NES Physiotherapy Education Advisory Sub Group as at Sept 2013
Summary Table of Key Education-related Issues for the Physiotherapy Workforce
Level 8 on the Career Framework for Health
8.1. Senior AHPs require on-going access to Leadership skills with a regularly running or recognised leadership
course. One-off and inconsistent provision makes access to developing leadership skills challenging. ...... 2
8.2. Access to appropriate CPD courses for consultant roles is an issue. .......................................................... 2
8.3. Encourage 5pt credit leadership courses. .................................................................................................... 2
8.4. Agreed minimal level of education for consultants and advanced practitioners. .......................................... 2
Level 7
7.1. (more senior/ specialist courses at SCQF level 11). Practitioners require a uniform approach to delivering
specialist training in clinical areas. Currently sporadic provision especially for static staff. Standardised
educational packages would be useful e.g.: ................................................................................................ 3
o X-ray training (ordering) ............................................................................................................................ 3
o Supplementary prescribing ....................................................................................................................... 3
o Injection therapy........................................................................................................................................ 3
7.2. Discrepancy regarding Supplementary prescribing educational need & provision. There is an opportunity to
use Learnpro .................................................................................................................................................................. 3
Level 6
6.1. Level 6/7 (senior/specialist) practitioners require a uniform approach to delivering/ access specialist training
in clinical areas e.g.: .................................................................................................................................... 4
o Leadership ................................................................................................................................................ 4
o Maintaining specialist skills. ...................................................................................................................... 4
o Specialist clinical knowledge & skills in current best practice accessible to all ......................................... 4
Level 5
5.1. Scottish Government policy requires a shift in staff levels from Acute to Community. Therefore, NES should
support the capacity for student placement provision in Community settings. ............................................. 4
Clarification of roles..................................................................................................................................... 4
5.2. Health Improvement is a growing requirement for AHPs in relation to the Quality strategy. NES should
assist in identifying methods through which staff and student knowledge can be increased within budget
and staff capacity, the identification of core health promotion skills should be identified and ensured that all
roles across the Career Framework have these. ......................................................................................... 4
5.3. Staff are requiring to know about Functional Capacity Evaluation. Identifying core outcome measures and
the skills to undertake the evaluations should be undertaken. This will assist in addressing employability
and return to work issues. ............................................................................................................................ 5
5.4. NES should address the issue that the new Protection for Vulnerable Groups Scheme (PVG) means that
AHP students will need to pay for their own disclosure whereas nursing students will not. There needs to
be a consistent NMAHP approach ............................................................................................................... 5
5.5. There is the need for a mechanism to identify core educational needs in key areas of physiotherapy across
Scotland and then identify aspects of transferability, validation and identifying who agrees content and
evaluation etc. .............................................................................................................................................. 5
5.6. Students are concerned about staff having less access to ACE training to enhance the quality of the
student placement experience. .................................................................................................................... 5
Level 4
4.1. NES should explore the use of support worker roles to assist in the education of pre-registration students
as the future skill mix is changing and capacity will reduce for placement provision.................................... 5
Level 3
3.1. A key priority for NHS Scotland is to support Boards in writing support worker competencies and how to
assess these. At present Boards are investing a large amount of effort into developing their own
competencies with no consistent approach. ................................................................................................ 6
3.2. There is a need to translate national support worker guidance about their roles into job descriptions and
practice. Ideally, a central group/ network for supporting a consistent approach to competency development
is needed. A central portal or network to facilitate sharing between and within Boards would be useful. The
professions should be supported to develop core competencies for key clinical areas. .............................. 6
3.3. Centrally developed and locally used competencies will help the transferability of learning across Boards
and services and across roles...................................................................................................................... 6
3.4. Support should be given to Boards to help clinicians assess and sign-off competencies to help raise the
quality assurance of the competency approach within the clinical area. ...................................................... 6
Page 1
NES Physiotherapy Education Advisory Sub Group as at Sept 2013
NES Physiotherapy Education Advisory Sub Group – WORKPLAN
Education Related Issues
National Health Boards
CSP & SIGs
Scot Gov
HEIs & Colleges
Health Board
Level 9: More Senior Staff
Level 8: Consultant Practitioners
8.1. Senior AHPs require on-going access
to Leadership skills with a regularly running
or recognised leadership course. One-off
and inconsistent provision makes access to
developing leadership skills challenging.

NMAHP
Consultant
meetings.

