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Placements policy

Contents

1 Introduction

The placement provider is explicit in the importance it places on learning, including recognising, promoting, and supporting the vital role than all staff can play in creating and supporting a positive learning environment (for example, through role-modelling and both formal and informal supervision) NHSE Education Contract (2021). There should be a supportive environment within which learners are developed, encouraged and challenged to become reflective practitioners and lifelong learners, and where a deep rather than surface approach to learning is fostered NHSE Quality Framework (2021).

The introduction of the Safer Learner Environment Charter (SLEC) (2024) ensures there is a standardised approach towards what a safe and quality learning environment should look like

2 Purpose

The trust acknowledges its responsibilities and role in the implementation of the NHS Long Term Workforce Plan (2023) and the importance of providing the potential future workforce with the opportunity to gain essential knowledge and skills relevant to their intended field of practice.

3 Scope

This policy relates to all staff who are responsible for supporting learning and will be referred to as educators.

The policy also relates to all those accessing placements within the trust who will be referred to as learners. This includes learners from universities, colleges, schools or individual requests for informal work experience.

The policy provides guidance on the provision of placement education for learners and how to comply with local and national agreements.

4 Responsibilities, accountabilities and duties

4.1 The trust

  • Ensure the learning environment is one in which education and training is valued and championed.
  • Ensure the learning environment is inclusive and supportive for all backgrounds and is sensitive to both the diversity of learners and the population the organisation serves.
  • Ensure there is a culture of continuous learning where giving and receiving constructive feedback is encouraged and routine.
  • Ensure learners are in an environment that delivers safe, effective, compassionate care and prioritises a positive experience for patients and service users.
  • Ensure all staff, including learners, are able to speak up if they have any concerns, without fear of negative consequences.
  • Ensure the environment is one that ensures the safety of all colleagues, including learners on placement.
  • Ensure there are opportunities to learn constructively from the experience and outcomes of patients and service users, whether positive or negative.
  • Ensure the learning environment encourages learners to be proactive and take a lead in accessing learning opportunities and take responsibility for their own learning.
  • Ensure there are opportunities for learners to take an active role in quality improvement initiatives, including participation in improving evidence-led practice activities and research and innovation.
  • Ensure the learning environment provides suitable educational facilities for both learners and supervisors, including space and IT facilities, and access to library and knowledge services and specialists.
  • Ensure the environment is inclusive and welcoming of all diversity

4.2 The Placement Learning team

  • Adheres to the duties stated in section 4.1 above.
  • Responsible for ensuring placement audits are undertaken in collaboration with the placement area and the education provider.
  • Ensure all learner feedback for placement settings are summarised and fed back the local management team and educators and acted upon by the head of department to address any concerns.
  • Learners are identified within current risk assessments in collaboration with the learning environment.
  • Work in collaboration with the trust in any disciplinary proceedings taken in connection with a learner in the practice setting.
  • Be responsible for maximizing placement capacity across the trust in collaboration with the local management teams and staff
  • In collaboration with local management teams open up environments that will achieve learning outcomes away from the front line environment to promote a varied and enriching the learner experience for wider awareness of the NHS system.
  • Ensure educators are appropriately prepared to appropriately support a learner.
  • Be responsible for ensuring learner are adequately prepared for placement by coordinating inductions into the trust.
  • Be responsible for ensuring learners are not permitted into a placement area without satisfying pre-placement checks such as DBS and manual handling assessments.
  • Ensure that the learners needs are recognised, including additional support or reasonable adjustments considered.
  • Ensures induction covers FTSU and the Inclusion network groups.

4.3 Professional leaders or matrons

  • Adheres to the duties stated in section 4.1 above.
  • Consideration is given to the potential impact on education and training of services changes (for example, service re-design or service reconfiguration), considering the views of learners, supervisors and key stakeholders (including education providers).
  • Education and training issues are fed into, considered and represented at the most senior level of decision-making.
  • There is clear, visible and inclusive senior educational leadership, with responsibility for all relevant learner groups, which is joined up and promotes team-working and both a multi-professional and, where appropriate, inter-professional approach to education and training.
  • Learners are identified within current risk assessments in collaboration with the learning environment.
  • Ensure that the learners needs are recognised, including additional support or reasonable adjustments considered.

