- Conference
- 2024 National Health Care Service Group Conference
- Date
- 30 November 2023
- Decision
- Carried
Conference notes the severe staff shortages across the NHS, including the allied health professions. Despite an overall growth in numbers of these professions, the vacancy rates continue to climb.
Staff are suffering from burn out and stress and patient care is being damaged.
Conference notes that newly qualified allied health professionals and new starters need to be given support to prepare them for their new jobs.
Giving AHPs access to support during key transition points in their career, such as when they have just qualified or when they start a new role is essential for successful professional development as well as giving them a positive workforce experiences.
Almost half of staff leaving the AHP professions have 5 years or fewer experience. This would indicate that more needs to be done to support staff in the early stages of their career.
Conference therefore welcomes the new Principles of Preceptorship from the Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC). Conference notes that UNISON was involved in the development of the principles and the associated guidance.
Preceptorship provides a bridge between education and work by increasing the confidence and capabilities of students and new registrants.
However, Conference notes that one-third of respondents to the HCPC’s new registrant survey said they did not have a structured period of learning on starting practice. What’s more, one-quarter said their preceptorship was less than 3 months.
With staff struggling under increasing workloads, staff providing preceptorship support often do not have the time or the capacity to provide the necessary support to the preceptee.
Conference believes that preceptors and preceptees must be given the time and the support to ensure that preceptorships give AHPs the opportunity to develop their confidence, feel valued and feel welcomed into their new workplace.
The new guidance provides the outline for employers to follow.
Conference therefore calls upon the Health Service Group Executive to:
1. Ensure branches are aware of the new AHP Principles for Preceptorship
2. Provide guidance to branches to ensure they are able to push for the implementation of robust and fully supported preceptorships for AHPs
3. Ensure that those who take on the preceptor role to support preceptees are properly remunerated and recognised.