Innovation
The innovation involves working in partnership with service colleagues to initiate two centres of clinical learning (COLs) based in the local community and not within the HEI. There will be one Practice Teacher in each COL who will have a lightened caseload for up to two years in order to focus on supporting students and developing on-site programmes of clinical education. The COL will also influence practice at other smaller satellite clinics or ‘spokes’; academics from KCL will both support the educational initiative and evaluate the project.
What prompted innovation?
- This innovation was prompted by the Health Visitor Implementation Plan (DH 2011) which projected 600 new health visitor students for London between 2011 and 2015. Each will be allocated a Practice Teacher (PT) who will also manage a caseload of up to 1,000 families.
- In 2012 unanticipated and additional funding was given to each London HEI to facilitate support for student placements and these funds supported the innovation.
What makes innovation different?
- This innovation locates education firmly in the practice domain.
- The innovation will be led by senior Practice Teachers, supported by lecturers from the HEI.
- The innovation will change the ‘whole system’ delivering practice based learning and remove the division between clinical and academic worlds.
Changes in practice
The innovation begins in September 2013. It is anticipated that it will:
- generate a positive student experience through excellent pre-qualification support and preceptorship support for newly qualified staff
- motivate senior practitioners through its emphasis upon practice development and achieving excellence in practice.
- build Practice Teacher confidence in decision making about student attainment and in their own assessment strategies.
- help the development of strategies for the resolution of conflicts as they arise.
- recognise the commitment and excellence of experienced practitioners and teachers and build professional morale and self-esteem by increasing their capacity through the additional funded post.
- provide research opportunities to explore best practice in health visiting and in educational innovation.
- enhance recruitment and retention when the current policy initiative for health visiting recruitment has ended.
- provide an opportunity for collaboration with the National Nursing Research Unit to assess the impact of findings from the current DH funded projects.
Impact
The innovation will be reviewed through:
- on-going contact between the participating clinical area and the HEI
- formal quarterly reviews of achievement for the perspective of each of all the stakeholders: students, Practice Teachers, mentors and managers
Dissemination
The innovation has yet to be disseminated