Medipro Limited

Medipro Limited Reinspection monitoring visit report

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Name of lead inspector: Andrea Shepherd, His Majesty’s Inspector

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Type of provider: Independent learning provider

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Address:

Viking House Falcon Court Preston farm Business Park Stockton-on-Tees TS18 3TX Monitoring visit: Medipro Limited, 5 and 6 July 2023

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Context and focus of visit

This is the first reinspection monitoring visit to Medipro Limited following publication of the inspection report on 11 January 2023, which found the provider to be inadequate overall.

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Context and focus of visit

Medipro Limited is a specialist independent learning provider based in Stockton-on- Tees. It provides training to apprentices in the Bristol, London and East of England Ambulance Trusts. At the time of the monitoring visit, there were 98 apprentices studying the level 3 ambulance support worker standard and 588 apprentices studying the level 4 associate ambulance practitioner standard.

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Reasonable progress

Since the full inspection in November 2022, leaders and managers have taken a number of appropriate steps to improve the support they provide to apprentices who transferred from another provider. Transferred apprentices now benefit from a dedicated tutor, access to drop-in support and the use of an online portfolio through which they can receive feedback from their tutor. Around three quarters of the transferred apprentices have successfully completed their programme, and many others are waiting to complete their final assessment.

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Reasonable progress

Leaders and managers now have a dedicated monitoring system so that they can track carefully the assessments and reviews that the transferred apprentices complete. They can identify easily what tasks the transferred apprentices still need to undertake. Leaders and managers use this information well to allocate staff time and resources to prioritise the tasks that will help the transferred apprentices to complete their programme. For example, they relieve tutors of teaching duties so that the tutors can prioritise marking assignments from transferred apprentices who are approaching the end of their programme.

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Reasonable progress

Leaders and managers take positive action to support the apprentices who transferred to them from another provider. They make sure that apprentices receive regular and informative one-to-one-review meetings with their tutor so that apprentices can better understand the progress they are making. A few transferred apprentices remain dissatisfied with the overall experience, but most appreciate the recent improvements to the programme and look forward to continuing their careers in the ambulance service. Monitoring visit: Medipro Limited, 5 and 6 July 2023 Leaders communicate effectively with the managers at the East of England Ambulance Service who are responsible for staff training. The ambulance service managers value the information they receive from Medipro leaders and, as a result, can contribute more effectively to the development of support plans for apprentices who fall behind. The ambulance service managers are very pleased with the progress

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Reasonable progress

that apprentices are making, including those who were transferred to Medipro to complete their programme.

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Reasonable progress

Leaders and managers now have a different approach to quality assurance than they had at the time of the full inspection. They now gather meaningful information about the quality of education that apprentices receive rather than simply checking that tasks have been completed. For example, managers check thoroughly the quality of feedback that tutors give to apprentices in review meetings. As a result, apprentices know more about the areas they need to improve.

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Reasonable progress

Leaders now receive a suite of systematic reports that provide them with a clear picture of many tasks that apprentices and tutors complete. As a result, they can identify priority actions for tutors, such as marking, and allocate time for tutors to complete their outstanding activities. However, leaders do not receive reports on all of the new performance measures. For example, they do not have enough information about overdue reviews. Consequently, there is still too much variability in the frequency of reviews of apprentices’ progress.

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Reasonable progress

Leaders and managers make effective use of the information they receive about the tasks apprentices complete, which they use to inform employers when apprentices fall behind. This enables employers to take prompt action to provide additional support when apprentices need it. For example, when employers are told about gaps in apprentices’ knowledge, they arrange additional time away from the workplace so that the apprentices can attend extra tutoring sessions.

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Reasonable progress

Leaders and managers take purposeful steps to collect information on what apprentices and their employers think about the quality of the apprenticeship programmes. They pay close attention to this feedback in order to make improvements to the learning experience of apprentices. For example, leaders recently made changes to the assessment plan to reduce workload peaks for apprentices. Monitoring visit: Medipro Limited, 5 and 6 July 2023

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Reasonable progress

Staff now gather useful and relevant information about what apprentices know and can do at the start of the programme. Apprentices complete a detailed initial assessment of their knowledge, skills and behaviours with the support of an expert tutor. Tutors use the information they gather effectively to plan what they will teach in each block of clinical training. They plan carefully which resources to use and how to assess each apprentice in class. However, tutors do not systematically use the results of the initial assessments to set targets for individual apprentices.

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Reasonable progress

Leaders provide tutors with useful training on changes to the initial assessment and progress monitoring processes. Tutors learn about the significance of additional questions to test the knowledge, skills and behaviours of apprentices, how to support individual learning needs, and how to monitor progress. Tutors put this training to good use with the newly recruited apprentices. However, none of the apprentices who have started since the last inspection have reached their first review point, so the full impact of the new systems cannot yet be identified.

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Reasonable progress

Leaders and tutors are now more rigorous in their approach to supporting apprentices to reflect on the development of their knowledge, skills and behaviours. Leaders provide all apprentices with a well-structured ‘skills pad’ in which apprentices records the scenarios they attend during their placements. Accompanying ambulance crew members provide useful feedback to apprentices and confirm the satisfactory completion of the procedure. Apprentices then score their own performance to inform reflective discussions with their tutor at their next progress review meeting.

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Reasonable progress

Tutors check carefully for gaps in apprentices’ knowledge, skills and behaviours. They plan simulated activities during ‘return’ weeks and additional tuition for apprentices who have not been able to gain practical experience of the full range of required medical procedures. For example, apprentices benefit from simulations to help build their confidence and competence in removing crash helmets after a road traffic accident.

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Reasonable progress

Leaders and managers have taken deliberate steps to increase the involvement of employers in the apprenticeship programmes. They involve managers from each of the ambulance trusts they work with in the planning of the curriculum. The regional Monitoring visit: Medipro Limited, 5 and 6 July 2023 training managers identify specific content based on their scope of practice and the trust’s policies. Subject matter experts from each trust contribute to the design and delivery of content about dealing with major incidents.

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Reasonable progress

Leaders and managers now communicate effectively with employers about the progress of apprentices. They hold monthly meetings with regional training managers from each trust. Leaders outline the completion of tasks by apprentices and identify those apprentices at risk of falling behind. As a result, employers know when action needs to be taken and put suitable plans in place to help apprentices to catch up. For example, apprentices who struggle with the completion of assignments due to gaps in knowledge are released from the workplace to attend intensive study weeks.

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Reasonable progress

Mentors and accompanying ambulance crew members provide apprentices with helpful advice and feedback on their performance in the workplace. Medipro leaders intend for apprentices to have a more structured record of this in the newly designed ‘skills pad’. However, it is too early to assess the impact of this on apprentices’ understanding of their strengths and areas for improvement.

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Reasonable progress

Leaders and managers do not make sure that apprentices benefit from a tripartite approach to feedback on their progress. Tutors support apprentices well to use feedback from the workplace to reflect on their own progress during formal review meetings. They now guide apprentices through their reflections and check for any gaps in knowledge, skills and behaviours to inform additional off-the-job training. However, for too many apprentices, the feedback that they receive from different sources is not coordinated well enough. Monitoring visit: Medipro Limited, 5 and 6 July 2023 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

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Reasonable progress

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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Reasonable progress

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Reasonable progress

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