The push to open up the advanced clinical practice agenda to new professions will require occupational therapists ‘to be brave’ in redefining what working at the level requires, a session at RCOT annual conference has heard.
Richard Collier, the project lead for the Academy of Advancing Practice at Health Education England and a physiotherapist by profession, said that many people were operating on ‘outdated ideas’ of it purely being a hospital-based role , working with medics and focusing on diagnosis and prescription.
‘It’s up to us to try and change that’, he said. ‘You’re going to have to be brave […] but keep pushing.’
The academy is working across 22 professions, including the allied health professions, nursing, midwifery, psychology, pharmacy and dentistry, to develop new standards in England on what working at advanced clinical practitioner level means.
Richard said the issues across the diverse professions were complex, and that there were ‘lots of language and definition issues’.
The new academy is aiming to set up a directory, for those working at advanced and consultant levels of practice. Individuals will be able to apply to join the directory either by completing an academy-accredited programme or directly submitting equivalent evidence. Listing in the directory will require periodic renewal, as well as requiring evidence of continuing professional development every few years, although the frequency is yet to be decided.
Initially Health Education England are expected to subsidise the cost of applying, although it is anticipated that later on that fees will rise in order to pay for assessors.
As well as developing the academy for advanced practitioners and consultants, work is also underway for people working at an enhanced level, in order to recognise the vital contribution that practitioners make at the level before advanced clinical practice.
The academy is discussing the development with the other home nations to see if reciprocity will be possible.
RCOT’s briefing on advanced practice has recently been updated after a flurry of activity in 2019, and is available on our leadership and management page.