Providing, supervising and coordinating high-quality and compassionate health and social care for a wide range of people.
This occupation is found in the health and care sector. Assistant Practitioners carry out their duties in a range of settings, such as hospitals, clinics or in the community (eg GP surgeries). They may visit individuals in their own homes or in residential care where their wider team may include workers from both health and social care. They work in a wide range of health and care services for example diagnostic services, rehabilitation, orthopaedics, oncology, end of life care, mental health and learning disabilities. Assistant Practitioners are often hybrid roles aligned to local population and service needs and cross traditional occupational boundaries.
The broad purpose of the occupation is to work alongside registered healthcare professionals in providing high quality and person-centred compassionate healthcare and support to individuals. On a daily basis, Assistant Practitioners will assist registered healthcare professionals in total patient assessment, and in the coordination of care (including referrals to other practitioners) as well as undertaking clinical, diagnostic and therapeutic activities according to local population and service needs.
For example:
In their daily work, an employee in this occupation interacts with
An employee in this occupation will be responsible for working within the limits of their competence and authority to provide high quality, evidence-based clinical, diagnostic or therapeutic care and holistic support as part of the wider healthcare team. Assistant Practitioners report to a registered healthcare practitioner and they may delegate to, supervise, teach and mentor others including healthcare support workers and students. They may manage their own caseload and normally require only indirect supervision. However, they are accountable for their actions and must alert the registered healthcare practitioner in situations where they do not have the necessary knowledge, skills or experience.
Assistant Practitioners must communicate effectively and be able to adhere to strict standards, including legislation, when handling sensitive information. They promote a safe and healthy working environment, assess and manage risk, continually develop their knowledge and skills and support others to do the same. Assistant Practitioners will provide leadership within the scope of their practice and contribute to quality improvement in services by participating in audit and research activities.
This apprenticeship has a mandated integrated foundation degree.
This is a summary of the key things that you – the apprentice and your employer need to know about your end-point assessment (EPA). You and your employer should read the EPA plan for the full details. It has information on assessment method requirements, roles and responsibilities, and re-sits and re-takes.
An EPA is an assessment at the end of your apprenticeship. It will assess you against the knowledge, skills, and behaviours (KSBs) in the occupational standard. Your training will cover the KSBs. The EPA is your opportunity to show an independent assessor how well you can carry out the occupation you have been trained for.
Your employer will choose an end-point assessment organisation (EPAO) to deliver the EPA. Your employer and training provider should tell you what to expect and how to prepare for your EPA.
The length of the training for this apprenticeship is typically 24 months. The EPA period is typically 3 months.
The overall grades available for this apprenticeship are:
When you pass the EPA, you will be awarded your apprenticeship certificate.
The EPA gateway is when the EPAO checks and confirms that you have met any requirements required before you start the EPA. You will only enter the gateway when your employer says you are ready.
The gateway requirements for your EPA are:
For the assistant practitioner (health), the qualification required is 200 credits of the:
Foundation Degree Assistant Practitioner (a specialism may be indicated eg mental health, imaging, physiotherapy, rehabilitation, primary care, nursing, etc eg FdSc Assistant Practitioner)
The final 40 credits are assigned to the integrated EPA.
Observation with questions
You will be observed by an independent assessor completing your work. It will last at least 2 hours. They will ask you at least 5 questions.
Professional discussion underpinned by a portfolio of evidence
You will have a professional discussion with an independent assessor. It will last 90 minutes. They will ask you at least 7 questions. The questions will be about certain aspects of your occupation. You need to compile a portfolio of evidence before the EPA gateway. You can use it to help answer the questions.
The EPAO will confirm where and when each assessment method will take place.
You should speak to your employer if you have a query that relates to your job.
You should speak to your training provider if you have any questions about your training or EPA before it starts.
You should receive detailed information and support from the EPAO before the EPA starts. You should speak to them if you have any questions about your EPA once it has started.
If you have a disability, a physical or mental health condition or other special considerations, you may be able to have a reasonable adjustment that takes this into account. You should speak to your employer, training provider and EPAO and ask them what support you can get. The EPAO will decide if an adjustment is appropriate.
| Version | Change detail | Earliest start date | Latest start date |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1.1 | End-point assessment plan revised | 01/02/2023 | Not set |
| 1.0 | Approved for delivery. The funding band for this standard has been reviewed and remains at £12000. (May-2018). | 19/05/2016 | 31/01/2023 |
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