CPOL80 Clinical Continuous Professional Development (CCPD) Policy

CPOL80

CPOL80 Clinical Continuous Professional Development (CCPD) Policy

Page 1 of 35

Version:

V1

Ratified by:

Quality Reference Group

Date ratified:

28/04/2026

Job Title of author:

Education Development Lead (Health)

Reviewed by Committee or Expert Group

Health Education Forum

Equality Impact Assessed by:

Education Development Lead (Health)

Related procedural documents

LDPOL2 - Policy for management of Corporate and Local Induction LDPOL3 - Mandatory Training Policy LDPOL4 Performance and Development Review Policy EPOL01 Anti-Crime Policy [Reference to be confirmed] Non-Clinical Professional Registration Policy HRPOL14 Disciplinary Policy and Procedure HRPOL15 Grievance Policy and Procedure HRPOL16 Flexible Working Policy and Procedure HRPOL17 Special Leave Policy HRPOL42 Colleague Volunteer Policy FPOL19 Gifts, Hospitality and Commercial Sponsorship Policy 28/04/2029

Review date:

It is the responsibility of users to ensure that you are using the most up to date document template – i.e. obtained via the intranet.

In developing/reviewing this policy Provide Community has had regard to the principles of the NHS Constitution.

Page 2 of 35

Version Control Sheet Version V1

Date

Author Education Development Lead (Health)

Page 3 of 35

Status

Comment NEW Policy separating clinical and non-clinical CPD

Contents 1.

Introduction .................................................................................................... 5

2.

Purpose ......................................................................................................... 5

3.

Duties ........................................................................................................... 6

4.

Definitions ..................................................................................................... 8

5.

What is Development? ................................................................................. 10

6.

Resourcing Development Activities .............................................................. 10

7.

Applications for CPD .................................................................................... 12

8.

Repayment of Development Investment ..................................................... 13

9.

Monitoring .................................................................................................... 13

Appendix 1: Examples of Development Activities................................................. 14 Appendix 2: Group Clinical CPD .......................................................................... 15 Appendix 3: Process Diagram.............................................................................. 16 Appendix 4: Clinical CPD Application Form ......................................................... 17 Appendix 5: Learning Agreement ......................................................................... 21 Appendix 6: Learning Agreement notes for line managers ................................... 24 Appendix 7: Guidance to Applying for Clinical CPD Funding ............................... 25 EQUALITY IMPACT ASSESSMENT TEMPLATE ................................................ 31 Stage 1: ‘Screening’............................................................................................. 31 EQUALITY IMPACT ASSESSMENT TEMPLATE ................................................ 34 Stage 2 ................................................................................................................ 34

Page 4 of 35

1. Introduction Provide is committed to all its colleagues learning and development in order to improve patient/customer care and achieve its overall objectives. We view learning and development as beneficial to the individual and essential for ensuring the delivery of excellent customer service and safe, high-quality patient and client care across all our services.

This document describes how the Clinical Continuous Professional Development of individuals in Provide Group will be managed. It includes prioritising learning and development needs within the Performance Development Review (PDR) process, and allocation of funding. The overall aim of the policy is to ensure that all colleagues have the necessary support and access to learning and development opportunities to achieve the overall business objectives of Provide, improve customer, patient and client care and fulfil colleague potential whilst aiding recruitment and retention.

This policy also illustrates how the process and practice of professional development by colleagues gives benefits to and improves service delivery through increased competency. Reference should also be made to the Provide PDR, Group Induction and Mandatory Training policies.

2. Purpose This policy applies to all colleagues that wish to develop their Clinical knowledge and are employed by Provide Group. For agency or locum workers, it is the responsibility of the agency to provide and support the individual’s personal and professional development.

Clinical Continuous Professional Development is defined as a range of learning activities through which colleagues maintain and develop throughout their careers.

Access to development opportunities assists in ensuring that all colleagues demonstrate capacity to deliver their job safely, effectively, and within the scope of their role. In terms of colleagues employed in leadership and/or managerial jobs, development opportunities facilitate adequate preparation for the scope of their role. A culture of learning has been fostered within Provide, to ensure that colleague skills and competences are tested, challenged and reflected upon.

All Health and Social Care providers including Provide continually undergo development and redesign to meet service requirements and improvements in service provision. To enable a skilled workforce to meet increasingly complex demands, additional development requirements may be required. Clinical Continuous Professional Development advances and modernises the workforce and enables Provide to assure itself that its workforce has the relevant skills and knowledge to be able to deliver modern, effective services. This development of colleagues also reduces corporate, clinical and care risk ensuring quality service delivery.

Page 5 of 35

3. Duties Responsibility for identifying development needs and recommending study support provision lies jointly with colleagues and their managers.

Objective setting, Personal Development Reviews (PDR’s), Personal Development Plan (PDP) and regular 1-2-1’s, will be the main systems within Provide to identify learning and development needs and the priorities for departments, teams and colleagues.

Provide Board •

To ensure that Clinical Continuous Professional Development is meeting the business and corporate objectives of the organisation

•

To ensure that Provide colleagues are compliant and up to date with all Clinical Continuous Professional Development and mandatory training requirements

•

To allocate suitable and adequate resources to enable all mandatory training and Clinical Continuous Professional Development to be delivered

•

To consider allocation of further resources where new development needs are demonstrated

•

To ensure that Provide have robust policies and procedures in place to support colleagues in continuing their Clinical Continuous Professional Development

•

Organisational Directors •

Ensure annual PDRs are conducted within their division within the agreed timeframe

•

Ensure that the PDR process is working across the division

•

Ensure that all learning and development is evaluated and reviewed across all teams within their units

•

Ensure that colleagues share knowledge and outcomes of learning and development received

•

Ensure achievements are recognised and celebrated

•

Take appropriate action to ensure equity and effectiveness of Clinical Continuous Professional Development received by colleagues

•

Monitor, through PDRs and reviews with direct reports, that all colleagues are fully compliant with their mandatory and Clinical Continuous Professional Development and take appropriate action if not

