North Bristol NHS Trust has launched as one of England’s first Excellence Centres as part of an initiative to improve training for healthcare support staff.
The National Skills Academy for Health North Bristol Excellence Centre is one of six established as part of a pilot programme co-funded by the Department for Business Innovation & Skills.
North Bristol NHS Trust was presented with a plaque by Head of Operations at the National Skills Academy for Health, Daryl Keyworth, during an official launch at the Learning & Research building in Southmead Hospital.
The Academy’s Excellence Centres have been set up to make a real difference to the accessibility, consistency and effectiveness of training for the health sector’s support workforce.
North Bristol NHS Trust is a leading organisation for the education and training of healthcare and hospital staff with active programmes for apprentices, work experience and helping people get back into work as part of a partnership with Job Centre Plus.
Jane Hadfield, Assistant Director, Learning and Development at North Bristol NHS Trust, said: “We are really pleased and proud to be one of the first National Skills Academy for Health Excellence Centres.
“We aspire to inspire and support other employers to reap the rewards of a fully integrated support workforce and apprentice strategy. We want our partner organisations to benefit - in the same way we have - from getting the right people at the right time, developing the right skills and helping them to fulfil their potential and so enabling us to achieve a sustainable, solid, compassionate and caring workforce.”
Candace Miller, Director of the National Skills Academy for Health said: “We look forward to working closely with North Bristol NHS Trust and all of the private, public and voluntary sector healthcare employers across the region that have joined the North Bristol Excellence Centre network.
“Together with local training providers, the Excellence Centre will coordinate and implement high quality skills programmes to grow and develop the workforce skills that they need in a cost effective way that makes the best use of limited resources across the whole of the healthcare economy.”
The partner employers include:
- University Hospitals Bristol NHS Foundation Trust
- Royal United Hospitals Bath NHS Foundation Trust
- Avon and Wiltshire Mental Health Partnership NHS Trust
- Bristol Community Health
- North Somerset Community Partnership
- Gloucestershire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
- South Western Ambulance Service NHS Foundation Trust
- Dorothy House Hospice
- Sirona Care
- West of England Local Enterprise Partnership
- GP CARE
- Bradgate Surgery
- Bath & North East Somerset Enhanced Medical Services
- St Michaels Surgery
- Way Ahead Care
Our trainees
Debbie Antwi came to North Bristol NHS Trust on work experience in 2011 while she was doing a Level 3 Diploma in Health and Social Care at South Gloucestershire College (then Filton College), having previously worked as a domestic assistant within the organisation. She would come into J ward, a surgical ward in the old Southmead Hospital once a week and having gained experience of working in a hospital she started working part-time at the hospital while completing her course.
“Before I started working on the ward I didn’t know what to expect and it helped me decide where I wanted to be,” Debbie, 24, said.
“That was the biggest stepping stone for me.”
In 2012 Debbie applied for a role as a Trainee Assistant Practitioner at North Bristol NHS Trust working in the renal department, initially working in the old Carrington ward.
For the last year and nine months she has been working in the Trust’s Satellite Dialysis Unit in Bath, and after finishing her Assistant Practitioner Training in January Debbie applied to start her nursing training at UWE Bristol, which will start in March. She has a sponsored place, which is supported by Health Education South West, and will only need to attend for two years due to the Assistant Practitioner qualification she has already obtained.
“The support here has been so incredible,” Debbie said.
“I have worked my way up in the Trust and it feels like home to me. And now I will be coming back as a nurse. I started my career wearing a grey uniform, now I’m in pale blue and when I’m a nurse I‘ll get to come back in a different colour again.”
Keelan Brailsford joined North Bristol NHS Trust in May 2012 having tried his hand at a few different roles.
His first position at the Trust involved providing administrative support for one of the project teams, then a programme administrator role, which he worked in for two years.
During this time Keelan completed his level 2 and level 3 apprenticeships in Business & Administration and is now working towards his level 4 in a new role as a Personal Assistant for the Trust’s Director of Operations, Deputy Director of Operations and Associate Director of Performance.
Last year Keelan, who is 23, was honoured in the South West Healthcare Apprenticeship Awards, where he was highly commended in the Advanced Level 3 Apprentice category.
“Whilst working towards my apprenticeships I have received regular support from my assessors. Being able to do the day-to-day job at the same time has really boosted my experience and confidence,” he said.
“I would say to anyone offered an opportunity like this not to turn anything down – try it and it will help you work out what you want to do.”
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