Sandwell and West Birmingham Hospitals

National Health Service Trust

Address: Learning & Development Dept, First Floor Trinity House, B71 4HJ Unique reference number (URN): 54263

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Safeguarding standards met

The safeguarding standards are met. This means that leaders and/or those responsible for governance and oversight fulfil their specific responsibilities and have established an open culture in which safeguarding is everyone's responsibility and concerns are actively identified, acted upon and managed. As a result, learners are made safer and feel safe.

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How we evaluate safeguarding

When we inspect providers for safeguarding, they can have the following outcomes:

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How we evaluate safeguarding

Met: The provider has an open and positive culture of safeguarding. Not met: The provider has not created an open and positive culture of safeguarding. Not all legal requirements are met.

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Leadership and governance Expected standard

Leaders and governors have a clear vision and strategy for the curriculums that they provide. They prioritise sector needs and hard-to-fill roles, such as healthcare support and business functions. Healthcare support worker apprenticeships provide apprentices with progression opportunities into careers, including nursing associate, nursing and physiotherapy support. Leaders aim to widen participation by providing opportunities for local residents to gain an education and develop their careers in healthcare.

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Leadership and governance Expected standard

Leaders have suitable systems in place to monitor the quality of teaching and training that apprentices receive. Where areas for improvement are identified, managers act promptly. For example, they closely track apprentices who are at risk of falling behind to ensure that these apprentices succeed. Apprentices typically achieve their qualification on time.

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Leadership and governance Expected standard

Governors have a generally accurate understanding of curriculum quality. Leaders provide suitable updates and data, which has helped governors to support the improvement in achievement rates. However, governors do not challenge and monitor sufficiently the impact of leaders’ actions on aspects, such as the timely progress and achievement of different groups of apprentices, including those who are disadvantaged.

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Leadership and governance Expected standard

Leaders prioritise staff well-being. They maintain frequent communication with staff and offer support where needed so that workloads remain manageable. Tutors benefit from ongoing professional development, including participation in industry days, to stay current with sector changes and through studying towards a formal teaching qualification. Leaders model best practice by pursuing their own development, such as completing leadership qualifications and seeking out sector updates. Leaders share their learning well with staff.

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Inclusion Needs attention

Leaders and staff build trusted relationships with apprentices. Apprentices feel confident to share their support needs openly. Staff quickly put in place support for apprentices who are struggling, such as signposting to support services, adding one-to-one sessions or adjusting programme length. Leaders have not ensured that tutors have access to specialist training and expertise to help them support disadvantaged apprentices better, such as those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). Tutors research learning disabilities and difficulties and mental health conditions, but do not have enough understanding of the specific adaptations needed for apprentices with specific learning support needs, such as dyslexia or for apprentices who speak English as an additional language. Staff rely too heavily on apprentices' own identification of their needs.

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Inclusion Needs attention

Leaders and staff are not systematic enough in assessing and reviewing planned support and interventions to ensure they are effective and remain appropriate. A small number of support plans are outdated, and apprentices do not have access to up-to-date tailored support.

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Inclusion Needs attention

Leaders have recently developed initiatives to improve their approach to inclusion. They have forged partnerships with local SEND experts to support staff so that they can access specialist expertise. However, these initiatives are in their infancy and yet to be fully implemented.

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Achievement Expected standard

Apprentices, including those from disadvantaged backgrounds and/or with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), make suitable progress from their starting points and achieve well. Apprentices develop the professional behaviours, practical skills and knowledge required for their roles, including understanding patient-centred care, manual handling and effective communication.

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Achievement Expected standard

Achievement rates have improved markedly over the past 3 years, particularly in clinical subjects, where retention and achievement are now high. Apprentices with SEND achieve as well as their peers. Apprentices are well prepared for their end-point assessments. The proportion of apprentices who achieve distinction grades is increasing. Most apprentices who study non-clinical apprenticeships achieve a distinction grade.

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Achievement Expected standard

The quality of apprentices’ work is of an appropriate standard. Apprentices become more confident, take on greater responsibility and complete increasingly complex workplace tasks. Leaders and tutors ensure that apprentices develop the appropriate level of English, mathematics and digital skills to support them in their work roles.

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Curriculum and teaching Expected standard

Leaders design the curriculum sensibly so that apprentices build their knowledge over time and can recall what they have learned accurately. They closely map the course content to professional competencies and the regulatory requirements relevant to the clinical and non- clinical departments in which apprentices work. Tutors skilfully introduce essential knowledge at the start of the apprenticeship and systematically revisit and consolidate this. Apprentices studying level 3 senior healthcare support worker first learn in detail about patient-centred care, before moving on to more complex assessments, such as mobility checks and monitoring vital signs.

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Curriculum and teaching Expected standard

Tutors integrate what they teach well with on-the-job learning. Apprentices benefit from shadowing experienced managers and healthcare professionals. Apprentices studying clinical subjects undertake employer-delivered training in essential clinical competencies, such as performing cardiopulmonary resuscitation and safely moving patients post-surgery. This strengthens their ability to apply learning in the workplace.

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Curriculum and teaching Expected standard

Tutors are experienced healthcare professionals and draw on work-based scenarios and give clear explanations. They use questioning to help apprentices grasp new concepts and link their learning on theory to their day-to-day responsibilities. However, tutors do not have a detailed enough understanding of the strategies they could use to help those who need extra help. Consequently, support is not sufficiently tailored, which slows progress for some apprentices.