Page 6 of 35

Line Managers •

Ensure that all direct reports have an annual PDR and agreed PDP

•

Be first level sign off for Clinical Continuous Professional Development that enables colleagues to meet the organisations core objectives

•

Participate in annual developmental planning processes for their service to identify essential Clinical Continuous Professional Development to be developed/purchased annually

•

Ensure that colleagues evaluate and feedback learning from their development with other team members

•

Managers are accountable for the mandatory development of their colleagues in order to comply with this policy

•

Provide protected time for colleagues to attend statutory and mandatory learning, including eLearning, to follow up with the individual to ensure attendance is documented and evaluated within their PDP

•

In the event of colleagues not attending planned development, ensure this is followed up and rescheduled to attend

•

In the event of repeated failure to attend mandatory training or Clinical Continuous Professional Development without prior agreement, deal with, in accordance with the Provide Disciplinary Policy and Procedure, which is outside of the scope of this policy

•

Report overall compliance for mandatory training and essential Clinical

•

Continuous Professional Development to Director through PDR and 1-2-1s

Individual Colleagues •

Participate in the annual PDR Process which includes an agreed PDP. Seek to continually maintain and update skills and knowledge

•

Are accountable for ensuring their mandatory and professional development requirements are up to date

•

Booking and attending the identified development within their PDP as scheduled in agreement with their manager and following approval of any required funding via bi-monthly Health Education Forum (HEF) meeting

•

Attend all approved Clinical Continuous Professional Development as required

•

Feedback to the organisation/Health Education and Development (HED) team using the Provide evaluation forms from any funded courses/events attended

Page 7 of 35

•

Share learning gained from attending professional development with other team members and colleagues across the organisation and apply learning in their practice

•

Participate in evaluation and audit exercises to monitor effectiveness of Clinical Continuous Professional Development as required

Talent and Learning Leadership Team Meeting •

Monitor PDR activity across Provide and escalate concerns to the People and Culture Steering Group and the Provide Board

•

Attend HSLT, present monthly PDR compliance during the annual PDR period

•

Attend HSLT, present mandatory training compliance via a monthly report

Health Education Forum • •

Review and consider all applications for all Clinical Continuous Professional Development opportunities

•

Monitor access to Clinical Continuous Professional Development opportunities and effectiveness of learning

•

Take appropriate action to ensure equity and effectiveness of professional development opportunities received by colleagues.

•

Review escalations regarding Mandatory training and PDR compliance reports from HSLT

Health Education and Development Team •

Process all applications for Clinical Continuous Professional Development to be presented to the Health Education Forum meeting

•

Maintain and update the Provide Health Education pages of the Community Platform with associated links to external resources

4. Definitions Development Need An identified opportunity to enhance performance through learning/training development or assessment activities

Essential Development Development that is essential to meet the requirements of the current role having been identified on the job description/person specification. This development is a must do determined by Provide Group and/or the relevant professional body.

Page 8 of 35

Desirable development Development that relates to the current role but is not an essential requirement either for the role itself or for the purposes of maintaining a professional registration through professional bodies such as NMC, HCPC, GMC, AHCS and GPS. This is likely to be described as a desirable skill in the job description or person specification but may also be agreed with the line manager on the basis that it meets a skills gap within the role. This development may be identified through formal routes such as annual PDR’s and/or 1-2-1’s or may be as part of a development plan completed by the colleague.

Career development Development that does not relate or only loosely relates to the current role and will enhance the future career prospects of the colleague.

Apprenticeship Is a paid job which offers hands-on work experience alongside off-the-job training. The time spent on off-the-job training should be at least 20% and will be supported by Provide. Apprenticeships are open to anyone over the age of 16 and there is no upper age limit. Apprenticeship opportunities are funded through the Provide levy account.

Apprenticeships are out of scope for this policy.

Direct costs Costs that are related to the provision of the training itself e.g. tuition fees.

Indirect costs Costs that are associated with attending development opportunities e.g. travel and subsistence payments. Indirect costs also include replacement resource e.g. the cost of bank or agency staff where required. The cost for this expense will be taken from the approving line managers budget and/or directorate budget.

Clinical CPD Continuing Professional Development (CPD) is requested by and dedicated to colleagues based in a clinical role, this includes all registered and non-registered colleagues involved in direct patient care. This policy does not relate to non-clinical CPD, and more information can be found in new non-clinical CPD (LDPOL09)

Non-Clinical CPD Continuing Professional Development (CPD) requested by and dedicated to colleagues based in a non-clinical role. This could include colleagues based outside of the Health Directorate or colleagues within the Health Directorate that do not operate in clinical roles such as administration and clerical, business coordinators and/or receptionists.

Page 9 of 35

5. What is Development?

The process of offering Clinical Continuous Professional Development provides evidence of a good employer and is supported via the annual Performance and Development Review (PDR) discussions between colleague and line manager.

The process of Clinical Continuous Professional Development is not just described as attending formal courses and conferences albeit that these have their place. It describes a range of activities undertaken by colleagues that support a culture of learning. `Shadowing' the work of others, visits to centres of excellence and having a `mentor' are amongst the strategies which can be used as part of this development.

Examples of development activities are attached in Appendix 1.

The learning culture in an organisation shows where colleague skills and competence are tested, challenged and reflected. Clinical Continuous Professional Development as a process, therefore, ensures that the outcomes for customers, patients and clients are improved through the quality of competency.

The learning identified through Clinical CPD links directly to organisational and service priority, delivery and improved service outcomes. Annual PDRs provide an essential tool that provides evidence for Provide to demonstrate maintenance of colleague competence and improving the quality of service delivery. This in turn, enables a comprehensive Training Needs Analysis (TNA) to be developed containing the requirements of colleagues across the organisation, which enables efficient and effective commissioning processes of learning to support needs.

6. Resourcing Development Activities Provide supports the implementation of learning and development ensuring a consistent and safe framework for the planning, accessing and approval of development applications. Available resources will be used in the most cost-effective way to promote a culture of continuous professional development. This will enable colleagues to achieve their potential in the workplace, make the best possible contribution to the business and strategic objectives of the organisation and to the delivery of safe and modern services.

