from Sally Gosling (NHS HEE Subject Matter Expert Credentials) and Katrina Maclaine (AAPE UK Committee Member and Academic Consultant to HEE Implementation of Credentials)
Health Education England’s Centre for Advancing Practice is actively working to promote the delivery of Centre-endorsed credential specifications. The Centre’s approach is continuing to build on stakeholder engagement activity in 2022 that involved higher education institutions (including via AAPE UK). A key focus within this is on supporting the integration of credentials’ delivery within HEIs’ existing advanced practice education provision. To build on this, a series of three webinars is being provided by the Centre and hosted by AAPE UK. The series is designed to provide AAPE members with the opportunities to do the following:
- Receive and discuss updates on the Centre’s approach to credentials and credential implementation.
- Consider potential ways of integrating Centre-endorsed credential specifications within advanced practice education provision.
- Engage in open discussion on enablers and barriers to credential delivery, including to inform the ongoing development of the Centre’s approach.
Webinar 1 was held on Friday 3rd March to provide an initial overview of the intended approach and explore how HEIs can integrate credential delivery within their advanced practice MSc programmes and/or provide a credential as a stand-alone entity specifically for practitioners who have either already gained their MSc or successfully completed the Centre’s ePortfolio (supported) route. The session included time for questions and discussion and identified suggestions for the focus of Webinar 2. A briefing paper on this topic and the slide deck from webinar 1 are attached for your information. You can also view a presentation with background information on this subject in the first half of the following recording. If this generates any questions please bring these up at the webinars: (21) Advanced Practice series: Credential Implementation & Programme Accreditation/Re-Accreditation – YouTube
Webinar 2 was held on Friday 21st April. The slide deck for this session is attached. The recording for the session will be provided via the AAPE UK Membership site in due course.
It started with consideration of 3 hypothetical scenarios that illustrated how an HEI might provide one or more credentials. This prompted attendees to share their ideas and plans which prompted a wider discussion around different approaches. The second part focused on the intention behind draft materials that are being developed to support HEI update of credential delivery.
Webinar 3 will be held on Friday 5th May 11am – 1pm. To join the session please use this link
This session will identify common features of credentials to enable discussion regarding how these aspects could be addressed in HEI delivery. This will lead into a discussion using the draft Centre standards for approving HEIs’ delivery plans as a framework for debating how an HEI might demonstrate that they meet the requirements for delivering a credential specification, including how an HEI might deliver and monitor the indicative learning volume of hours, work-based learning and supervision, and assessment strategy. Current plans for the process for HEI approval for delivery of a credential and for commissioning providers will be outlined. The webinar will close with consideration of what on-going support the HEI community might want to optimise credential implementation in the short and longer term.