous inspection Not previously inspected

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Information about this provider

South East Coast Ambulance Service NHS Foundation Trust (SECAmb) is part of the National Health Service. SECAmb has been an employer provider for levy-paid apprenticeship training since May 2017. SECAmb now partners with a local college for the vast majority of their apprenticeships, though this was not in scope for this inspection. At the time of the inspection, SECAmb provided direct training to 14 apprentices of which three studied the level 3 emergency support worker and eight apprentices remained on the level 4 associate ambulance practitioner. A further three apprentices had recently completed their programmes. All apprentices were a considerable way past the planned end dates for their programme.

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Information about this provider

SECAmb delivers its services from 108 sites across the south east of England. 3 to 5 August 2022

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

Apprentices are very keen to complete their apprenticeship. However, apprentices are not benefiting from well-organised and coherently planned training. Apprentices do not receive their full entitlement to off-the-job training. Apprentices are not supported sufficiently well in the workplace in order to allow them to complete their studies. As a result, their progress is significantly slowed, and all go beyond their planned end date. Apprentices rightly feel disappointed and demotivated in their learning.

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

Apprentices develop valuable personal and professional skills at work. They and their patients rightly recognise the confidence, care, compassion and professional skills they now have as a result of working closely alongside qualified paramedics. Apprentices are proud of their contribution to the NHS and to the people and communities they serve.

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

Apprentices have access to a good range of well-being services. SECAmb have a strong recognition of the highly challenging situations apprentices find themselves in during their work. As a result, apprentices have swift access to support, such as the well-being hub, mental health applications, occupational health and the highly specialised Trauma Risk Management practitioners, who support them after they experience traumatic events.

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

Apprentices feel safe and know whom they can contact should they have any concerns. Apprentices know how to keep themselves, their colleagues and their patients safe in the challenging emergency environments they work in.

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better?

Leaders and managers have a clear strategic intent and rationale for the apprenticeships they deliver in emergency care support and for assistant ambulance practitioners. They are committed to career development and education within the ambulance service in order to meet the needs of the NHS and the communities they serve. However, leaders and managers do not have a good enough understanding of apprenticeships and have not successfully planned training to ensure that apprentices make sufficient progress.

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better?

Leaders do not ensure that the programmes they offer meet the principles and requirements of an apprenticeship. They have not made sure that all apprentices receive their entitlement to progress reviews and off-the-job training. As a result, apprentices are struggling to complete their apprenticeship.

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better?

Quality assurance processes are weak. As a result, leaders are unaware of the poor quality of education apprentices receive. Leaders and managers do not ensure actions are taken to improve the poor quality of education or are reviewed in a timely way. Actions to improve teaching and the operational managers’ understanding of apprenticeships have not happened. While leaders have put in 3 to 5 August 2022

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place measures to ensure that apprentices complete their programmes with limited success, these actions have not been sufficiently effective. As a result, all current apprentices are beyond their planned end date. Too many apprentices have withdrawn from their studies as a result, and the remaining apprentices make too slow progress.

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Leaders do not ensure that apprentices’ managers are fully committed to the apprenticeship programme or understand the requirements. As line managers they are supportive of the apprentices’ clinical skills development. However, they do not have a good enough understanding of the content of an apprenticeship programme or the authority to be able to provide apprentices with the time to complete their course work. As a result, apprentices do not benefit from off-the-job training time to help them make good progress towards completing their apprenticeship.

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Managers collaborate effectively with partners to rectify identified issues that are preventing apprentices from making progress, such as apprentices’ work having to be resubmitted as it did not meet the qualification standard, a backlog in marking and internal staff not being suitably qualified and trained. Although managers now work with a subcontractor to support the marking of apprentices’ written evidence, this has not helped current apprentices to complete their course and be successful.

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Where apprentices receive individual support from clinical leads, it is beneficial and effective. Clinical leads carry out exercises such as simulation in order to fill in gaps in workplace experiences or reflect on previous situations. These enable apprentices to deepen their knowledge and understanding. However, too few apprentices are able to attend due to operational priorities.

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Members of the Trust Board now have a clear oversight of the education provision offered for their staff. Following challenges over the past few years, they have developed new oversight committees which provide greater challenge to the apprenticeship team. While they are fully aware of the difficulties of the apprenticeship programme, their actions have not had enough impact to allow all apprentices to make progress and succeed.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

Leaders and managers put a high priority on safeguarding. They strive to keep all their staff, including those undertaking an apprenticeship, safe. Staff who manage safeguarding are highly qualified and experienced and undertake ongoing relevant training to support their role.

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Safeguarding

Appropriate policies are in place, including ‘Prevent’ duty risk assessments and action plans, which correctly identify the local risks for the areas apprentices work in. 3 to 5 August 2022

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Managers conduct safer recruitment practices. They complete appropriate background checks on new and seconded staff and regularly update staff Disclosure and Barring Service checks.

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Apprentices complete regular training in safeguarding relevant to their role.

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What does the provider need to do to improve?

 Leaders must ensure that all staff, including themselves and members of the Trust Board, have a full understanding of the requirements of an apprenticeship programme and implement them effectively.  Leaders and managers must make sure that apprentices’ managers understand the requirements of off-the-job study entitlement and have the authority to give apprentices the appropriate time for them to complete their work.  Leaders and managers must ensure that apprentices complete work which meets the qualification specification and on submission is marked in a timely way.  Leaders should establish effective quality assurance procedures to identify and remedy weaknesses and ensure that apprentices benefit from a much better quality of education.  Governors and senior leaders must improve their understanding of apprenticeships so that they can make informed challenges to improve the quality of programmes.

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Address

South East Coast Ambulance Foundation Trust 4 Gatwick Road Crawley RH10 9BG

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Address

Date of previous inspection Not previously inspected

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Address

Main subcontractors Emergency Services Training and Resilience Service

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Address

Professional Training Solutions LTD 3 to 5 August 2022

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Information about this inspection

The inspection team was assisted by the consultant paramedic, 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 visiting 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

Tricia Collis, lead inspector Ofsted Inspector Penny Fawcus Her Majesty’s Inspector 3 to 5 August 2022

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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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