4.4 Learning Environment team or team leader

  • Adheres to the duties stated in section 4.1 above.
  • Provide line management support, responsibilities and duties where the learner is also an employee.
  • Learners are identified within current risk assessments in the learning environment.
  • Maintain sufficient numbers of educators within the placement area by ensuring regulatory body compliance is maintained (if applicable to the learners needs). This could form part of a professional development review (PDR).
  • Ensure that learners receive adequate and appropriate supervision and are informed who is responsible for their supervision and who (and how) to ask for help should they feel that they need it. Supervision should comply with the respective regulatory and professional requirements.
  • Allow educators time to complete relevant training required to support learners on placement.
  • Work in collaboration with the trust in any disciplinary proceedings taken in connection with a learner in the practice setting.
  • Ensure that the learners needs are recognised, including additional support or reasonable adjustments considered

4.5 Educator

  • Educators should be adequately prepared to take on the role of supporting learners relevant to their professional group and regulatory and governing bodies.
  • Facilitate a timely local induction into the learning environment, ensuring Health and safety policy and general housekeeping information is outlined to the learner.
  • Learners are supported to complete appropriate, timely summative and, or formative assessments to evidence that they are meeting their learning outcomes, curriculum, including professional and regulatory standards.
  • Manage the learner’s off duty and absence record whilst on placement and liaise with the PLT to ensure placement hours are completed in accordance with curriculum and placement requirements.
  • The potential for differences in educational attainment is recognised and learners are supported to ensure that any differences do not relate to protected characteristics.
  • There is parity of access to learning opportunities for all learners, with providers making reasonable adjustments where required.
  • Adhere to roles and responsibilities outlined in the specific training programmes for educators to enable learners to meet their course requirements.
  • Ensure that the learners needs are recognised, including additional support or reasonable adjustments considered, Ensuring equity and non-discriminatory practice.
  •  Manage those learners who are experiencing challenges in achieving the required learning outcomes with sensitively and support from the education provider and the PLT in line with trust policies.
  • Ensure own knowledge and skills are up-to-date in respect to continuing professional development (CPD) and governing body requirements.

4.6 Learner

  • All learners will adhere to trust policies, procedures, and values, and will be governed by these standards whilst in placement.
  • Understands and applies relevant legal, professional regulatory and governance requirements, policies, and ethical frameworks, including any mandatory reporting duties, to all areas of practice.
  • Be familiar with how to raise concerns with the trust and education provider (see appendix B).
  • Be familiar with the support mechanisms available to them whilst on placement (see appendix A).
  • Learners have a responsibility to commit to their learning and development and actively seek out learning opportunities.
  • Learners have a responsibility to show respect for, and courtesy to all people who use our services and carers and all employees of the organisation, as well as safeguarding their well-being.
  • Learners have a responsibility to, at all times, provide a high standard of practice and care.
  • All learners have a responsibility to behave in a professional manner, at all times, including only agreed and appropriate use of personal mobile phones (including multi-factor authentication), good time keeping, and clear communication with the placement area, for example, absence, where abouts and study leave.
  • Learners who use their own vehicle for work purposes must have appropriate insurance cover (business use).
  • Learners may undertake a variety of activities in accordance with their scope of learning, if there is any doubt as to the appropriateness, advice should be sought from the education provider and the PLT.

5 Procedure or implementation

The Placement Learning team (PLT) are under direction from the head of education and the people and organisational development directorate and have overall responsibility for managing placements within the trust. The PLT coordinate and monitor placements to ensure they meet the required standards. The PLT will support all relevant educators and learners with the implementation of this policy.