All colleagues have a responsibility to complete professional development. Provide views the resourcing of development activities as a shared responsibility and will support colleagues based on the essential development requirements identified and agreed in the colleagues Personal Development Plan.

In viewing continuous professional development as a shared responsibility, Provide expects each colleague to participate in the following: • • • • • •

Promotion of development amongst other colleagues Support local facilitators and co-ordinators Maintenance of their own personal and professional development requirements In certain circumstances to financially contribute to their development activities Commitment of own time as well as that provided by Provide Sharing of knowledge with others through cascade training, coaching and/or mentoring Page 10 of 35

Protected Time for Development Activities There is no set formula for a defined number of study or development days for colleagues as the amount of time required by colleagues to fulfil the priorities of their professional development may vary.

Where colleagues have previously not attended or completed mandatory training within the required timescale without a legitimate reason, access to all other forms of development will be withheld until the mandatory training requirements are met.

Where it has been agreed by the colleague and manager that the individual will attend an essential course or programme of training as part of their PDP, the individual must get protected time for that period. This also applies to any eLearning activities which colleagues use to support either mandatory or essential professional development requirements. It is important that the line manager takes action to ensure the colleague concerned is supported and free to attend the desired learning activity. Whilst every effort should be made to accommodate agreed time, there may be occasions where service needs are such that this may not be possible. In these instances, time should be provided at a later stage.

Formal Qualifications In some circumstances managers may identify those specific modules of a formal qualification, for example: a Diploma/Degree is essential for an individual’s role within the service and may therefore provide protected time off and funding to attend the module. Should the individual wish to undertake the entire programme of qualification, although not specific to their post, for their own personal and professional reasons, they will be asked to do so using their own time and finance. Managers are advised to support colleagues by providing flexible working options where feasible to do so in these situations. Refer to the Provide Flexible Working Policy for further information on this process.

Where a programme of accredited study has been agreed, time off to attend examinations should be granted, subject to the needs of the service.

In releasing colleagues for development activities, it is essential that the services are able to continue with service delivery. It will not always be possible, particularly in small services, to accommodate requests from all colleagues to attend the same course or programme of study where this will impact on service delivery. In these situations, a selection or prioritisation process will need to take place, and the process should be agreed within the service through the annual PDR process.

If study leave has been granted to enable colleagues to attend programmes of study towards a formal qualification the colleague must continue to demonstrate full performance levels whilst at work. In the event of decreased performance at work, the organisation can request the postponement of study for a period of time until performance levels at work return to the agreed standards.

For courses which last more than 1 year, colleagues will be required to submit annual applications, and approval will be reviewed with each application. Evidence of progress and assessment will be required as part of annual resubmissions.

Page 11 of 35

Departmental Development Departments may consider providing departmental wide and inter-departmental development activities using protected time for example, organising a half day per month protected time for designated development activity in their various settings. This can be in the form of team meetings where the opportunity to gain experience from serious untoward incidents, guest speakers for other departments, sharing evidence based practice, skills updates or changes to local policies/procedures, journal clubs and inservice development activities are all other examples of departmental development activities. Colleagues are encouraged to use the information from these sessions to provide evidence for their PDRs. These events should be evaluated in the same way as all other development activity.

Managers of team/units are responsible for monitoring the implementation of this initiative.

Where more formal development may be needed for a team or group, Clinical CPD funding can be requested by completing a Group Clinical CPD Application Form found on the Community Platform. A copy of this application form can be seen in Appendix 4. Decisions on group CPD applications will follow the same process as individual clinical CPD requests outlined in Appendix 2.

7. Applications for CPD The amount of monies available to support Clinical Continuous Professional Development will vary from year to year based upon student placement activity, regional and locally funded initiatives.

All applications for Clinical CPD funding are processed via the Health Education and Development team. Applications for non-clinical CPD funding are processed via the Talent and Learning team. The Clinical CPD application form is available on the Community Platform and is attached at Appendix 3. Incomplete applications or applications without approval of line managers will be returned to the applicant.

In deciding the level of funding support, consideration will be given to the relevance of the learning to organisational, business and corporate objectives and previous levels of funding and study leave given, mandatory training compliance, evaluation and sharing of previous learning, as well as the levels of funding currently available. The manager should always consider how the learning will improve the effectiveness of the role and the team. Priority will be given to those applications who meet essential organisational/service/efficiency objectives and where the development can be linked to enhancing the service delivery and there is evidence of return on investment. It may not always be possible to agree full support. Managers and colleagues should refer to the guidelines.

Equality of Access Whilst there may be a selection criterion included for some programmes, Provide will ensure that decisions made about learning and development will be made irrespective of race, religion, gender, age, disability, sexual orientation or hours contracted to work.

Colleagues and managers are asked to let training providers or the Health Education Page 12 of 35

and Development team know of any specific requirements they have in order to complete the development. As part of their commitment to support colleagues at all levels in accessing development opportunities, Provide will ensure that as part of the learning and development portfolio there is the ability to improve key skills including literacy and numeracy. Managers should consider this as part of their annual PDR process and when reviewing learning and development needs in their service.

Equality and Diversity Monitoring is reported annually within the Health Education Forum reporting schedule.

To ensure equitable access to Clinical Continuing Professional Development opportunities and effective budget management, the following limitation applies. Each colleague is entitled to submit one Clinical CPD request per financial year (1st April to 31st March).

Any exceptions to this rule must be approved by Director, Health Education Forum and will be considered on a case-by-case basis, considering strategic priorities and individual development needs.

8. Repayment of Development Investment Provide is committed to developing colleagues and ensuring that they have the opportunity to maximise their skills and abilities. However, it is not in the interests of Provide to invest valuable resources to a significant level that are not subsequently reinvested in the organisation.

When funding for Clinical Continuous Professional Development opportunities is approved for an individual to pursue a professional training programme/event(s) totalling £500 or over within the period of 1st April – 31st March, the individual will be required to sign a Learning Agreement. The Learning Agreement is attached at Appendix 6.

