Health Sciences University

Health Sciences University

Address: 13-15, Parkwood Road, Bournemouth, BH5 2DF Unique reference number (URN): 2804847

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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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Inclusion Expected standard

Leaders’ provision of tailored and effective support for all its students is an integral part of the university’s culture and ensures that any apprentice needing support receives it promptly. A trained staff team works closely with apprentices before their course begins to agree support strategies needed to overcome apprentices' barriers to learning. Staff record the support arrangements in a thorough student learning plan which is implemented effectively by course leaders. The support team monitors the impact of the support provided, making any necessary adjustments. An effective personal tutoring system dovetails with the work of the student support team and broadens the support available. Apprentices find the highly tailored support arrangements are pertinent and impactful. Apprentices experiencing any kind of reasonable adjustment are making progress at least as well as their peers.

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Inclusion Expected standard

Staff have received suitable training to make the support process effective. However, leaders have identified that a few lecturers are not fully aware of the wide range of strategies they can use to be inclusive in their lessons. Leaders are implementing a specific training programme to expand all lecturers’ skills in supporting apprentices with barriers to learning.

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Leadership and governance Expected standard

Leaders have developed close and productive working relationships with health and care sector employers nationally and regionally. Employers’ involvement and influence means that apprenticeship curriculums meet very specific needs in the health sciences professions. Leaders have invested heavily in advanced clinical teaching and learning technologies. For example, they have provided simulated learning environments, where apprentices conduct advanced health history-taking, patient handling, and physical examinations, and immersive spaces replicating high-pressure clinical scenarios. These enrich apprentices’ opportunities to develop new practical and theoretical skills by extending their learning experiences.

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Leadership and governance Expected standard

Leaders’ governance and quality assurance processes ensure that leaders at successive levels of seniority and oversight are made well aware of what is working well and what needs to improve. Leaders’ current actions are carefully considered with ongoing evidence of positive impact. For example, leaders have introduced a development programme to extend further the range of lecturers’ teaching and assessment techniques.

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Leadership and governance Expected standard

Governors play a highly active role in the strategic development of the university. Board members have relevant experience in healthcare and related professions. Leaders keep them well informed about the quality and impact of the provision and, in turn, governors provide leaders with challenge and support.

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Leadership and governance Expected standard

Leaders have implemented a programme of professional development which helps staff keep up to date with sector trends and challenges. Leaders focus well on maintaining staff health and wellbeing, providing training annually, including in mental health first aid, resilience building and coping with stress.

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Achievement Expected standard

Apprentices make appropriate progress from their starting points and develop the advanced clinical skills that they need to perform their job roles. They apply these skills confidently in their working practice and demonstrate their knowledge in their written work. They also further develop their English, mathematical and digital skills. For example, they gain a thorough working knowledge of health- and role-specific software relating to their jobs and master the technical vocabulary needed for their chosen professions.

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Achievement Expected standard

Apprentices learn how to work empathetically with patients, carers and other professionals. They become valued members of staff in their workplaces. For example, they perform venepuncture and work with hospital at home teams completing advanced assessments. Dietetic apprentices develop their critical analysis skills by using the provider's online ‘writing café’. Current apprentices are mostly on track to achieve well in their professional assessments and proceed to their end-point assessments.

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Curriculum and teaching Expected standard

Leaders have devised carefully tailored curriculums which meet health sector employers’ requirements precisely. These curriculums ensure that apprentices develop the theoretical and practical skills they need as health sector professionals. Leaders have sequenced the curriculums carefully so that apprentices build knowledge such as diagnostic skills incrementally, applying these skills quickly in their workplaces.

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Curriculum and teaching Expected standard

Leaders ensure that the curriculum is highly inclusive by making pertinent and individualised adaptions for apprentices who need support. They adjust and refine the curriculums using information from their own observations, employers' feedback, patient groups and apprentices’ views to identify what works well and act on what needs to improve.

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Curriculum and teaching Expected standard

Apprentices mostly experience a high standard of teaching and assessment combined with constructive feedback on their work, and they enjoy their lessons. Lecturers are experts in their specialisms and draw well on their in-depth clinical experience to teach curriculums with insight and authority. Most lecturers use a variety of teaching strategies well such as group discussions, seminars, practical activities and assignments. These help apprentices embed new concepts into their practice. Lecturers plan sufficient time for apprentices to study and revisit topics and build in opportunities to check their understanding. If apprentices fall behind in their studies, lecturers and support staff provide effective support to get them back on track. However, leaders have recruited a few lecturers with little teaching experience. They are implementing training to develop the teaching skills of these inexperienced lecturers.

