Northern Care Alliance NHS Trust

Northern Care Alliance NHS Trust Report following a monitoring visit to a ‘requires improvement’ provider

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Name of lead inspector: Anita Pyrkotsch-Jones, His Majesty’s Inspector Inspection dates: 1 and 2 August 2023

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Address:

Mayo Building Stott Lane Salford M6 8HD Monitoring visit: Northern Care Alliance NHS Trust, 1 and 2 August 2023

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Context and focus of visit

Northern Care Alliance was inspected in August 2022. At that time, inspectors judged the overall effectiveness of the provision to require improvement.

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Context and focus of visit

The focus of this monitoring visit was to evaluate the progress that leaders and managers have made in resolving the main areas for improvement identified at the previous inspection.

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Context and focus of visit

The Northern Care Alliance NHS Trust (the Trust) is an NHS Group formed by bringing together two NHS Trusts: Salford Royal NHS Foundation Trust and The Pennine Acute Hospitals NHS Trust. At the time of the monitoring visit, the Trust had 139 apprentices. There were 86 apprentices on level 3 team leader or supervisor, 25 on level 3 senior healthcare worker, 18 on level 3 business administration, two on level 2 healthcare support worker and four on level 2 customer service apprenticeships. No apprentices were under 19 years of age.

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Reasonable progress

Following the previous inspection, leaders and managers conducted a comprehensive review of quality assurance and quality improvement arrangements. They quickly identified weaknesses in the management of the different apprenticeships. Leaders subsequently appointed curriculum leaders with significant expertise and experience of apprenticeships to manage the programmes. Leaders and managers now have greater oversight of the quality of the apprenticeships and challenge curriculum leaders and staff effectively to improve the quality of training that apprentices receive. For example, the curriculum leader for healthcare apprenticeships rapidly addressed issues of underperformance, which has resulted in the temporary suspension of recruitment to the level 2 and level 3 healthcare programmes.

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Reasonable progress

Leaders and managers implemented a range of processes to monitor and improve the quality of the provision. For example, programme review meetings and cohort validation meetings enable managers and curriculum leaders to review the apprenticeship curriculums and accurately monitor apprentices’ progress. Monitoring visit: Northern Care Alliance NHS Trust, 1 and 2 August 2023 Governors challenge leaders effectively, holding them to account for their actions. Comprehensive reports to governors, including the executive people committee, the head of workstreams and the care organisation groups, enable governors to rigorously challenge leaders and set them targets for improvement.

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Reasonable progress

Leaders rightly recognise that self-assessment processes require further improvement to enable managers to accurately identify the key strengths and weaknesses of the provision and to set and monitor actions for improvement. Managers have begun to review the self-assessment arrangements. However, the review is in its infancy.

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Reasonable progress

Apprentices and their line managers now receive detailed information about the expectations of the apprenticeship prior to the start of the programme. Apprentices, their line managers and tutors discuss the most appropriate apprenticeship to meet the needs of apprentices and their employers. This ensures that line managers and apprentices understand the content of the apprenticeship and the sequence in which it is taught. Tutors accurately place apprentices on the correct apprenticeship.

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Reasonable progress

Tutors accurately identify apprentices’ starting points. They use a range of assessments to assess the individual needs and abilities of apprentices. For example, tutors, senior healthcare support worker apprentices and their line managers jointly review apprentices’ job roles and their existing skills, knowledge and behaviours. They then plan individualised curriculums that support and develop apprentices’ skills in their specialist job roles. However, tutors do not always review or moderate apprentices’ self-assessments of their existing knowledge, skills and behaviours well enough. Consequently, apprentices’ self-assessments do not always provide an accurate reflection of the skills that apprentices need to develop.

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Reasonable progress

How much progress have leaders made in ensuring that apprentices’ on- and off-the-job training is coordinated effectively and involves apprentices’ line managers in the planning of the training and the review of apprentices’ progress?

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Reasonable progress

Leaders and managers have worked diligently, since the previous inspection, to improve the quality of training that apprentices receive. Tutors now provide apprentices’ line managers and mentors with a copy of apprentices’ learning plans. Monitoring visit: Northern Care Alliance NHS Trust, 1 and 2 August 2023 This ensures that line managers and mentors know what training their apprentices receive. Most line managers routinely attend apprentices’ reviews of progress, which enables them to discuss the off-the-job training and how this links to the job role. Tutors, line managers and mentors use the off-the-job training plan to identify activities for apprentices to practise their skills in the workplace. For example, team leader or supervisor apprentices learn about appraisals and performance management of staff. They subsequently conduct the appraisals of their teams.

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Reasonable progress

When apprentices miss off-the-job training sessions, they attend individual or small- group sessions with their tutors to catch up with their learning. However, a few senior healthcare support worker apprentices lack continuity in their learning due to frequent changes in tutors.

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Reasonable progress

A few line managers observe their apprentices conducting work activities to ensure that they apply their training correctly. However, in a very few instances, line managers do not provide sufficient time during working hours for apprentices to complete their off-the-job learning activities.

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Reasonable progress

The electronic system for recording and monitoring apprentices’ progress does not routinely identify how apprentices apply their learning from training sessions to their job role. The use of apprentices’ reflective learning journals varies considerably across the apprenticeships. Journals do not consistently show how apprentices reflect on the application of their learning or the activities they complete at work.

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Reasonable progress

How much progress have leaders made in ensuring that apprentices learn about future career opportunities and further study on completion of the apprenticeship?

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Reasonable progress

Apprentices on healthcare apprenticeships receive appropriate careers guidance about further study and career options within the NHS. For example, tutors routinely discuss career aspirations during apprentices’ tutorials and progress reviews. However, team leader or supervisor apprentices rely on informal discussions and information provided by their line managers and mentors to help them to plan their next steps, such as opportunities for promotion in the NHS.

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Reasonable progress

Leaders and managers have planned a formalised careers programme, including a virtual careers hub and careers weeks, where apprentices will receive guidance on, and attend events about, careers in the NHS. However, this has not yet been fully implemented. Monitoring visit: Northern Care Alliance NHS Trust, 1 and 2 August 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 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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Reasonable progress

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