Appeals Process Any appeals regarding study leave should follow normal organisational procedures, as outlined in the Grievance Policy

9. Monitoring The Health Education Forum (HEF) meeting will monitor the implementation of this policy every 4 years. Any colleague who feels that the guidelines are not being applied consistently should initially contact the Director – Chair person of HEF. The abuse of this policy by any colleague obtaining study leave under false pretences will be considered serious. Individuals who knowingly provide false information or fail to disclose any information which may affect their employment with the organisation may be committing an offence under the Fraud Act 2006.

All suspicions of fraud and bribery must be reported to either the Counter Fraud team for Provide at enquiries@gatewayassure.com or 07940 589263, or to the Group Chief Finance Office and Company Secretary at the earliest opportunity.

Page 13 of 35

Appendix 1: Examples of Development Activities (This is not exhaustive and may not be relevant for ALL colleague groups) Work Based Learning Apprenticeships Journal clubs Learning by doing Lunch and Learn sessions Case studies Chairing a team meeting or discussion Clinical audit In service training Coaching and mentoring Supervising or mentoring colleagues Discussions with colleagues Visiting other Peer Review departments/organisations and Involvement in wider work of employer reporting back (for example, being a representative Expanding your role on a committee of forum) Analysing significant Being a link worker/link practitioner events/complaints Work Shadowing Project work or project management Secondments Being a work based assessor Team meetings Cascading and sharing learning back in workplace Professional Activity Involvement in a professional body Maintaining or developing specialist Membership of a specialist interest skills group Being an expert witness Lecturing or teaching Membership of other professional Mentoring a colleague from other bodies or groups departments Giving presentations at conferences Being an examiner Organising accredited courses Being a tutor Supervising research Organising journal clubs or other Being a national assessor specialist groups Formal/Educational Courses – accredited/vocational Attending seminars/workshops Return to learn development E learning Diploma/Degree/Masters programmes Distance learning Professional CPD development Courses accredited by professional events body Further education Planning or running a Research course/workshop Train the trainer Attending conferences/exhibitions Presenting at conferences Writing articles or papers Self-directed Learning Reading journals/articles Updating knowledge through the Reviewing books or articles internet and/or by completing E learning Keeping a record/portfolio of your progress Other Voluntary work Public service/charity work Page 14 of 35

Appendix 2: Group Clinical CPD

Group Clinical CPD Application Form To be used to request funding for ad-hoc non-mandatory training for a group of colleagues Training / event information Name of training: Provided by: Brief description of training including duration: Employee group/s or services this applies to: Proposed course / event start date:

Click here to enter a date.

Proposed course / event end date:

Total cost inc VAT:

£

Number of places:

Cost per colleague:

£

If £500 or over:

Click here to enter a date.

Each colleague must submit a Clinical Learning Agreement with this Group Application

Course / event location: Supporting information Please explain how this training supports service improvement, the Provide business objectives and how this will enhance patient / customer experience:

Sponsor signature:

Date:

Divisional Lead / Director

Date:

Sponsor signature:

Date:

Divisional Lead / Director

Date: Please send completed forms to the Health Education team: Provide.healtheducation@nhs.net Page 15 of 35

Click here to enter a date.

Click here to enter a date.

Appendix 3: Process Diagram Colleague and Line Manager discuss and identify development needs during annual PDR

Colleague and Line Manager agree development need and submit application

END

Colleague submits application directly to Talent and Learning Team provide.learn@nhs.net

Non Clinical

Clinical or Non-Clinical

Clinical Health Education Development team confirm receipt

Health Education Development Team present applications at bimonthly Health Education Forum

Health Education Development Team confirm outcome to Colleague & Line Manager

Colleague and/or Line Manager provide additional information required

More Information Required

Outcome

Declined

Approved

Colleague informed of approval. Purchase order and invoicing information for provider company emailed to colleague to enable booking of place.

If over £500, Learning Agreement to be returned prior to Page 16 of 35 funding being released

Appendix 4: Clinical CPD Application Form

Clinical CPD Application Form This form is to be used for all clinical CPD requests only. Applications must be submitted at least 8 weeks prior to the event.

Retrospective or incomplete applications will not be considered

Applicant details Applicant name:

Contact number:

Job title:

Mobile:

Directorate:

Contracted hours (per week): Date started at Provide:

HEALTH

Employee number:

Click here to enter a date.

Email address: I confirm that I am up to date with all my mandatory training

Yes ☐

No* ☐

*If no, please detail here how you plan to reach 100% by the date of the CPD event:

I have participated in clinical supervision in the last 6 months:

Yes ☐ No ☐ Date of last session: Click here to enter a date.

Course / event information Travel and accommodation expenses are not covered by this application, and should be agreed with your Line Manager in advance Course / event title: Course / event location:

Course / event start date:

Click here to enter a date.

Course / event provider name:

Page 17 of 35

Course / event end date: Click here to enter a date.

Click here to enter a date.

Travel and accommodation expenses are not covered by this application, and should be agreed with your Line Manager in advance (cont) Full address of course / event provider: Email address for the course / event provider: Course / event total cost: *Excluding VAT

Course / event total cost with VAT if charged:

£

£

Do you have any other comments you wish to add regarding the course / event that the Health Education Team should be aware of:

Study Leave Number of paid study days approved in this financial year (April-March): Amount of CPD Funding accessed in this financial year (April-March):

£

NOTE: If total funding support, in any one financial year (April-March) reaches £500 or more you will be required to enter into a Learning Agreement with Provide CIC. The Learning Agreement will be sent to you when this threshold is reached. Funding approval will be dependent upon this agreement.

Number of nonNumber of study contracted hours leave hours agreed (e.g. annual leave, by line manager non-working days)

Purpose of learning Has this training been identified in your latest PDR:

Yes ☐

No* ☐

*If no, please provide further details: In the box below, please detail how this training links to your personal objectives, how will it support service improvement, the Provide business objectives and how this will enhance patient / customer experience

Page 18 of 35

Sign off By signing the declaration below, you confirm that you agree and understand the following: • The information given in this application form is correct to the best of my knowledge •

I agree to complete and submit an evaluation form to the Health Education Team within 1 month of completing this course / event

•

I agree to inform the Health Education Team if I subsequently do not attend or cancel this training (Failure to notify will mean you are liable for the costs incurred)

•

I agree to share and cascade the knowledge gained through the course / event via team meetings if requested

•

I confirm that I have read the Clinical CPD policy and agree to the conditions regarding funding / support of this application

Applicant signature:

Date:

Click here to enter a date.

