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Training, development & workforce

Growing the

workforce with RNDA

Anita Esser

Head of Wider Healthcare Teams

Education

September 2020

Training, development & workforce

Background• Large acute teaching hospital on South Coast

• Delivering secondary and tertiary services locally,

regionally and supra-regionally

• Approximately 3260 (WTE) registered nurses

• Work with a number of HEI partners to provide

placements for undergrad programmes: nursing,

midwifery, AHP, healthcare sciences, pharmacy and

medicine

• Have an integrated education and workforce department

covering all professions, support workers, leadership,

workforce planning and workforce systems

• Sits within the People Division

Training, development & workforce

Making the case• Used workforce data to make case (2017)

– Anticipated reduction in new starter and out-put direct

entry students attending at local HEIs

– Nurse recruitment and retention

– Turnover of nurses

– Age profile of workforce/retirement

– Overseas recruitment

– Anticipated growth in workforce for service

expansions

• Previous experience of funded OU HCA to registered

nurse route – good retention

using this model

Training, development & workforce

Leadership

• CEO request and support

• Education, HR, Finance and Nursing senior leadership

working together to write the business case

• Board approval and support

• Agreement to support backfill for duration of programme

starts not just year on year

• Case for backfill enabled local managers to support best

applicants to apply for programme

• Growing our own workforce – right thing to do!

Training, development & workforce

Procurement

• Invited other Trusts to work with us to procure

• UHS – BPP University and OU for first intake

• Clear about what we wanted from provider:

– Flexibility and bespoke

– Partnership working

• Widening participation important – reduce education

barriers

• Minimum entry requirement:

– Level 3 qualification – any subject

– Level 2 Numeracy/Literacy

– Care Certificate

– Not based on UCAS points

Training, development & workforce

Recruitment process

• Agreed 4 years backfill at 22.5 hours at AfC B3 or B4

pay protection if already AP/NA– supernumerary time

• Recruitment from internal support staff only

• Information to managers and staff:

– Briefing sessions

– Workplace (Facebook for workplace)

• Expressions of interest – long list

• Joint interviews with HEI including patient rep

• Detailed feedback if not successful

Training, development & workforce

RNDA Starts

Intake Starts Attrition End date

Oct 2018 50 (OU and BPP) 0 Autumn 2022

Oct 2019 21 (BPP) 0 Autumn 2023

Oct 2020 20 + 11 AP/NA

progression (BPP)

N/A Autumn 2024

Training, development & workforce

Course details

Route Theory Practice placement

RNDA 34 weeks of

22.5 hrs/week –

set theory days

Placements 35 weeks of 22.5hrs/week

– not set days. Not in own ward area.

All moved across to other areas. Get

at least 1 high acuity area and 1 x 110

hours community and 110 hours of GP

referrals & in-reach/out-reach services

NA – RNDA

Join L5 (2019)

RNDA group Feb 21

75 hours 75 hours placement + HEI RPL

process

AP – RNDA

Join L5 (2019)

RNDA group Feb 21

75 hours 450 placement assessed + 300 RPL

from AP programme + HEI RPL

process

Training, development & workforce

Lessons learnt

✓ Central team approach – no single point of failure

✓ Backfill supports selection of best apprentices not just

number who can be released from one area

✓ Ongoing relationship with HEI at senior leadership level

✓ Embedded HEI practice educators on site

✓ Flexible delivery

Training, development & workforce

x Communication challenges – getting info to everyone

x Learning environment/placements

x Rostering across apprentice and non-apprenticeship

days

x Employee ‘v’ student – supernumerary on placement

x Impact on NA starts – directing to right course for

individuals

Lessons learnt

Training, development & workforce

Growing our own workforceRegistered nurse degree apprenticeships

Ian Joy, Associate Director of Nursing

The Newcastle upon Tyne Hospitals NHS

Foundation Trust

Email: ian.joy@nhs.net

Twitter @ianjoy80

• One of the largest teaching hospitals in the county

• Acute, specialist and community provision (Adult and Paediatrics)

• Prominent research and education function

• Double CQC Outstanding

Who are we?

• Recruitment and Retention Group established in 2013 to look at long term staffing and workforce solutions

• Invested extensively in the Assistant Practitioner role to support development of existing HCA workforce. Over 100 AP’s trained from 2014 onwards.

• Explicit focus from the outsight to try and utilise AP as a future RN pipeline. Clear path from Band 2 to Band 5

• All AP’s were recruited from our existing HCA workforce and never recruited externally

Background

• Well developed relationships with the local HEI supported the ability to innovate

• Worked collaboratively on 18 month fast track RN degree apprenticeship for existing AP’s

• Cohort of 8 AP started on programme September 2018 and registered in April 2020

• Funded from re-invested income relating to placements

• First cohort of qualified RNDA in the country (right in the middle of Covid!)

Opportunity

• Worked closely with another HEI to develop the fast track part time route

• Existing APs undertake the programme over 3 years instead of 5 due to prior learning

• Currently have 14 on programme due to qualify in July 2022

• Funded through existing established posts with a small cost pressure risk which is closely managed

Second Cohort

• Now have a route from pre Band 2 through to Band 5 utilising apprenticeships throughout

• Never needed to recruit externally and all staff have been home grown talent

• Turnover of this staff group is low as they have felt supported to grow and develop

• Now exploring 5 year part time route for HCA

Workforce Model

• Mutually beneficial and positive collaboration between Trust and HEI has been of fundamental importance to success

• This is based on regular contact and partnership meetings. Leads to continued innovation

• Still trying to find a financially sustainable model

• Equity across the workforce is a challenge

• Internal collaboration with key stakeholders is important to succeed - Finance/HR

Lessons Learned and Continued Challenges