Advanced Clinical Practice Research in Plymouth and the South West

Research on the impact of advanced practice in the healthcare workplace and the continuing professional development of its practitioners
Practitioner and patient under observation
Title: Advanced Clinical Practice Research in Plymouth and the South West
Funded by: Health Education England (Now called NHS Workforce, Training and Education)
Funding amount: £142,000
Location: South West England
Dates: 31 January 2023 – 31 January 2026
Project partners: NHS England, University Hospitals Plymouth NHS Trust, International Advanced Practice Educators Network
University of Plymouth PI/Co-I: Dr Colin Roberts
 

Summary

The University of Plymouth's Advanced Practice team works to deliver the highest quality teaching and research into advanced practice (AP) across registered healthcare professions. We work towards evidence-informed teaching and practice, evaluating our work and feedback on the results into delivery as well as a wider network of NHS policymakers and professionals.
We are a group of seven educators and researchers who are passionate about upskilling health and social care professionals. Our team has a blend of skills, split between clinical and non-clinical staff and qualitative and quantitative researchers.
We are particularly interested in documenting the impact of AP on the UK workforce, the accreditation processes, and how AP has changed practitioners' approach to continuing professional development.
Practitioners discussing patient examinations

The impact of advanced practice

The origins of AP can be traced to North America in the 1960s. However, it wasn't until 2008 that the first AP framework came to life in the UK in Scotland. At this point, the role's specification and activities remained heterogeneous – but in 2017, Health Education England (HEE) published a Multi-professional Framework for Advanced Clinical Practice in England, providing a basis to align existing educational curricula and competence frameworks. Our research looks at the impact of harmonising and codifying this role across different clinical professions for the NHS as well as individual practitioners.
This project is delivered in partnership with NHS England. We work closely with the regional leads for Advanced Practice in the South West, as well as other AP leads in local NHS Trust and community organisations in Cornwall, Devon and Somerset. Our team also works closely with students to support them in publishing their work after they complete a Master's qualification and to support them in delivering the research pillar for the AP framework.

Continuing professional development for advanced practitioners

As the advanced practitioner role has emerged and changed over time, the needs of the practitioners have also evolved.
One of the specific impacts that our research focuses on is how the continuing professional development needs of advanced practitioners can be met given the wide range of registered healthcare professionals who can train in AP, such as paramedics, physiotherapists, dietitians and nurses, among others.
It is vital to learn whether there are any cross-cutting trends of what advanced practitioners need for their development, or if the preferences for training fall into clear dividing lines by professional registration.
Advanced clinical practitioner and patient with a tuning fork
Advanced Clinical Practice team in scrubs
Advanced clinical practitioner examining a patient with a torch

Past events

The Advanced Practice team regularly attends events, seminars, and workshops. Staff are also involved in organising events, with Helen Francis-Wenger being a member of the Association of Advanced Practice Educators UK subgroup that organises their annual conference. Examples of interactions typically undertaken by our staff include:

Seminars and workshops

  • Devon Training Hub: Primary Care Advanced Practice Conference, 2024.
  • Royal College of Nursing (PCN) – Advanced Nurse Practitioner Conference, 2024.
  • Association of Advanced Practice Educators, UK Annual Conference, 2023
  • NHS England – Advancing practice conference, 2023.

Conferences

  • 13th International Council of Nurses, Nurse Practitioner, Advanced Practice Nursing conference in Aberdeen, 2024. A forum for senior policy makers, NHS managers, clinical staff and educators to network and discuss global trends in advanced practice.
  • 16th World Congress of the International Association of Semiotic Studies, 2023. Dr Tredinnick-Rowe presented a paper about the theoretical basis for workplace-based assessments, and the basis for how educators define and measure trust.

Outreach activities

The Advanced Practice team is engaged in a number of outreach activities including professional and lay networks. We have worked with patient engagement teams to learn more about the patient perspective on advanced practitioners and their role in the NHS. We would like to thank the NIHR Applied Research Collaboration South West Peninsula’s Patient Engagement Group (PenPEG) for volunteering their time to improve our work.
Wider engagement across the health community has involved delivering local service training to clinical teams such as in Plymouth's Child Development Centre. Our staff also give public lectures on advanced practice and non-medical prescribing at regional training hubs across Devon, Cornwall, and Bristol.
 

University of Plymouth staff

The Advanced Practice team are part of the UK-wide Academy of Advanced Practice Research

Publications

Journal articles

Books/chapters

Roberts, Colin, Christine Eade, and Helen Francis-Wenger. (2023). "Diagnostic Interpretation." The Advanced Practitioner: A Framework for Practice. (EdsIan Peate, Sadie Diamond-Fox, Barry Hill). Chapter 11, 214-236. Wiley: Hoboken, NJ.
Francis-Wenger, H., & Roberts, C. (2023). Clinical Decision Making and Diagnostic Reasoning. In The Advanced Practitioner: A Framework for Practice. (EdsIan Peate, Sadie Diamond-Fox, Barry Hill). Chapter 10, 195- 213. Wiley: Hoboken, NJ.
Francis-Wenger, H., & Phipps, O. (2022). Scope of Practice in Advanced Clinical Practice at a Glance. In Advanced Clinical Practice at a Glance (At a Glance (Nursing and Healthcare) (Eds Barry Hill, Sadie Diamond Fox, Ian Peate)(pp. 4-5). Wiley: Hoboken, NJ.

Partnered with

South West Clinical Schools

The South West Clinical Schools are a collaboration between the University of Plymouth and health and social care organisations operating in Cornwall, Devon and Somerset. The School of Nursing and Midwifery and the School of Health Professions lead this initiative which aims to support all health and social care professionals undertaking and supporting research.
We seek to overcome long-standing barriers to collaborative working across these sectors by supporting colleagues at all stages of their research careers, whether they are already involved in research or thinking about getting involved.
nurse shows other trainees how to use the IV drip