Section to be completed by line manager Please confirm which Directorate, service objective, commissioned contract KPI this course / event supports.

Please confirm that this education event will not impact on service delivery and will not prevent your team from meeting agreed activity.

Please also indicate how this will impact on the applicant’s effectiveness in the team, Provide’s business objectives and potential return on investment.

How many other team members of the team have completed this course / programme / event?

Page 19 of 35

Is this application for one single Single employee: ☐ Multiple employees*: ☐ employee or multiple employees? *If this application relates to multiple employees, please complete the Group Clinical CPD from that can be found on the Community Platform

Line Manager Declaration I confirm that I have checked the applicant’s mandatory training record, which is up to date or training is booked to ensure full compliance before attending this course / event

☐

I consider this course / event to be essential to the applicant’s role

☐

Line Manager signature:

Print Name:

Date: Click here to enter a date.

To be countersigned by Divisional Lead and Director if course / event costs £500 or over Director signature:

Print Name:

Date: Click here to enter a date.

Divisional Lead signature:

Print Name:

Date: Click here to enter a date.

This form can be accepted electronically by email without a signature if a full email trail can evidence line manager and/or Director sign off.

Please send completed forms to the Health Education team: Provide.healtheducation@nhs.net

Page 20 of 35

Appendix 5: Learning Agreement

Clinical Learning Agreement This Clinical Learning Agreement is between Provide CIC and the named colleague and must be completed if the colleague’s total funding support, in any one financial year (April-March) reaches £500 or more.

Colleague details Colleague name: Job title: Directorate:

Service: HEALTH

Employee number:

Course Title:

Contract Details Your financial support has reached the £500 threshold. You are now required to enter into a Clinical Learning Agreement Contract Start Date: (Date of Course Click here to enter a date.

Commencement) Contract End Date: (24 Months after course Click here to enter a date. completion) Where a programme spans more than one year, funding will only be agreed on an annual basis and application must be made each year Provide CIC is investing in your development and therefore we expect you to remain in our employment for at least 24 months following successful completion of your development to enable Provide to benefit from the investment.

Should you leave our employment before this time or fail to complete the course without satisfactory reason, we reserve the right to reclaim from your pay an amount as set out below and to invoice you for any balance which cannot be reclaimed through payroll.

By signing this Clinical Learning Agreement, you confirm that you understand and agree to these terms: • Repayment must be made within one month of leaving a course or before your last day of employment, although a repayment plan will be considered where this causes financial difficulties and will be agreed and actioned by your line manager.

• If you fail to attend or submit an assessment or fail to show satisfactory progress in your studies without good reason, all assistance will be withdrawn unless there are exceptional circumstances.

Page 21 of 35

• If you fail an assessment, you will be expected to re-submit at your own expense should costs be levied and in your own time. Provide may modify or waive any of the above requirements in exceptional circumstances.

• You have a responsibility to regularly update your line manager on your progress and flag any potential problems. You are also expected to work with your line manager to ensure that any assignments or pieces of work undertaken are, wherever possible, aligned with service needs and shared with your line manager.

• I understand that this amount will be deducted from my final salary payments, and if my salary has been processed or a payment plan agreed, I will be invoiced for the amount as appropriate, which I agree to pay.

• I understand that there is an expectation that I will attend the programme as agreed and complete the agreed learning programme.

• Should abuse of this agreement occur and/or I fail to attend, this may result in disciplinary action.

• I have read and accept these terms and conditions in relation to organisational support towards my development, including the repayment of fees and costs under the terms above.

Our agreement to provide you with financial assistance for this high-cost application is dependent on you signing and returning this contract, as accepting of the terms and conditions.

Courses or Multiple Investment Totalling £500 or over Total funding support in this financial year ➔ If I do not complete the course or leave Provide voluntarily before completing the course I will pay back 100% of the costs ➔ of the course.

Amount to pay back (60%) if I leave Provide within completion ➔ date - 6 months of the end of the course date.

Amount to pay back (40%) if I leave Provide within 6 months ➔ +1 day -24 months of the end of the course date

£ £ #VALUE! #VALUE!

Extended Period Courses Extended period courses of 12 months duration or over, requiring in excess of £2,000 of Provide investment carry a capped £2,000 penalty. Extended period courses include: • BSc(Hons), PGDip Specialist Practice District Nursing / Higher Apprenticeship • Degree and Masters Funded Programmes and modules • Higher Apprenticeship Degree or Masters Level (not leading to a clinical registration) • Other long courses to be identified at the time of initiating this contract

Page 22 of 35

Financial assistance can include education costs, study leave, supervision time, electronic resources and other assistance from Provide colleagues. A maximum cap of £2,000 applies to all contracts.

If I do not complete the extended period course, leave Provide voluntarily before completing the course or leave Provide voluntarily within 24 months of completion of the course I will pay back a maximum of £2,000.

Employee Signature Line Manager Signature Director Divisional Lead Signature Comments

Print Name Print Name Print Name Print Name

Please send completed forms to the Health Education team: Provide.healtheducation@nhs.net

Page 23 of 35

Date: Date: Date: Date:

Click here to enter a date.

Click here to enter a date.

Click here to enter a date.

Click here to enter a date.

Appendix 6: Learning Agreement notes for line managers

Clinical Learning Agreement – Notes for Line Managers

A Clinical Learning Agreement is entered into when approval for Clinical CPD funding is granted via the Health Education Forum totalling £500 or over (cumulative within a 12-month period April to March).

The Clinical Learning Agreement is active for a 24-month period, commencing from the course/programme completion date.

The Clinical Learning Agreement is capped at £2000 should investment be higher than this.