Prof Doc at
GCU, QMU
& RGU
8.2 Access to appropriate CPD courses for
consultant roles is an issue.
8.3 Encourage 5pt credit leadership
courses.
8.4 Agreed minimal level of education for
consultants and advanced practitioners.
Level 7: Advanced Practitioners
Page 2
 Ayrshire & Arran
Good to Great
(Band 7 to 8)
 Lothian’s
Delivering
Leadership
Excellence
Action
Progress/ Barriers
NES Physiotherapy Education Advisory Sub Group as at Sept 2013
Need to create a
7.1 (more senior/ specialist courses at
mechanism to identify
SCQF level 11) practitioners require a
specialism core learning
uniform approach to delivering specialist
and education to share
training in clinical areas. Currently sporadic resources across all
provision especially for static staff.
boards.
Standardised educational packages would
be useful e.g.:

o X-ray training (imaging requesting)
o Supplementary prescribing

EDD resources to
support WBL
packages
development

Standards of
practice to be
used to meet
specialised
recruitment.

CSP
Accreditations
kitemark

Policy
driver’s
e.g. safe
prescriptio
n, quality
strategy
and rehab
framework.
Post-graduate:
MSc modules in
prescribing, MSK,
Neuro and sports
rehab module.
(specialist specific
courses McKenzie,
Bobath)
Short course in
medicine
management
(RGU)
PEF Programme
o Injection therapy
There is a module
at QMU for
Radiographic
Imaging for
Physiotherapists
(QMU)
(could these be accredited programmes?)
7.2 Discrepancy regarding Supplementary
prescribing educational need & provision.
There is an opportunity to use Learnpro
Research
programmes
available from
HEIs
QMU developing
a Sup & Indep
prescribing course
Page 3
Workbook for Band 5,
6, and 7 e.g. MSK,
community Lothian
Pain, Lanarkshire
Band 5.
Tayside Workbooks
for Band 5, 6, 7 MSK,
Community,
Orthopaedics &
Stroke.
NES Physiotherapy Education Advisory Sub Group as at Sept 2013
Level 6: Senior Practitioners
Educational Priority
NES
Leadership Course
6.1 Level 6/7
(senior/specialist) practitioners require a
uniform approach to delivering/ access
specialist training in clinical areas e.g.:
CSP & SIGs
Scot Gov
Providing clinical
KSF – generic.
courses in their
Quality Strategy.
special interest group,
SIG.
HEIs & Colleges
Health Board
Action
Progress
Health Board
Action
Progress
PG Cert Ed at the
HEIs to support
provision of
education locally
o Leadership
o Maintaining specialist skills.
o Specialist clinical knowledge & skills
in current best practice accessible to
all
6.2 NHS Staff need to understand the third
sector and to be familiar with local services
that are available
Educational Priority
Several AHP
Consultant
secondments
Level 5: Practitioners
NES
CSP & SIGs
Solutions group – now
5.1 Scottish Government Policy requires a
dissolved? Reinstate
shift in staff levels from Acute to
support
Community. Therefore, NES should support
the capacity for student placement provision
in Community settings.
Big priority in line
with change fund.
Clarification of roles.
5.2 Health Improvement is a growing
requirement for AHPs in relation to the
Quality strategy. NES should assist in
identifying methods through which staff and
student knowledge can be increased within
budget and staff capacity, the identification
of core health promotion skills should be
identified and ensured that all roles across
the Career Framework have these.
Self management skills are needed
throughout the workforce
Suicide prevention
training.
Scot Gov
All levels in uni
courses have Mental
Health written in and
Health Improvement.
National AHP
leads for
Dementia, Mental
Health and
Vocational rehab.
Survey and prereg training
education work –
Mental Health.
(Executive
Summary)
Be aware of other
agencies to help
address health
promotion.
Page 4
HEIs & Colleges
Still pushing for
placements.
Still patchy provision
of placements.
Limited by capacity.
AHP Actions Group?
Physio
representation.
Poor Mental
Health Provision.
Level 2 Existing Pain
Training.
Assessment.
COSMIC workshops –
Champions Of Self
Management In Care
(COSMIC) currently in its
infancy offering free training
(Sarah for me information)
NES Physiotherapy Education Advisory Sub Group as at Sept 2013
Ergonomics
courses
5.3 Staff are requiring to know about
Functional Capacity Evaluation. Identifying
core outcome measures and the skills to
undertake the evaluations should be
undertaken. This will assist in addressing
employability and return to work issues.
QMU provide
Physical Activity &
Health Masters
module (covers
relevant aspects
of Voc Rehab)
Support the use of Fit Notes by practitioners
CSP Board aware
AHP Federation
Scotland written letter
5.4 NES should address the issue that the
new Protection for Vulnerable Groups
Scheme (PVG) means that AHP students
will need to pay for their own disclosure
whereas nursing students will not. There
needs to be a consistent NMAHP approach
5.5. There is the need for a mechanism to
identify core educational needs in key areas
of physiotherapy across Scotland and then
identify aspects of transferability, validation
and identifying who agrees content and
evaluation etc.
HEI Academic Heads
Addressing
10. Flying start offers
individual opportunity for
training.
