Apprenticeship training course

Assistant practitioner (health) (level 5)

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Information about Assistant practitioner (health) (level 5)

Providing, supervising and coordinating high-quality and compassionate health and social care for a wide range of people.

• Knowledge, skills and behaviours:
  View knowledge, skills and behaviours

  Knowledge

  • The legislation, policies, standards, local ways of working and codes of conduct that apply to own role
  • The scope of own practice, limitations of own competence and who to ask for support
  • The principles of equality, diversity and inclusion and providing person-centred care and support, including consent, active participation and choice
  • The principles of a ‘duty of care’, ‘safeguarding’ and ‘protection’ as they apply to adults and children, the signs of harm and abuse and how to reduce the risk of harm and abuse
  • The normal ranges expected when taking physiological, technical and psychological measurements and the significance of a variation from the normal range
  • The types of assessment relevant to the individual’s physical and mental health and wellbeing and the factors that may influence and impact assessment
  • The signs that an individual is in pain, distress or discomfort
  • The signs of change in an individual’s health and wellbeing, including the indications of when to intervene within the scope of practice and when to escalate
  • The principles of maintaining nutrition and fluid balance and the signs and symptoms of inadequate nutrition and fluid intake
  • Clinical, diagnostic and therapeutic interventions within the scope of own role and the underpinning principles to select equipment and tools in the context of the intervention
  • The signs that an individual’s health and well-being is changing as a result of a clinical, diagnostic or therapeutic intervention
  • Ways to record and store information securely, including the safe use of technology
  • The principles of confidentiality, duty of confidence and disclosure
  • The frameworks and principles of team working including delegation, accountability and supervision in the workplace
  • The structural and strategic environment in which health and social care services operate and how these impact on own role
  • Methods of communication to use in the workplace, including how to overcome barriers and challenges
  • The benefits of digital solutions for improving communication systems and practices
  • The meaning of ‘capacity’, the differences between mental illness, dementia and learning disability, and the impact of these conditions
  • How to identify and evaluate own learning and development needs
  • How to use feedback to create a personal development plan
  • Models of reflective practices used in health and care and how reflection can be used to improve own practice
  • The principles and styles of leadership in relation to own role and place of work and the relationship between leadership and management
  • The tools and techniques used to identify learning needs and learning styles
  • The relationship between teaching, coaching and mentoring, and how to evaluate if individuals’ learning needs have been met
  • National and local strategies, priorities, and initiatives for promoting and improving public health
  • The wider determinants of health such as the contribution of social influences, health literacy, individual circumstances, behaviours and lifestyle choices on health and wellbeing
  • The principles of risk management and the hazards and risks associated with the scope of own practice
  • The principles of a duty of candour, and techniques for managing challenging situations, unsafe work practices, addressing comments, compliments, conflict and complaints
  • The principles of infection prevention and control, when and how to select the right personal protective equipment for self and others and how to handle hazardous materials and substances
  • How to move and assist individuals safely and how to move and handle equipment and other objects safely
  • Methods and indicators used to measure quality, their application in health and care and how they inform a quality improvement plan
  • The rationale and ethical considerations for undertaking research activity and how to review literature and interrogate the existing evidence base
  • Methods for collecting research data and how to interpret and apply findings to own and others’ practice
  • The structure and function of human body systems and how they relate to and impact on each other
  • The relationship between health and well-being and the principles and philosophy of the biomedical, sociological and psychological models in providing holistic health and care
  • The stages and processes of human development and how health and wellbeing needs vary throughout the lifespan

  Skills

  • Work in line with legislation, policies, standards and codes of conduct that apply to own role
  • Work within the scope of practice, the limits of own knowledge and skills, escalating and reporting to others when needed
  • Work in partnership with others to champion safe, equitable, non-discriminatory person-centred care and support for individuals
  • Promote and maintain the principles of a duty of care, safeguarding and protection, always acting in the best interest of individuals and working across organisations and with other agencies to ensure they do not come to harm
  • Undertake and monitor physiological, technical and psychological measurements using the appropriate equipment and tools within scope of own practice
  • Select and use the correct equipment and tools to undertake timely assessment of an individual's physical and mental healthcare status within own scope of practice
  • Recognise and respond to an individual in pain, distress or discomfort
  • Interpret results of assessment in the context of the individual’s health and wellbeing, making appropriate changes or recommendations to the care plan within scope of own practice or escalating in line with local protocol
  • Support individuals with nutrition and fluids in line with their care needs, taking action as required
  • Undertake evidence-based clinical, diagnostic or therapeutic interventions delegated by a registered healthcare professional in line with scope of practice, and standard operating procedures
  • Monitor and review the impact of clinical, diagnostic or therapeutic interventions on an individual’s health and well-being
  • Record and store information related to individuals securely and in line with local and national policies, including the safe use of technology
  • Report and share information related to individuals securely and in line with local and national policies, maintaining confidentiality
  • Delegate work to colleagues in the multi-disciplinary team and engage in supervision
  • Liaise with the multidisciplinary team to prioritise and manage own workload
  • Communicate with individuals, their families, carers and health and care professionals using techniques designed to maximise understanding
  • Promote the use of digital solutions to improve communication systems and practices
  • Recognise and respond to limitations in an individual’s mental capacity
  • Participate in training and development activities and evaluate the impact of learning on own practice
  • Seek out and respond to feedback and engage in appraisals
  • Reflect on own practice to improve practice
  • Provide leadership and act as a role model for others within the scope of own role
  • Identify learning and development needs of others
  • Teach, coach and mentor others and confirm that learning needs have been met
  • Actively seek out and act on opportunities to support individuals to maximise their health and well-being within the scope of the role
  • Promote preventative health behaviours and support individuals to make informed choices to improve their health and wellbeing within the scope of the role
  • Conduct and record risk assessments relevant to the activity and scope of own practice
  • Uphold the principles of duty of candour, identifying and managing challenging situations, unsafe work practices and addressing comments, compliments, conflict and complaints
  • Maintain a safe and healthy working environment for self and others, using techniques for infection prevention and control, including the use of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) and supporting others to comply with policy and procedures
  • Move and assist individuals, equipment and other items safely
  • Participate in and support others in audit and quality improvement activities in the workplace
  • Conduct research activity within the scope of own role and act on the findings
  • Identify opportunities to improve quality in the workplace and contribute to local, regional and national quality improvement initiatives

  Behaviours

  • Treat people with dignity
  • Show respect and empathy for those you work with
  • Be adaptable, reliable and consistent
• Apprenticeship category (sector): Health and science
• Qualification level: 5; Equal to higher national diploma (HND)
• Course duration: 18 months
• Maximum funding: £12,000 ; Maximum government funding for ; apprenticeship training and assessment costs.
• Job titles include:
  • Assistant practitioner

View more information about Assistant practitioner (health) (level 5) from the Institute for Apprenticeships and Technical Education.