Line managers in receipt of an employee resignation must follow the HR Leavers process detailed on the Community Platform. When issuing the Letter to Acknowledge Resignation, point 6 of the letter must be discussed with the leaver and the cost to be recouped at final salary or payment plan made clear.

Detail of the costs to be recouped from final salary are to be noted in the P4 Termination Form, item 5, comments section and sent to Finance. If the costs to be recouped would cause financial hardship to the leaver a payment plan is to be agreed, and Finance emailed to arrange invoicing. The email must include the leavers full name, home postal address and personal email address, amount to be invoiced and service budget the recouped monies are to be returned to.

Page 24 of 35

Appendix 7: Guidance to Applying for Clinical CPD Funding 1. Introduction The purpose of these guidelines is to confirm the process for accessing study leave and funding to support Clinical Continuous Professional Development.

Conditions of Approval: It will be expected that all colleagues will have completed an annual Performance and Development Reviews (PDR) with their line manager prior to submitting a request for Clinical Continuous Professional Development funding. All applications must have supporting evidence, signed and authorised by the manager that shows how the learning contributes to the organisational objectives and strategic vision and how it supports both Provide and Business Unit objectives. There must also be clear evidence how it will support the effectiveness of that role.

The applicant must also be up to date with all required mandatory training.

Applications for funding to attend or complete development opportunities, during the probationary period will not be considered. Individual managers can use their discretion to support funding, from their service budgets for any development which is considered to be essential, in order for colleagues to successfully complete their probationary period.

2. Funding Guidance Agreement for Clinical Continuous Professional Development funding is not guaranteed, and in some cases, colleagues will be expected to contribute to some or all of the cost of the learning activity.

Approval of any funding from Provide budgets to support Clinical Continuous Professional Development is allocated according to the financial year in which the training takes place (1st April – 31st March).

Where the training has little or no relevance or impact on the current role or service and organisational objectives and has not been identified as needed for the effectiveness of the role or was part of their most recent PDR, funding will not be approved.

3. Application Process Applications for all Clinical Continuous Professional Development should be made at least eight weeks in advance via the Clinical CPD application form which can be found on the Community Platform.

Retrospective applications will not be considered and either the individual will be required to pay for the course themselves or agree a financial contribution from their service budget with their line manager. There may be occasions where 8 weeks’ notice cannot be given and, in these circumstances, applications can still be considered by the Health Education Development Team meeting.

Page 25 of 35

This requirement applies to ALL colleagues employed by Provide (irrespective of grade or role). Applications should be emailed to the Health Education Development team (provide.healtheducation@nhs.net) for presentation at the next available Health Education Forum meeting.

Applications for funding support from colleagues in Provide must be authorised and supported by the Line manager. Applications will not be considered if application forms are not completed fully. The manager and applicant should always check that there are no other funding/charitable source available to cover the course costs.

These application forms are then sent to the Health Education Development team for submission and approval.

All applicants will be informed by email of the outcome of their application within 10 calendar days of the decision being ratified at the Health Education Forum meeting.

The level of funding support indicated on the application form must be the exact amount required, as there will be no opportunity to apply for extra funds. Incomplete forms will be returned to the applicant.

It is the applicant’s responsibility to book a place on their chosen course of study once confirmation that funding has been agreed. Booking a place prior to this is at the applicant’s own risk as funding cannot be guaranteed and they will be personally liable for all or part of the fee if they then later cancel or if the application is not approved.

Any invoices for courses received for development opportunities not previously approved will be sent to the service manager or Director to be considered for either payment from the service budget or by the individual applicant.

Where a deposit needs to be paid for courses, the colleague can either pay this themselves or claim back through payroll via Easy Pay with their receipt and personal details included for repayment. This must be approved by the line manager, confirmed with the Health Education Development team. The application must have been approved at the Health Education Forum meeting if claiming back from the central Health Clinical CPD budget.

4. Completion of training/Courses The funding approved is solely to fund the course and monies allocated and are nontransferable i.e. between courses or individuals. Where the training provider cancels the course, or the individual was unsuccessful in obtaining a place the individual must inform the Health Education Development team immediately. However, managers may use their discretion in substituting colleagues if a course has been paid for and Provide risks losing the money or learning opportunity e.g. when a colleague is unable to attend due to sickness.

Having agreed to fund the course, wholly or partly, and the individual obtains a place, Provide expects the colleague to complete all aspects of the training programme, which is funded, and this includes submission of assignments and/or completion of any examinations. If any colleague wishes to withdraw from the course, they should first discuss this with their line manager and advise the Health Education Development team. Permission to withdraw will only be granted in terms of serious ill health or immediate family bereavement, maternity or any other substantial reasons as agreed Page 26 of 35

by the manager. In all other circumstances, the individual will be required to refund the cost of the programme as per the learning agreement.

Confirmation of attendance at the course is made to the Health Education Development team by completing and submitting the evaluation form. This is essential so that the individual learner record can be updated and the Clinical CPD budget can also be confirmed and allocated.

5. Cancellations and non-attendance at training Once an application for funding has been approved, colleagues are expected to attend.

Failure to attend external courses where there is a cost, will require repayment of the full charge to Provide by the colleague. Consideration will be given for exceptional circumstances on an individual basis. Non-attendance at any training including workbased learning will need to be substantiated. Non-attendance at any training must be reported to the line manager. Failure to do so will result in the colleague being absent without leave and will be dealt with under the organisations disciplinary policy and also reported to the counter fraud team. Non-completion or non-attendance must also be reported to the Health Education Development team to update the learner record.

6. Learning Agreement Where Provide has agreed to offer funding for a colleague to undertake a programme of learning totalling £500 or over in one year (1st April – 31st March), they will be asked to sign a Learning Agreement. This will specify that should the colleague voluntarily leave Provide within 24 months from completion of part or all the programme, that they will be asked to repay a proportion of the costs back to Provide.