6 Training implications

This will vary according to the nature of the placement. Educators should refer to the standard operating procedures which are linked to this policy relating to specific learner groups.

As a trust, all staff and learners need to be aware of the key points that the policy covers. Staff and learners can be made aware through:

  • group supervision
  • intranet
  • local induction
  • continuous professional development sessions
  • one to one meetings or supervision
  • practice development days
  • team meetings
  • posters

7 Monitoring arrangements

7.1 Educator and, or equivalent training and update

  • How: Attendance at training and update relevant to professional governing body (if applicable). ESR and practice and record of evaluation (PARE) register.
  • Who by: Placement Learning team (PLT) and education providers.
  • Reported to: PLT, learning environment lead or team leader and care groups.
  • Frequency: Ongoing.

7.2 Practice and record of evaluation (PARE) register

  • How:
  • Who by:
  • Reported to: PLT, learning environment lead or team leader and education provider.
  • Frequency: Ongoing.

7.3 Ensure sufficient numbers of educators for learner numbers

  • How: PARE Register and ESR.
  • Who by: PLT and education provider.
  • Reported to: PLT, learning environment lead or team leader and education provider.
  • Frequency: Ongoing.

8 Equality impact assessment screening

To access the equality impact assessment for this policy, please email rdash.equalityanddiversity@nhs.net to request the document.

8.1 Privacy, dignity and respect

The NHS Constitution states that all patients should feel that their privacy and dignity are respected while they are in hospital. High Quality Care for All (2008), Lord Darzi’s review of the NHS, identifies the need to organise care around the individual, ‘not just clinically but in terms of dignity and respect’.

As a consequence the trust is required to articulate its intent to deliver care with privacy and dignity that treats all service users with respect. Therefore, all procedural documents will be considered, if relevant, to reflect the requirement to treat everyone with privacy, dignity and respect, (when appropriate this should also include how same sex accommodation is provided).

8.1.1 How this will be met

No issues have been identified in relation to this policy.

8.2 Mental Capacity Act (2005)

Central to any aspect of care delivered to adults and young people aged 16 years or over will be the consideration of the individuals’ capacity to participate in the decision-making process. Consequently, no intervention should be carried out without either the individual’s informed consent, or the powers included in a legal framework, or by order of the court.

Therefore, the trust is required to make sure that all staff working with individuals who use our service are familiar with the provisions within the Mental Capacity Act (2005). For this reason all procedural documents will be considered, if relevant to reflect the provisions of the Mental Capacity Act (2005) to ensure that the rights of individual are protected and they are supported to make their own decisions where possible and that any decisions made on their behalf when they lack capacity are made in their best interests and least restrictive of their rights and freedoms.

8.2.1 How this will be met

All individuals involved in the implementation of this policy should do so in accordance with the guiding principles of the Mental Capacity Act (2005).

9 Links to any other associated documents

10 References

11 Appendices

11.1 Appendix A Trust support networks

11.2 Appendix B Process for raising concerns for learners

  1. Educator in practice.
  2. Team leader.
  3. Placement Learning team:
  4. Educator provider.
  5. Freedom to speak up champion (within placement area).
  6. Freedom to speak up guardian:

11.3 Appendix C Process for raising concerns for educators

  1. Line manager.
  2. Placement Learning team:
  3. Educator provider.
  4. Freedom to speak up champion (within placement area)
  5. Freedom to speak up guardian:

Document control

  • Version: 1.
  • Unique reference number: 1086.
  • Approved by: Education and learning clinical leadership executive group.
  • Date approved: 13 May 2024.
  • Name of originator or author: Learning placement learning facilitator, learning and development.
  • Name of responsible individual: Director of people and organisational development.
  • Date issued: 31 July 2024.
  • Review date: 31 July 2026.
  • Target audience: All learners accessing placements and all those supporting learners.

Page last reviewed: January 17, 2025
Next review due: January 17, 2026

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