Medipro Limited

Further education and skills inspection report

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Overall effectiveness Inadequate

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

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Information about this provider

Medipro Limited is an independent learning provider based in Stockton-on-Tees. It provides training to apprentices in London, Bristol and Newmarket. The provider first offered their own funded apprenticeships in April 2020 in the emergency and urgent care sector. In October 2021, Medipro Limited enrolled 537 apprentices who were transferred from another provider that had ceased delivering apprenticeships. At the time of the inspection, 230 apprentices from this cohort were still on programme. In total, there were 941 apprentices, of whom 109 were on the level 3 emergency care support worker standard and 832 were on the level 4 associate ambulance practitioner standard. 1 to 4 November 2022

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

Too many of the large cohort of apprentices currently on programme who were transferred to Medipro Limited from another provider are demotivated. This is because leaders and managers did not act quickly or effectively enough to ensure a smooth transition and minimise the impact on apprentices’ experience. Transferred apprentices are frustrated by the lack of guidance and clarity that they receive about their progress. They have experienced long delays in the return of marked work and, in too many cases, have been without a tutor for a long period of time.

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

Apart from those who have been transferred from another provider, apprentices are fully attentive, motivated to learn and eager to participate in sessions. They listen to each other respectfully and encourage others when they attempt a difficult task. Most apprentices are clear about the expectations of their behaviour in the classroom and in the workplace. When working together in a group, they welcome ideas and praise each other. All conversations are on the topic of the lesson and no time is wasted.

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

Most apprentices demonstrate a commitment to their training. They complete their workplace learning and tasks independently prior to attending work-based training sessions. They research information and present it in a professional manner to their tutors. As a result, they are well prepared for each stage of their learning.

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

Tutors and employers have high expectations for apprentices to attend their sessions and to be punctual. Attendance is high on the intensive period of training at the start of programmes and when apprentices participate in further off-the-job training later in the programme.

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

Apprentices are not sufficiently well informed about their career progression options. Most tutors identify apprentices’ long-term goals at the beginning of their training, and those apprentices who aspire to become a paramedic are clear about how to pursue their career goal. However, apprentices do not receive planned independent careers advice and guidance. They do not know what other relevant career options are available or how to pursue them.

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better?

Following a request from a public body, leaders enrolled a very large cohort of apprentices from another provider that had ceased delivering apprenticeships. However, they have not put in place the infrastructure and resources needed to support the significant growth in provision following the transfer. Leaders have not ensured that transferred apprentices have had a good learning experience. Consequently, too many of these apprentices are frustrated, demotivated and are not making rapid enough progress. 1 to 4 November 2022

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Leaders and managers provide training that meets the skills needs of the emergency and urgent care sector. Leaders are qualified paramedics and understand the industry extremely well. They have forged useful partnerships to ensure that they have a sound understanding of current issues in the sector.

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Leaders and managers have designed a curriculum that contributes to meeting a significant skills gap in the sector. The structure and delivery of the curriculum enables apprentices to move into the workplace with a good level of knowledge and skills after completing an intensive initial training period. Apprentices then apply their knowledge and develop their skills further through providing emergency and urgent care as ambulance practitioners and emergency care support workers.

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Tutors plan the classroom-based training logically. They begin with anatomy, and then move on to cover pathology and specific situations that apprentices will face, particularly trauma, including drowning, bleeding, head injuries and major incidents, such as car accidents. Apprentices learn how to identify medical concerns, how to identify the causes of the concerns, and then how to treat them. Tutors also provide additional activities to widen apprentices’ experience, such as visits to other blue- light services. However, tutors do not identify the knowledge, skills and behaviours that apprentices already have at the start of their programme. This means that initial planning to meet apprentices’ specific needs is not consistently effective, which slows the progress of too many apprentices.

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Tutors do not monitor apprentices’ progress carefully enough. In too many cases, reviews are infrequent, and many are missed. Apprentices are not systematically set targets on how to improve their knowledge and skills. Mentors and employers are not involved in reviewing progress and, as a result, apprentices do not receive consistently effective support in the workplace. Reviews do not indicate how apprentices are developing their English and mathematics skills.

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Leaders and managers do not have in place arrangements to ensure that the quality of provision is monitored well enough or that areas for improvement are identified and rectified. Although there is a quality assurance team in place, arrangements for evaluating the quality of provision are not effective enough. As a result, leaders are unaware of the areas for improvement required in the provision.