This agreement will have formal status as part of the colleague’s contract of employment. The Learning Agreement will also cover ‘repayment’ of costs to attend a programme where the colleague voluntarily chooses not to complete the programme or to comply with the Learning Agreement. In these cases, it is the responsibility of the line manager to identify this either through the exit interview checklist or discussion with the colleague and agree to the appropriate proportion of costs to be repaid. This will apply to all programmes. The manager should then follow the Learning Agreement – Notes for Line Manager see Appendix 6 For all programmes that last more than one year, funding will only be allocated annually or per module and applications for funding must be re-submitted annually with evidence of progress. Approvals for these courses will be made on an annual basis, and it cannot be assumed that on-going funding will be available.

Colleagues not completing a programme etc. will be treated in the same way as for those colleagues leaving the organisation, except when the post holder leaves as a result of service redesign or organisational change. Consideration, however, needs to be considered for any extenuating circumstances, i.e. illness or service pressures.

The following formula will be applied to calculate the financial contribution required from colleagues who either do not complete the approved programme or leave the organisation before fulfilling the agreed contractual obligation period:

Page 27 of 35

Non completion of programme: leaves the organisation or leaves the programme for non-valid reason before completion

100%

Completes the programme: Programme leaves the organisation for non-valid reason before the 24 month obligatory completion date - 6 contracted period months = 60%

Within 6 month +1 day - 24 months = 40%

The decision to activate this process lies with the line manager. Deductions will be made using a P4 form from the colleagues’ last salary payments or where the figure to be reimbursed exceeds the amount of pay, a repayment plan will be agreed between the individual, their line manager and Finance.

7. Resources, Books and Stationery Colleagues will be expected to purchase their own resources, books and stationery to support learning programmes. They can also make use of the electronic resources including a full library service contracted via Mid and South Essex Foundation Trust.

Joining and access information is available via the Community Platform.

8. Examination Fees and Leave If taking an examination is a requirement of completing the programme of study, then this must be included in the application form. Any examination fees must also be included as part of the application process as otherwise will not be considered for funding.

Approval for examination leave is at the discretion of the colleagues’ line manager but the allocation of study leave for examinations and leave to assist colleagues prior to examinations is desirable. However, managers must ensure they take a consistent approach to this. Good equality of opportunity practice should be applied. All agreements in relation to study leave and examination support must be made at the outset of the programme.

Support, for completing first time examination failures can be considered after taking account of the full circumstances. Second and subsequent failures will not be supported by Provide.

9. Conferences For national conferences, normally only one person from any one department should attend, unless it is considered appropriate by the line manager/director for additional colleagues to attend (in which case the department budget may be required to support the additional delegates). As many conference organisers now post keynote speeches on the internet, the applicant would then be required to share learning with others in Provide. The normal application process also applies to attending all conferences.

Clinical Continuous Professional Development will not normally be granted to attend programmes outside the UK where a similar programme is available in the UK. However, Provide recognises that colleagues may occasionally be required to travel Page 28 of 35

overseas to attend conferences, to present papers promoting the work of Provide. In these cases, colleagues will need to discuss and agree with their line manager/director and agree any funding/time/travel arrangements and any other specific issues about overseas travel in advance.

If they are presenting a paper or promoting the work of Provide prior approval must be agreed with line managers and relevant directors. Any source of corporate or private sponsorship for attending conferences or any development event needs to be registered in accordance with the organisation’s Hospitality and Sponsorship Register maintained by the finance team. All presentations should be on the standard Provide presentation templates. Provide will not pay for or reimburse the cost of any additional expenses associated with a conference e.g. social events/trips/excursions/car hire etc.

All of these costs would be met by the individual.

10. Travel Costs These may be reimbursed for travel to and from programmes that are defined as Mandatory or Essential to Role following negotiation and prior agreement with the colleague’s line manager. The cost for this expense will be taken from the approving line managers budget and/or directorate. For any development that is defined as Optional, travel expenses will not be claimed.

11. Subsistence Allowances When a colleague requests funding for overnight accommodation, they will need to discuss with their line manager as this could only be supported from the service budget or contribution from the colleague. Consideration should be given to finding the most cost-effective accommodation in the area.

No funding can be approved for alcoholic drinks, newspapers, videos, mini-bar, laundry, hotel club/leisure activities, or any other expense not incurred as a necessary business expense.

12. Claiming expenses Claimants should claim all expenses associated with the development event including mileage and parking through the EASY PAY system. Colleagues must identify that the mileage is associated with Travel-Study Leave Mileage. These are claimed through the service budget via Easy Pay and must be authorised by the line manager.

Expense claims should be submitted promptly on a monthly basis. At the end of the financial year, the claimant is responsible for ensuring that all expenditure is claimed in time to be paid in the April payroll run so that it can be accounted for in the appropriate financial year.

13. Evaluation/Feedback Before claiming any expenses for development, the applicant must provide feedback to their manager/wider team and colleagues regarding the development attended and submit an evaluation form to the Health Education Development team, within 1 month of completing the development. Line managers will therefore need to see a copy of the evaluation form and evidence of feedback to the team/service prior to authorising any travel and other expenses associated with the training.

Page 29 of 35

Failure to complete evaluations or cascade/share learning with the team or service will adversely affect any future application for funding.

14. Monitor and Review These guidelines will be subject to regular monitoring, coordinated by the Health Education Development team to ensure systems and processes are fit for purpose and being adhered to.

Page 30 of 35

EQUALITY IMPACT ASSESSMENT TEMPLATE Stage 1: ‘Screening’ The Equality Impact Assessment needs to be completed so that any decisions made are compliant with the aims of the Public Sector Equality Duty – and that any adverse impact for any protected characteristics are identified and resolved.

Policy Title Clinical Continuous Professional Development Policy Provide a brief summary (bullet points) of the aims of the Policy To ensure Provide colleagues are aware of the process and procedures to follow when requesting clinical CPD To ensure managers know their responsibilities in ensuing their direct reports are effectively training and up to date with their development requirements To ensure that all clinical CPD is discussed and a consistent process implemented for the approval of all development activities To signpost applicants and line managers to the correct documentation to use when applying for clinical CPD This policy will support all managers and colleagues to understand their responsibilities in relation to professional development. All development needs are identified through the PDR process which is equality neutral. The policy also includes references to part time colleagues and guidelines for managers to ensure equity of access to development opportunities.

