Staff & Recruitment

Practice assessors will assess and confirm the student’s achievement of practice learning for a placement or a series of placements.

This does not mean that practice assessors must make an assessment of each individual environment or placement. Practice assessors do not need to be physically based or employed in each or any of the environments in which the student is placed. The practice assessor assesses the students overall performance for their practice learning, taking account of whether or not the relevant proficiencies and programmes outcomes have been met, and if they display the required values of their profession. They must have sufficient opportunities to observe the student across environments in order to inform their decisions.

A nominated practice assessor will also work with the nominated academic assessor to make a recommendation for student progression. However not all practice assessors will be required to perform this aspect of the role.[1]

This role is to support and supervise nursing and midwifery students in the practice learning environment. All students must be supervised while learning in practice environments.

Practice supervisors can provide supervision in different ways. These depend on different things – it’s the approved education institution’s (AEI’s) responsibility to decide what supervision is appropriate, with its practice learning partners.

Factors that AEIs and their practice learning partners should take into account when considering the way in which supervision may be delivered include:

public protection
student learning needs – both the level of learning required (student competence) and the student’s programme outcomes
student and practice supervisor equality and diversity needs
the availability of practice supervisors and their skills and knowledge.

Practice supervisors should also be able to judge what kind of supervision and support they are able to provide.[2]

Additional specific advice for supervising prescribing students is available on page 12 of Realising professionalism: Standards for education and training Part 3: Standards for prescribing programmes.[3] Higher Education Institutions should also forward tailored information relating to their own module directly to nominated assessors. For advice on NHSGGC trainees undertaking prescribing modules please look here: NHSGGC NMP Policy

Each of the Higher Education Institutions have their own documentation that students are required to have supervisors read / sign off for different modules. All trainee ANP / ACNS now require to have evidence of supervised practice within their Turas Professional Portfolio, and we have our own guidance document.[4]

Trainees can ‘raise a ticket’, i.e. email you an official request for feedback, either formative or summative, that is sent directly back to, and is stored within their portfolio. This can take a variety of formats which are explained within the advance practice toolkit. [5]

Further support is available from the NES document A National Framework for Practice Supervisors, Practice Assessors and Academic Assessors in Scotland. [6]

There is also a series of learning modules on Turas Learn Practice Supervisors and Practice Assessors’ Learning Resource.[7]

[1] What do practice assessors do? – The Nursing and Midwifery Council (nmc.org.uk)

[2] What do practice supervisors do? – The Nursing and Midwifery Council (nmc.org.uk)

[3] programme-standards-prescribing.pdf (nmc.org.uk)

[4] the TURAS Professional Portfolio In advanced nursing practice (nhsggc.org.uk)

[5] https://www.advancedpractice.scot.nhs.uk/education/turas-professional-portfolio.aspx

[6]https://www.nes.scot.nhs.uk/media/fxdd4d01/scottish_approach_to_student_supervision_and_assessment_interactive.pdf

[7] https://learn.nes.nhs.scot/45749/future-nurse-and-midwife/practice-supervisors-and-practice-assessors-learning-resource

“The Advanced Clinical Nurse Specialist (ACNS) is an experienced and highly educated registered nurse working within a specific field of practice. They manage, deliver, advise on and support the care for people within a specialist area. Educated to at least Postgraduate Diploma level in an appropriate subject, they are assessed as clinically competent in their defined specialty. They have a wider scope of practice than the clinical nurse specialist at Level 6 and will manage greater complexity.

As a clinical leader they have the autonomy to act and accept responsibility and accountability for their actions, acting as an expert advisor or resource for others. This includes specialist assessment and treatment using a holistic approach to managing complex, multidimensional situations. This may require management of care over a prolonged period of time. They have the authority to refer, admit and discharge within appropriate clinical areas. Their practice is characterised by a high level of clinical decision making based on in-depth, expert knowledge in their specialism of care delivery.

Working as part of the multidisciplinary team, they can work in or across all settings, including non-clinical areas, dependent on their area of expertise.” (CNOD 2021).

ACNSs train in post for the role. Trainee ACNSs are usually CNSs before they embark on deepening and broadening their knowledge for an ACNS role. Trainee ACNSs are increasingly being formally employed in training posts (using Annex 21 from Agenda for Change) while they learn. Trainee ACNSs are supervised whilst they learn additional skills and will also undertake appropriate post-registration education at postgraduate level at university to support their learning. Trainee ACNSs will build a portfolio of evidence to demonstrate they are competent to practice which is formally assessed at the end of their training.

The Trainee Advanced Clinical Nurse Specialist Guide

Transforming Roles Paper 8 sets out the core competencies for any ACNS. To these additional specialist competencies are added. The competency framework needs to be completed before a new ACNS can be regarded as appropriately prepared.

ACNS are paid at a minimum of Band 7

Advanced Practice is a level of practice, rather than a specific role or title (Transforming Nursing Roles Paper 2 CNOD 2017)and  has four pillars of practice, which the ANP must have as part of their core role and function. These  are:-

• Clinical practice

• Leadership

• Facilitation of learning

• Evidence research and development

” An Advanced Nurse Practitioner (ANP) is an experienced and highly educated Registered Nurse who manages the complete clinical care for their patient, not solely any specific condition. Advanced practice is a level of practice, rather than a type of speciality of practice.