Is there an opportunity
to link to more robust
learning outcomes?
10. Skills for
Health work
recommendation.
(?)
Will they be financially rewarded?
Require to link to their scope of practice.
Require to be linked to HCSW
competencies that they have.
10. Support from
HEIs to NHS
boards to accredit
work books and
learning
outcomes.
Scoping of ACE
training
accessibility by
members
Level 4: More Senior Staff
5.6. Students value practice educators that
are ACE accredited to enhance the quality
of the student placement experience.
4.1. NES should explore the use of support
worker roles to assist in the education of
pre-registration students as the future skill
mix is changing and capacity will reduce for
placement provision.
Practice Placement
agreements
Would the unions need
to be consulted with
this?
Scope out the views
of the CSP and
associate members.
Recommendations
would need to scope out
activities that SW could
supervise.
Is this really
appropriate? Do they
have the knowledge to
underpin?
Page 5
10. Some health
boards 
Lanarkshire, Tayside,
and NHS GGC
developing work
based learning
workbook
Scoping of ACE training
accessibility by members
NES Physiotherapy Education Advisory Sub Group as at Sept 2013
Level 3: Senior support Workers
Educational Priority
ES
CSP & SIGs
Scot Gov
HEIs & Colleges
Health Board
Action
Progress
Action
Progress
Sharing within and
across Boards would
be helpful.
3.1. A key priority for NHS Scotland is to
support Boards in writing support worker
competencies and how to assess these. At
present Boards are investing a large
amount of effort into developing their own
competencies with no consistent approach.
3.2. There is a need to translate national
support worker guidance about their roles
into job descriptions and practice. Ideally, a
central group/ network for supporting a
consistent approach to competency
development is needed. A central portal or
network to facilitate sharing between and
within Boards would be useful. The
professions should be supported to develop
core competencies for key clinical areas.
3.3. Centrally developed and locally used
competencies will help the transferability of
learning across Boards and services and
across roles.
3.4. Support should be given to Boards to
help clinicians assess and sign-off
competencies to help raise the quality
assurance of the competency approach
within the clinical area.
Educational Priority
NES
CSP & SIGs
Scot Gov
HEIs & Colleges
Health Board
Level 2: Healthcare Support Workers
CPD for HCSW
Recommendations to NES from the Physiotherapy Advisory Group:
Working Across Sectors
 NES require to think about how to support the knowledge of staff working within the leisure sector to support the transfer of a consistent approach and key health messages across health professionals
and sectors.
Quality of Work Based Learning
 NES should focus on assisting Boards in using principles of credit rating to develop consistent educational resources (e.g. workbooks/ online resources) for different levels of the workforce and
specialism’s. NES should assist clinicians and services in using the Scottish Credit and Qualifications Framework and work based assessment and impact evaluation in the workplace for different levels
of the workforce. A mechanism/ network/ roles to enable this to happen is required so that guidance is accessible when needed. This will assist in meeting the requirement for recognised transferable
learning between Boards.
 NES should support the use of SCQF principles as there seems to be a need for support from NES. NES should support projects to move along using the SCQF principles. Some projects of developing
work based learning modules for physio in mental health have stalled at the moment.
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NES Physiotherapy Education Advisory Sub Group as at Sept 2013
Work Based Learning Infrastructure
 The reduction in duplication of effort and educational resources can be achieved through working with the Practice Development Network. Having local and national Learning and Development Networks
would assist the dissemination of information and help identify national priorities to identify national pieces of work.
 NES could assist with guidance on developing translational tools for clinicians to take research findings and implement into practice.
 NES require to provide guidance and tools for services to undertake learning needs analysis within a clinical area and to help clinicians translate the findings into competency frameworks to help develop
staff knowledge and skills.
Working with HEIS
 NES should focus on assisting Boards to work with HEIs in writing courses and how to go about gaining accreditation from recognised bodies e.g. CSP. Boards should be supported to consider
developing courses that are relevant to voluntary sector and charity employees also. This will assist in meeting the requirement for recognised transferable learning between Boards and sectors.
 NES should support HEIs and Boards to dialogue to ensure that pre-reg courses are fit for purpose
Investment should be proportional to clinical risk.
NES resources to map to other requirements e.g KSF, HPC
Page 7