Nottinghamshire Alliance Training Hub

Core Principles

At the inception of Training Hubs, a set of guiding national principles was supported by HEE, NHSE/I, the RCGP and the BMA GP Committee. These have continued to be reviewed in light of the development of HEE and NHS priorities, and underpin the programme going forward.

Training Hubs are accountable to HEE through Primary Care Schools and the Postgraduate Dean with respect to educational governance and quality management of the clinical learning environment, and the organisation of clinical placements for work undertaken under HEE’s direction. Through HEE they are also accountable to the HEE led National Training Hub Oversight Board with respect to educational governance and quality management of the clinical learning environment, and the organisation of clinical placements for work undertaken under HEE’s direction.

Training Hubs are jointly accountable for workstreams developed in collaboration between HEE and NHSE/I nationally and to Sustainability and Transformation Partnerships (STPs)/ Integrated Care Systems (ICSs) for workstreams developed locally to address identified local workforce priorities.

However, the potential for Training Hubs to develop further is considerable: they are ideally positioned to enable “place-based” delivery of education, training and workforce development of the wider NHS primary care workforce at undergraduate and postgraduate levels and at all stages of a NHS professional’s career in primary care. Through a “place-based” approach and the management of educational tariff, Training Hubs can positively influence workforce “investment decisions” and the delivery of population healthcare needs to help tackle observed healthcare inequalities.

Existing Core Functions of Training Hubs

1. The development and expansion of capacity of high-quality learning placements at undergraduate and postgraduate levels, including provision, training and development of faculty of multi-professional educators.

2. Supporting better understanding of workforce planning needs and their realisation across the STP/ICS and at primary care network level, across health and social care.

3. Supporting the development and realisation of educational programmes to develop the primary/ community care workforce at scale to address identified population health needs or support service re-design and delivery of integrated care.

Training Hubs – The Offer

By March 2020, all Primary Care Networks will have access to the resources of a Training Hub.

By March 2020, all Primary Care Networks will be supported through the Training Hub programme to develop and maximise their teaching and learning environment: improving overall capacity.

Recognising the variation that exists across Training Hubs in order to fully realise delivery of the described core activities by March 2020, an accurate assessment of “readiness” has been undertaken through a self assessment maturity matrix.

The overarching offer that Training Hubs are expected to provide is detailed in the Maturity Matrix (Appendix 1) which includes expectations across the varying Training Hub workstreams.

Whilst the Maturity Matrix document describes the core expected functions, this does not limit a Training Hub, both now and in the future, to expand their functions and adapt to support changes in both Postgraduate Medical and Dental training, the delivery of integrated care across existing organisational boundaries, or support new as yet un-envisaged roles.

Core Functions from April 2020

The contribution Training Hubs have made, particularly in responding to local future workforce needs through the expansion of training placements, has been acknowledged: such that they are now included in the Long Term Plan and referenced in the new GP contract. HEE and NHSE will be working in collaboration to develop shared understanding of how these functions are delivered and what level of support is required.

It has been noted that there has been variation in both their levels of maturity and adoption of workstreams. The significant investment from HEE requires the appropriate governance and accountability and evidence of delivery.

With a significant investment in Training Hubs, their existing functions will be built on to provide a consistent England wide offer to include:

Further development and expansion of placement capacity to create innovative and high-quality clinical placements for all learners to meet the workforce needs of “the place” in line with the Long Term Plan: thus, maximising the effective use of educational resources across the network.

In addition to the continuation of the role in supporting understanding of workforce planning, assisting in the co-ordination and realisation of the health and social care workforce across the STP/ ICS system.

Support recruitment of the primary care workforce through:

Developing, expanding and enhancing recruitment of multi-professional educators together with developing their capabilities to support the delivery of high-quality clinical learning placements and high-quality teaching and learning environments.

Supporting the development and realisation of educational programmes to develop the primary/ community care workforce at scale to address identified population health needs, support service re-design and the delivery of integrated care (through, for example, rotational placements and integrated educational programmes of learning).

4. Enable, support and embed “new roles” within primary care.

5. Supporting the retention of the primary care workforce across all key transitions including promoting primary care as an employment destination to students, through schools and higher education institutions.

6. Enable both workforce planning intentions and placement co-ordination through the active management of clinical placement tariffs – moving towards “place-based tariffs”.