Trust awarded gold standard for work to support newly qualified healthcare professionals

Great Western Hospitals NHS Foundation has today been awarded the National Preceptorship Quality Mark by the NHS England national workforce, in recognition of the successful preceptorship programme.

This award is a national gold standard, aimed at reducing preceptorship variation across organisations. 

Preceptorship provides a period of guidance and support for newly registered healthcare staff as they transition from students to qualified professionals. Preceptorship aims to provide these staff with the opportunities to translate their training into everyday practice, supporting their confidence and enabling them to have the best possible start in their careers.

Laura Kirby, Lead Nurse for Preceptorship, Trainee Nursing Associates and Internationally Educated Nurses, said: "Since becoming the lead for preceptorship last year, I have worked with the Bath and North East Somerset, Swindon and Wiltshire healthcare system to align our core standards to the national framework. 

"We now aim our preceptorship programme at all newly registered healthcare professionals who are band 4 and above, have launched five preceptorship master classes and two clinical enhancement days and have designed a portfolio for new staff to complete.

"We hope that being awarded the Quality Interim Mark will help attract newly registered professionals to the Trust, and show that we are dedicated in caring for them as well as providing a supportive space them to grow and learn.

"This is an exciting time for the Preceptorship Team and we are looking forward to seeing preceptorship grow across the Trust."