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Leaders and managers do not ensure that employers are actively involved in the apprenticeship programme. This means that employers are often unclear about the progress that their apprentices are making and, therefore, are not able to provide support or opportunities to address gaps in apprentices’ knowledge and skills. Employers only become involved in the provision when there are serious cases of apprentice underperformance.

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Leaders do not utilise any external challenge to help ensure that they are offering the best service they can for their apprentices and to enable them to be held to account for decisions relating to strategy, growth and quality improvement. As a result, they are unaware of how effective their internal processes are. 1 to 4 November 2022

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Leaders and managers recruit qualified staff who are highly experienced in their field. Managers then support staff to improve their teaching and assessing skills and to keep their industry knowledge current through relevant professional development and through gaining teaching qualifications. The wide range of training for tutors includes trauma training and gaining direct experience of working shifts in the ambulance service.

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Leaders manage subcontracting arrangements effectively. They subcontract the emergency driving response element of the apprenticeships to the London Ambulance Service NHS trust. Leaders have good oversight of the work of the subcontractor and follow due processes in terms of agreeing contracts for delivery and quality assurance expectations. Apprentices are taught effectively by qualified subcontractor staff and make good progress in developing their emergency driving skills.

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Tutors make appropriate arrangements for most apprentices who need additional learning support. Apprentices who speak English as an additional language receive good support to develop their language skills. However, a very few apprentices with support needs, such as dyslexia, have not received the adjustments required, such as additional time for examinations.

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Apprentices who need to pass examinations in English and mathematics benefit from the support of a specialist tutor. A high proportion of these apprentices achieve their qualifications. Apprentices who have achieved English and mathematics qualifications prior to commencing their programme continue to develop their skills. For example, they learn how to use complex medical terminology accurately and how to make calculations when preparing patient medication.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

Leaders and managers recruit staff who are safe to work with young people and vulnerable adults. They have in place safe recruitment processes that include taking up of references, Disclosure and Barring Service checks, confirming the right to work in the United Kingdom and qualification checks.

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Safeguarding

Designated safeguarding staff are appropriately trained and qualified. They ensure that their knowledge of safeguarding is kept up to date. They keep accurate records of safeguarding incidents, and they take appropriate action when necessary in response to concerns and to ensure that apprentices are provided with appropriate support.

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Safeguarding

Apprentices learn how to stay safe when carrying out their job roles. They are trained in risk management and scene management for major incidents and conflict resolution. They learn how to keep themselves physically safe while carrying out their duties and working with members of the public. As a result, they have a clear 1 to 4 November 2022

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understanding of the steps to take to keep themselves and others safe, such as watching for signs of agitation in a patient that could lead to aggressive behaviour and when to wait for the police if attending a dangerous incident.

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Apprentices are clear about how they would refer safeguarding concerns, both in relation to the training provider and the employer. They are able to give examples of where they have raised issues and received appropriate support.

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What does the provider need to do to improve?

 Ensure that apprentices who have transferred from another provider benefit from a good learning experience and make at least the expected progress.  Put in place arrangements to ensure that the quality of training and assessment is monitored well enough to enable managers to make effective improvements.  Ensure that employers are fully involved in the apprenticeship programme, including in reviews of apprentices’ progress.  Ensure that leaders are held fully to account for providing the best service they can to their apprentices and for decisions that they take on strategy, growth and quality improvement.  Ensure that tutors identify the knowledge, skills and behaviours that apprentices already have at the start of their programme so that they can plan effectively to meet apprentices’ individual needs.  Ensure that tutors monitor apprentices’ progress effectively to identify what apprentices have learned and what they need to do to improve their knowledge

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What does the provider need to do to improve?

and skills further.  Ensure that apprentices are sufficiently well informed about the career progression options available to them on completion of their apprenticeship programme. 1 to 4 November 2022

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Provider details

Address Viking House Falcon Court Preston Farm Business Park Stockton-on-Tees TS18 3TX

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Provider details

Principal, CEO or equivalent Brian English

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Provider details

Provider type Independent learning provider

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Provider details

Date of previous inspection Not previously inspected

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Provider details

Main subcontractors London Ambulance Service NHS Trust 1 to 4 November 2022

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Information about this inspection

The inspection team was assisted by the head of apprenticeships, 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

Glenise Burrell, lead inspector His Majesty’s Inspector Karen Anderson His Majesty’s Inspector Chloe Rendall His Majesty’s Inspector Paul Britton Ofsted Inspector Marina Gaze Ofsted Inspector Gaynor Cross Ofsted Inspector Debra Forsythe-Conroy Ofsted Inspector 1 to 4 November 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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