Northern Care Alliance NHS Trust

Further education and skills inspection report

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Inspection of Northern Care Alliance NHS Foundation Trust

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Overall effectiveness Good

The quality of education Good Behaviour and attitudes Good Personal development Good Leadership and management Good Apprenticeships Good Overall effectiveness at previous inspection Requires improvement

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Information about this provider

The Northern Care Alliance NHS Foundation Trust (the Trust) was formed by bringing together two NHS trusts: Salford Royal NHS Foundation Trust and The Pennine Acute Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust. At the time of the inspection the Trust had 92 apprentices. There were 54 apprentices on level 3 team leader or supervisor, 18 on senior healthcare support worker (SHSW), 14 on level 3 business administrator, five on level 2 healthcare support worker and one on level 2 customer service practitioner apprenticeships. 11 to 13 June 2024

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

Apprentices are committed to their learning and most apprentices attend well. They exhibit high levels of professionalism both in learning and in the workplace. SHSW apprentices that provide end of life care, treat patients and family members with dignity and respect. Apprentices are highly motivated to achieve their apprenticeship and are proud to work for the NHS.

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

Apprentices develop substantial new knowledge, skills and behaviours. Business administrator apprentices learn about legislation and budgeting. They use this information to understand the data that can be digitised and the impact of costs of drugs on budgeting Apprentices apply this knowledge when carrying out cost analysis and developing digital ways of working. Managers value the contributions that apprentices make in the workplace.

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

Apprentices increase their confidence because of the training that they receive. Team leader or supervisor apprentices develop their skills to carry out challenging conversations with their peers and patients. They confidently challenge others to follow infection control procedures to avoid cross contamination. SHSW apprentices gain the confidence to complete patient observations and clinical skills, such as electrocardiogram tests, independently.

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

Apprentices feel safe and place a high priority on safeguarding others. When attending to patients that are offenders, they ensure that patients are put in appropriate rooms, that staff treat these patients in pairs, and prison officers are present in the room. Apprentices learn about local risks and have an in-depth understanding of how to identify signs of safeguarding concerns in patients and visitors.

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better?

Leaders and tutors create a well-structured curriculum where apprentices incrementally build their knowledge, skills and behaviours over time. Team leader or supervisor apprentices learn about their leadership styles and body language before learning how to manage teams effectively and the impact of team cohesiveness on the organisation. SHSW apprentices learn about the duty of candour and duty of care before moving onto more complex topics such as understanding the difference between mental health and mental capacity.

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better?

Tutors effectively plan and coordinate on- and off-the-job training with apprentices’ managers. Business administrator apprentices develop their digital and communication skills. They apply this learning at work when they collaborate with key stakeholders to organise and create agendas for meetings at the trust. Team leader or supervisor apprentices create weekly reports to monitor and manage average appointment waiting times. This supports the trust to meet its targets. 11 to 13 June 2024

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Most tutors use a range of teaching strategies to consolidate key concepts and recap prior learning. They use quizzes, multiple choice tests and group activities to provide opportunities for apprentices to understand and develop their knowledge and skills. As a result, apprentices learn more and remember more.

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Leaders have been too slow to improve apprentices’ attendance to functional skills lessons. Apprentices that need to complete their English or mathematics functional skills do not attend lessons regularly enough. This means that they do not achieve their English and mathematics qualifications as quickly as they could.

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Most tutors provide useful and developmental feedback that helps apprentices to improve the quality of their work. Most apprentices know what they need to do to achieve the highest possible grades. Over half of apprentices now achieve the highest grades available to them. However, SHSW apprentices do not always receive useful feedback on their written work. This means that they continue to make the same errors in their work.

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Apprentices who have additional support needs are supported effectively. Apprentices with dyslexia use online platforms to learn how to develop their reading and comprehension skills. They use coding techniques to identify key parts of the text that they are reading so they can discuss this in more detail with their tutors. Apprentices value the extra support that they receive from their tutors and their managers.

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Leaders use a range of quality improvements processes to help them improve the quality of education that apprentices receive. They put in place quality improvement actions that rectify the weaknesses that they identify. For example, leaders have redesigned the recruitment processes for apprentices to improve the numbers of apprentices that achieve. Apprentices and their managers now receive useful information and guidance before enrolling on to the apprenticeship to ensure that the training that apprentices receive will develop the knowledge and skills that they require in their job roles. As a result, leaders have significantly reduced the numbers of apprentices leaving their apprenticeship early. Apprentices now make their expected progress. Most of the weaknesses identified at the previous inspection have been rectified.

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Staff are appropriately qualified and experienced. They participate in professional development activities to enhance their industry expertise. Tutors of SHSW shadow clinical colleagues in theatre and day surgeries. They complete online learning to ensure that their skills are current, such as identifying signs of sepsis and performing bedside nursing. Leaders use the outcomes of teaching observations to provide comprehensive support to those tutors that need to develop their teaching skills. However, leaders do not use this information to systematically plan training to strengthen all tutors’ teaching skills further.

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Most apprentices receive useful careers information, advice and guidance from their tutors or by accessing a careers hub. Most apprentices are aware of their next steps such as progressing on to nursing degree apprenticeships. However, business 11 to 13 June 2024

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administrator and a few team leader or supervisor apprentices do not access sufficient careers information, advice and guidance. As a result, they do not know about their career pathways or opportunities for further education and training.

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Senior leaders provide governors with a range of useful and detailed reports. Governors use these reports to provide effective scrutiny and challenge. However, leaders identify that the reports need strengthening so that governors can provide further scrutiny and challenge on all aspects of the quality of education that apprentices receive.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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What does the provider need to do to improve?

 Improve feedback following assessments on the SHSW apprenticeship so that apprentices know what they need to do to improve their work.  Improve attendance to functional skills lessons so that apprentices achieve their English and mathematics qualifications swiftly.  Continue to strengthen the reports that governors receive so that they can provide effective scrutiny and challenge on the quality of education that apprentices receive.  Use the information from quality processes to develop training so that all tutors strengthen their teaching skills. 11 to 13 June 2024

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Address

3rd Floor, Mayo Building, Stott Lane Salford M6 8HD

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Address

Website https://www.northerncarealliance.nhs.uk/

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Address

Principal, CEO or equivalent Dr Owen Williams OBE

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Address

Date of previous inspection 2 to 4 August 2022

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Address

Main subcontractors None 11 to 13 June 2024

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Information about this inspection

The inspection team was assisted by the apprenticeship manager, 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

Alison Humphreys, lead inspector His Majesty's Inspector Liz Greenhalgh Ofsted Inspector Zoe Ibbotson His Majesty's Inspector Elaine Price Ofsted Inspector 11 to 13 June 2024

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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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