ECP (Enhanced Clinical Practitioner) guidance and support
The ECP apprenticeship celebrates and recognises enhanced practice roles that contribute significantly to patient care, quality, safety, and efficiency. To support employers to successfully implement the ECP apprenticeship, we have produced The Enhanced Clinical Practitioner Apprenticeship Employer Guide.
This guide aims to provide support to employers in understanding, implementing, and harnessing the enhanced clinical practitioner apprenticeship within their organisations; by providing employers and systems with the tools to consider their workforce requirements to ensure that through collaboration with Education Providers the ECP apprenticeship can meet their future workforce needs.
You can access the Level 6 Enhanced Clinical Practitioner apprenticeship standard here.
ECP procurement framework
The procurement framework for ECP training providers will be refreshed in Autumn 2023, this will be an opportunity for new training providers and existing training providers to update their ECP course details.
AHP contextualisation
We have commissioned the development of nationally recognised AHP profession specific schema and model curricula for enhanced level practice apprenticeships. A guide to the ECP Apprenticeship Employers guide is available to support understanding of the opportunities for training and education at the enhanced level of practice.
The commission required a lead organisation per profession to coordinate and facilitate the development of the schema and model curricula. Organisations were entitled to bid for more than one professional pathway providing they meet the criteria for that profession and commit to running separate innovation partnerships for each of the professions, or professional group. The Universities of Salford and Coventry (SC), Sheffield Hallam University (SHU) and The Institute of Osteopathy (IoS) have developed the schema for the following professions:
- Diagnostic Radiography (SC)
- Dietetics (SC)
- Occupational therapy (SC)
- Operating Department Practitioners (SC)
- Osteopathy (IoS)
- Paramedics (SHU)
- Physiotherapy (SC)
- Podiatry (SC)
- Prosthetists & Orthotists (SC)
- Therapeutic Radiography (SHU)
NHS England will publish this document in Autumn 2023, with the intention that there will be validated programmes available for 2024/25 intake:
Please contact AHPnatprog@hee.nhs.uk for further information.
Critical Care Outreach
Keele University and University of Greenwich will begin delivery of the Enhanced Clinical Practitioner Apprenticeship with Critical Care outreach specific content from September 2023. The programmes will be aligned to the Critical Care Outreach Practitioner National Competencies and Professional Development Framework (CCO competence framework).
For further information contact:
- Greenwich – caroline.marshall@gre.ac.uk
- Keele – n.witton@keele.ac.uk
Enhanced Care Apprenticeship for registered staff working in community based services
We are currently working with employers to determine and agree community based/system modules for an ECP community Care specialism. Early conversation has been that this would include holistic assessment and management of people in our communities, including health inequalities aspects & proactive care, risk management & autonomous practice, working in virtual world – including managing patients, staff and relationships, communication including difficult/vital conversations.
For further details please contact – fay.lane@hee.nhs.uk
Enhanced Care Apprenticeship for General Practice Nursing
We are currently working with employers to determine and agree content for General Practice Nurses undertaking the ECP Apprenticeship. Employers are asked to consider the content they would wish to be delivered as part of the apprenticeship that would ensure the apprenticeship could be used to train general practice nurses with some experience, for example those ready for development in long-term condition management and non-medical prescribing.