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Curriculum and teaching Expected standard

Course leaders, employers and apprentices meet regularly to discuss apprentices’ progress and plan their next steps. Apprentices understand how well they are making progress.

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Participation and development Expected standard

Apprentices learn in a safe and welcoming environment where staff support them well to achieve their personal and academic goals. Leaders do not tolerate bullying, unlawful discrimination or harassment nor do apprentices experience poor behaviours at the provider. Apprentices value leaders’ and staff’s focus on their wellbeing.

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Participation and development Expected standard

Lecturers teach apprentices an appropriate wider curriculum in context-relevant and memorable ways, including fundamental British values, recognising radicalisation, respect, tolerance and freedom of speech. Consequently, apprentices know what these themes mean in practice. Lecturers teach equality, diversity and inclusion as intrinsic elements of apprentices’ professional standards along with age-appropriate content about mental and sexual health and wellbeing.

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Participation and development Expected standard

Most apprentices plan to stay with their employers and develop their careers, continuing to make a valuable contribution to the NHS. Leaders invite guest lecturers, industry experts and alumni to speak to apprentices about their wider career options.

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Participation and development Expected standard

Apprentices contribute to their communities and develop their communication and networking skills. For example, a cohort of apprentices led a health promotion campaign for year 5 school children.

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Participation and development Expected standard

Apprentices’ attendance is mostly high. Staff follow up the small number who do not attend their lessons regularly and are exploring strategies to improve these apprentices’ attendance.

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

Apprentices enjoy their studies and feel safe. They build their clinical skills progressively and apply their learning at work. They value highly the opportunity to gain professional qualifications which are directly relevant to their working lives in the health sciences sector. They can identify clearly how their learning has led to improvements in their self-confidence and the development of their professional skills since starting their courses.

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

Apprentices regard their teaching and support staff as passionate, friendly and consistently helpful. They appreciate the individual practical support that they receive from staff to overcome any barriers to learning and to support their wellbeing. They welcome the way their lecturers provide additional academic support readily, for example to clarify aspects of clinical skills an apprentice does not fully understand. Apprentices respect how lecturers use their extensive expertise and deep practical knowledge of the health sciences sector to enrich teaching. They appreciate the blend of online and face-to-face learning and the opportunities for group discussion and interaction, which lecturers use well to extend apprentices’ knowledge and their sense of community and belonging. Apprentices broaden their knowledge and skills by discussing their peers’ experience of other health-related settings. They regard their assignments as challenging

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

and recognise that their lecturers expect high standards of academic work. Most apprentices rise to this challenge. Apprentices have the time to which they are entitled during working hours to conduct academic research and complete assignments.

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

Apprentices are taught about and understand topics such as fundamental British values and how to stay safe and healthy. These topics reflect the professional standards that apprentices have to embody at work. Apprentices recall that a few of their courses had some initial teething problems. Leaders listened closely to apprentices’ concerns and implemented well-considered actions to improve, such as increasing face-to-face teaching hours and recruiting more lecturers.

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Next steps

Leaders should identify the causes of apprentices' low attendance on a small minority of courses and implement an effective attendance improvement strategy. Leaders should ensure that the training that they provide helps all lecturers to develop their inclusive teaching practices. Leaders should ensure that lecturers actively participate in all relevant elements of the teaching development strategy and monitor its impact on extending lecturers' teaching skills.

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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

Inspection activities: Inspectors spoke with senior leaders and managers, governors, course leaders, lecturers, apprentices and support staff.

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About this inspection

The inspectors confirmed the following information about the provider: Health Sciences University operates from a main site in Bournemouth and has an additional centre in London. It has had taught degree awarding powers since 2018 and has offered apprenticeships since 2023. It offers apprenticeships for people working in the health sciences sector, primarily the NHS. All apprentices are over 19 years of age and work for large- and small-scale NHS employers in the south west region and London.

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About this inspection

There are currently 56 apprentices, of whom 25 are studying the level 7 advanced clinical practitioner integrated degree apprenticeship and 7 are studying the level 7 dietetics

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Team inspectors:

Caroline Jamison, Ofsted Inspector James Salmons, Ofsted Inspector

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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

integrated degree apprenticeship. Eleven apprentices are studying the level 6 enhanced clinical practice apprenticeship, 6 apprentices are studying a level 6 diagnostic radiography integrated degree apprenticeship, and fewer than 5 are studying each of level 6 occupational therapy integrated degree apprenticeship and level 6 speech and language integrated degree apprenticeship.

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Strong standard

Vice-Chancellor: Professor Lesley Haig The provider reaches a strong standard. Leaders are working above the standard 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 standard 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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