The policy clearly sets out the requirements for all colleagues in undertaking and completing their professional development needs and should therefore have a positive impact on all colleague groups in clarifying what is required. It also outlines that clinical CPD for all colleagues does not exclude any one group. It specifically mentions in this policy how opportunities will be fairly processed, and that where applicable, colleagues can specify to the Health Education Development Team if there are any reasonable adjustments that need to be made.

In addition, equality and diversity monitoring is reported annually within the Health Education Forum reporting schedule.

Managers are required to ensure that ALL colleagues have an annual PDR. This is also monitored by the Talent and Learning Team annually, resultant clinical CPD is monitored and presented via the Health Education Forum and escalated onto Quality Reference Group.

EQIA Assessor Name and Job Title Health Education Development Lead

Date of Assessment 31/03/2026

Page 31 of 35

This stage establishes whether a proposed initiative will have an impact from an equality perspective on any particular group of people or community or whether it is “equality neutral” (i.e. have no effect either positive or negative)

Q1. Will this policy affect one of the following groups more or Less favourably than another?

Group

More

Less

Neutral

Details If more or less, explain impact and any valid legal and/or justifiable exception. Include the source of any evidence

Age Consider impact and detail across age ranges on old and younger people. This can include safeguarding, consent and child welfare Disability Consider and detail impact on attitudinal, physical, and social barriers.

Sex Consider and detail impact on men and women (potential to link to carers) Gender reassignment (including transgender) Consider and detail impact on transgender and transsexual people.

This can include issues such as privacy of data and harassment.

Pregnancy and maternity Consider and detail impact on working arrangements, part-time working, infant caring responsibilities.

Race Consider and detail impact on different ethnic groups, nationalities, Roma gypsies, Irish travellers, language and communication barriers.

Religion or belief Consider and detail impact on people with different religions, beliefs or no belief.

Sexual orientation Consider and detail impact on heterosexual people as well as lesbian, gay and bi-sexual people Carers Consider and detail impact on part-time working, shift-patterns, general caring responsibilities Other identified groups Consider and detail on different socioeconomic groups, area inequality, income, resident status (migrants) and other groups experiencing disadvantage and barriers to access.

Page 32 of 35

X X X X

X

X

X

X

X

X

Assessed Impact overall



Neutral

Is the impact of the initiative – whether positive or negative significant enough to warrant a more detailed Stage 2 assessment?



No

Guidelines: Things to consider Equality impact assessments at Provide take account of relevant equality legislation and include age, (i.e. young and old,); race and ethnicity, gender, disability, religion and faith, and sexual orientation.

The initiative may have a positive, negative or neutral impact, i.e. have no particular effect on the group/community.

Where a negative (i.e. adverse) impact is identified, it may be appropriate to make a more detailed EIA (see Stage 2), or, as important, take early action to redress this – e.g. by abandoning or modifying the initiative. NB: If the initiative contravenes equality legislation, it must be abandoned or modified.

Where an initiative has a positive impact on groups/community relations, the EIA should make this explicit, to enable the outcomes to be monitored over its lifespan.

Where there is a positive impact on particular groups does this mean there could be an adverse impact on others, and if so can this be justified? - e.g. are there other existing or planned initiatives which redress this?

It may not be possible to provide detailed answers to some of these questions at the start of the initiative. The EIA may identify a lack of relevant data, and that data-gathering is a specific action required to inform the initiative as it develops, and also to form part of a continuing evaluation and review process.

It is envisaged that it will be relatively rare for full impact assessments to be carried out at Provide. Usually, where there are particular problems identified in the screening stage, it is envisaged that the approach will be amended at this stage, and/or setting up a monitoring/evaluation system to review a policy’s impact over time.

Page 33 of 35

EQUALITY IMPACT ASSESSMENT TEMPLATE Stage 2 To be used where the ‘screening phase has identified a substantial problem/concern) This stage examines the initiative in more detail in order to obtain further information where required about its potential adverse or positive impact from an equality perspective. It will help inform whether any action needs to be taken and may form part of a continuing assessment framework as the initiative develops.

Policy/ Project Title

EIA Assessor Name and Job Title

Date of Assessment

EIA Review by Chief Officer name and Job Title

Date Of Review

Outcome of Chief Officer Review Q1. What data/information is there on the target beneficiary groups/communities?

Are any of these groups under- or over-represented?

Do they have access to the same resources?

   

Yes No Yes No

 

Yes No

What are your sources of data and are there any gaps?

Q2. Is there a potential for this initiative to have a positive impact, such as tackling discrimination, promoting equality of opportunity and good community relations?

If yes, how? Which are the main groups it will have an impact on?

Q3. Will the initiative have an adverse impact on any particular  Yes group or community/community relations?  No If yes, in what way? Will the impact be different for different groups – e.g. men and women?

Q4. Has there been consultation/is consultation planned with  Yes stakeholders/ beneficiaries/ staff who will be affected by the  No initiative?

Summarise (bullet points) any important issues arising from the consultation

Page 34 of 35

Q5. Given your answers to the previous questions, how will your plans be revised to reduce/eliminate negative impact or enhance positive impact?

Are there specific factors which need to be taken into account?

 

Yes No

Q6. How will the initiative continue to be monitored and evaluated, including its impact on particular groups/ improving community relations? Where appropriate, identify any additional data that will be required

Guidelines: Things to consider An initiative may have a positive impact on some sectors of the community but leave others excluded or feeling they are excluded. Consideration should be given to how this can be tackled or minimised.

It is important to ensure that relevant groups/communities are identified who should be consulted. This may require taking positive action to engage with those groups who are traditionally less likely to respond to consultations, and could form a specific part of the initiative.

The consultation process should form a meaningful part of the initiative as it develops, and help inform any future action.

If the EIA shows an adverse impact, is this because it contravenes any equality legislation? If so, the initiative must be modified or abandoned. There may be another way to meet the objective(s) of the initiative.

Page 35 of 35