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Curriculum and teaching Expected standard

Tutors prepare apprentices well for the end-point assessment. They typically provide clear and helpful feedback to apprentices so that they can produce work to the expected standard. However, in clinical apprenticeships, tutors do not guide apprentices sufficiently to help them produce high-quality work.

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Participation and development Expected standard

Apprentices participate positively and attend lessons well. Leaders and tutors set clear expectations for conduct, which apprentices meet readily. Lessons are orderly and purposeful.

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Participation and development Expected standard

Apprentices behave respectfully towards peers and staff and understand how to raise concerns. They are confident that issues, such as bullying and inappropriate behaviour, will be managed appropriately.

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Participation and development Expected standard

Leaders ensure that all apprentices are taught topics relating to life in modern Britain. Tutors teach topics, such as safeguarding, the risks associated with radicalisation and extremism and the protected characteristics. Most apprentices have a secure understanding of fundamental British values and the relevance of these to their lives and work. They understand the importance of respect, and equality and diversity within their sector and the NHS trust's values. Apprentices benefit from helpful careers information, advice and guidance. They understand progression routes within the NHS trust and access opportunities, such as guest speakers, workplace shadowing and information about more senior roles. This information helps apprentices to make informed decisions about their future employment.

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What it's like to be a learner and/or an apprentice at this provider

Apprentices learn useful new knowledge and skills that are relevant to their job roles, such as healthcare support assistants, team leaders and business administrators. Level 3 team leader apprentices learn critical communication skills that help them to manage teams effectively. Level 2 customer service apprentices learn strategies to manage difficult conversations and ensure a positive customer experience.

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What it's like to be a learner and/or an apprentice at this provider

Apprentices apply their learning confidently at work. Their line managers trust them with increasingly complex tasks. Clinical apprentices communicate effectively with experienced colleagues on hospital wards. They administer medicine safely and can manage difficult conversations and conflict appropriately as a result of practising similar scenarios in lessons.

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What it's like to be a learner and/or an apprentice at this provider

Most apprentices make good progress from their starting points and achieve well. Staff arrange help for apprentices when barriers to their learning emerge, such as organising access to a laptop to complete their studies. However, staff do not have the specialist knowledge or expertise to ensure that apprentices with barriers, such as special educational needs and/or disabilities, receive appropriate support.

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What it's like to be a learner and/or an apprentice at this provider

Apprentices develop their understanding of topics beyond the qualification. They develop a secure understanding of life in modern Britain, including respect, equality and diversity, and apply this understanding effectively in their roles. Clinical apprentices understand the importance of valuing the opinions of others and giving choices to patients about their care. They follow and implement rules and regulations within their practice and hold each other to account when these are not met. Apprentices on non-clinical programmes demonstrate a deep understanding of fundamental British values, focusing particularly on respect and tolerance for their fellow apprentices, work colleagues and customers.

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What it's like to be a learner and/or an apprentice at this provider

Apprentices value their training and the opportunities it provides for education, employment and career progression within healthcare. They are motivated, demonstrate positive attitudes to learning and aspire to progress to more senior roles within the hospital trust.

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Team inspectors:

Saher Nijabat, His Majesty's Inspector Helen Morgan, His Majesty's Inspector

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Next steps

• Leaders should ensure that staff receive training to develop their knowledge and skills in teaching disadvantaged learners, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities and those who speak English as an additional language. • Leaders should ensure that staff swiftly identify apprentices' learning support needs and continuously monitor the support being provided to ensure that it is effective and appropriate. • Leaders should provide governors with detailed information to enable them to monitor the impact of leaders’ actions, such as the timely progress and achievement of different cohorts of apprentices, including those who are disadvantaged. • Leaders should ensure that tutors provide apprentices with feedback that is ambitious and helps them to produce work of a consistently high standard.

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About this inspection

Following our renewed inspection framework, all inspections are now led by His Majesty’s Inspectors (HMIs) or by Ofsted Inspectors (OIs) who have previously served as HMIs.

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About this inspection

Inspectors spoke with apprentices, tutors, leaders, managers, line managers during the inspection.

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About this inspection

The inspectors confirmed the following information about the provider:

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About this inspection

Sandwell and West Birmingham Hospitals National Health Service Trust is an employer provider offering apprenticeships in clinical and non-clinical subjects. They teach apprentices across 3 of their sites in Smethwick and West Bromwich.

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About this inspection

At the time of the inspection, there were 76 apprentices, all of whom were aged over 18. The largest apprentice numbers were studying level 2 healthcare support worker and level 3 senior healthcare support worker. There were small numbers of apprentices studying non- clinical subjects, including level 3 business administrator and level 2 customer service.

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About this inspection

Apprenticeship Training Provider Manager: Helen Colbourne

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Facts and figures used on inspection

The data was used by the inspector(s) during the inspection. More recent data may have been published since the inspection took place.

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Exceptional

Practice is exceptional: of the highest standard nationally. Other providers can learn from it.

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Strong standard

The provider reaches a strong standard. Leaders are working above the standards expected of them.

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Expected standard

The provider is fulfilling the expected standard of education and/or care. This means they are following the standards set out in statutory and non-statutory legislation and the professional standards expected of them.

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Needs attention

The expected standards are not met but leaders are likely able to make the necessary improvements.

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Urgent improvement

The provider needs to make urgent improvements to provide the expected standard of education and/or care.

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Urgent improvement

services providing education and skills for children and learners of all ages, and inspects and regulates services that care for children and young people.

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Urgent improvement

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Urgent improvement

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Urgent improvement

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Urgent improvement

T: 0300 123 1231 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.gov.uk/ofsted

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