ANPs are educated at Masters Level in advanced practice and are assessed as competent in this level of practice. As a clinical leader they have the freedom and authority to act and accept the responsibility and accountability for those actions. This level of practice is characterised by high level autonomous decision-making, including assessment, diagnosis, treatment including prescribing, of patients with complex multi-dimensional problems. Decisions are made using high level expert, knowledge and skills. This includes the authority to refer, admit and discharge within appropriate clinical areas.

Working as part of the multidisciplinary team ANPs can work in or across all clinical settings, dependent on their area of expertise.”

(Scottish Government 2017)

“The Advanced Nurse Practitioner role has a specific focus on the clinical pillar, but must demonstrate competence within all four pillars of advanced practice. With regard to the clinical pillar all ANPs must be able to demonstrate competence in:

a) Comprehensive history-taking
b) Clinical assessment 
c) Differential diagnosis 
d) Investigations 
e) Treatment 
f) Admission, discharge and referral.” (Chief Nursing Officer Directorate, Transforming Nursing Roles Paper 2, 2017)

Transforming roles ANP competency frameworks are available here NHSGGC : Key Documents

ANPs are paid at a minimum of Band 7, and within NHSGGC the generic ANP Job Description should be used for any new Band 7 ANP roles.

Advanced Nurse Practitioners who work within General Practice and are not directly employed by NHSGGC but work within the Board area, are encouraged to join the Board held list of ANPs in General Practice. The benefits of joining this list are:

• On-going access to specific ANP education and information

The process to join is exactly the same as for those who are Board employed, but with the following grandfathering arrangements for those employed before 2010 or between 2011 and 2017.

Advanced Nurse Practitioners in General Practice Guidance Document

Employed as an ANP prior to 2010

Expected to demonstrate that they:

• meet all the appropriate competencies for their area of practice,
• can evidence the formal learning undertaken relevant to the role which may have been below master’s level (commonly degree level modules)
• provide evidence of recent workplace based assessments (within last 5 years)
• provide satisfactory feedback from others (minimum of 4 within the last year)
• provide a satisfactory supervision report
• provide evidence of reflection and a broad range of patients seen
• evidence continuing professional development

Employed as an ANP between 2011 and 2017

In addition to the above, ANPs employed between these years should demonstrate master’s level  learning. This could be done, for example, through having completed a module at master’s level.

Employed as an ANP after 2018

Expected to demonstrate that they meet all the appropriate competencies for their area of practice, a master’s level qualification in advanced practice, workplace based assessments, reflection, feedback from others, and a satisfactory final supervisors report (see Final Sign-off).

Recording General Practice ANPs

There are two stages to the process.

                Stage 1: Involves the Post being recognised as an ANP post (please note that posts which utilise the Board’s generic ANP job description automatically meet this requirement)

                Stage 2: Final Sign-off (see Final Sign off)

A completed ‘Final Sign-off’ form and the poster-holder’s Job description should be submitted to the Consultant Nurse for Advanced Practice (AdvancedPractice@ggc.scot.nhs.uk) . Following the moderation process the following will occur.

• The individuals name, NMC number, NHS email address and place of work will be recorded on the Board held list of GP ANPs
• The individual will receive written confirmation that their name has been recorded (a copy will be sent to their line manager and practice supervisor)
• Access will be given to the NHSGGC ANP Continuing Professional Development Moodle site so that ANPs can be kept up-to-date with news and resources relevant to ANPs including West of Scotland Advanced Practice Academy CPD days
• Annually the ANP will receive an email asking them for confirmation that they remain in their ANP post (a nil response will be taken to mean that the individual has left the post and their name will be removed from the list).
• Annually, ANPs will be requested to submit an updated ‘share pack’ from their ePortfolio evidencing continuing professional development and reflection on practice to their line manager.

[1] Set out in Chief Nursing Officer’s Directorate (2017) Transforming Nursing, Midwifery and Health Professions’ (NMaHP) Roles: Paper 2 Advanced nursing practice. Edinburgh: Scottish Government

An ANP who moves from one broad area to another, for example from acute care to primary care, is still regarded as an ANP while they transition. In this example, the ANP can be viewed as an Acute Care ANP practising within Primary/Community Care until they have met all the Primary/Community Care competencies.

Transitioning ANPs will need a Practice Supervisor and Practice Assessor to help them meet any learning needs and assess that they’ve met all appropriate competencies for their new role.

Transitioning ANPs may choose to undertake additional courses to help with transition.

Evidence of meeting additional competencies will need to be uploaded into the ANP’s Professional portfolio, a transitioning ANP sign-off form, should be completed by the Practice Assessor and line manager and emailed to advancedpractice@ggc.scot.nhs.uk along with the portfolio sharepack link. A sample of transitioning portfolios will be moderated

The ANP will then be recorded on the Board’s Advanced Practice database under the new broad area as well as their previous area.