1. GCU Mentorship Coordinator (on behalf of GCU Mentor Strategy Group)
Mentorship – Developing Guidance to Enhance the Management of the Live Mentor/Practice Teacher Register
Claire McGuinness
GCU Mentorship Coordinator
(on behalf of GCU Mentor Strategy Group)

2. Session Aims Background Challenges – Mentorship Focus
Nursing & Midwifery Council (NMC)
NHS Education for Scotland (NES)
Challenges – Mentorship Focus
The GCU Mentor Strategy Group
Developing the Live Register Guidance
Dissemination of the Guidance
Potential Impact
What Next?

3. NMC (2009, 2010) Pre-Registration Nursing & Midwifery Programmes
Theory & Practice
50% / 50%
Practice Learning
Must Enable Competency Acquisition
Assessment of Essential Skills Clusters (role of simulation)
Mentor/Sign-Off Mentor
Fit for Purpose/Fit for Practice
Directly Influence Skill Attainment and Competency Acquisition
Directly Influence the Pre-Registration Student Experience
Influence Student Progression & Retention

4. Mentorship Preparation
NMC (2006:2008) NES (2007) Supporting Learning & Assessment in Practice
Mentorship Preparation
10 Study Days (5 protected)
Supervised Experience in Practice
Develop Portfolio of Evidence
National Approach (NES 2007)
Mentor Continuing Professional Development
Mentor 2 students in a 3 year period
Annual Updating Activity
Annotation to Live Mentor Register
Additional Requirements for Sign-Off Status

5. Background Supporting Learning & Assessment in Practice (NMC 2008)
Nursing & Midwifery Council (2006) Standards to support learning and assessment in practice
Issued August 2006
Effective September 2007
NMC (2006; p 7, 2008; p11)
‘Placement providers are responsible for ensuring that an up to date register of current mentors and practice teachers is held and maintained…………….’
Small Scale Service Providers (NMC Circular 28/2007)
‘NMC approved education institutions should take responsibility for ensuring that an up to date register of current mentors is held and maintained…………..’

6. Challenges Establishing & Maintaining the register
IT & Administrative Support
Protecting Information - Data Protection Act (1998)
Sharing while protecting confidentiality
Ensuring Currency & Accuracy of Information
Requirement of the Data Protection Act (1998)
Capturing Information
Annual Update & Triennial Review
Changes in Mentor Status
Changes to Service Areas
Movement of Staff

7. Challenges Approval & Monitoring Events
Achieving Consistency of Mentorship Practice
Wide Range of Service Providers
NHS
Independent Service Care Homes
Independent Service Hospices
Private Hospitals
Mentoring 2 Students in a 3 year Period
Appropriate Allocation of Students

8. The GCU Mentor Strategy Group
Established March 2012
Cross Higher Education/Service Provider Membership
GCU
University of Glasgow
NHS Greater Glasgow & Clyde
NHS Golden Jubilee National Hospital
NHS Ayrshire & Arran
NHS Lanarkshire
Independent Service
Terms of Reference
‘Through collaborative cross service and academic working identify and discuss day to day mentorship issues/challenges, share examples of good practice and develop collaborative scholarly activity’

9. Developing the Live Register Guidance
Initial Meeting - March 2013
Service Area
Mentor/Sign-Off Mentor Numbers
Geographical Challenges
Current Annual Update Status/Progress
Approaches to Annual Update
Retrieval of Information
Current Triennial Review Status/Progress
As for Annual Update
Mentor Register Status
Acceptable timelines
Suspension & Removal

10. Developing the Guidance - Considerations
Disparite Register Management
One Register – Multiple Registers
Achieving Consistency in Mentorship
Student Experience
Monitoring & Approval/Reapproval Events
Large Mentor Numbers
Requirement for face-to-face update
Wide Range of Service Partners
Capturing Informal Annual Update Activity
Absence of Clear Timeline Guidance
Different service areas working to different timelines
Variable annual update and triennial reivew activity
Administrative Support
Dedicated support – little/no support

11. Decision Making Guidance or Protocol?
Annual Update/Triennial Review Timelines
What should they be?
Variable Software/Register Management Systems
Transferable Guidance
Movement of Staff
Establishing Mentor Status
Changes in Service Provision
Impact for Mentors/Sign-Off Mentors
‘Stop the Clock’
Decision-Making Audit Trail

12. The Document Draft Document Created Audit Trail Template
Circulated for Discussion & Comment
Members of Strategy Group
Lead Nurses, Practice Education Facilitators, Care Home Education Facilitators
Audit Trail Template
Page Number, Section, Comment, Action Requested
Strategy Group Response
Comment Actioned, No Change, Escalated for Discussion
Placement Advisory Groups
Professional Network
Final Version – Version 7
Annual Review – September 2013

13. Final Version Contributors
GCU
NHS Ayrshire & Arran
NHS Golden Jubilee National Hospital
NHS Greater Glasgow & Clyde
NHS Lanarkshire
University of Glasgow
Mentor/Practice Teacher Live Register Guidance: Developed to Support & Inform
The Allocation of Mentors to Support Pre-Registration Nursing & Midwifery Students
The Allocation of Practice Teachers to Support Specialist Community Public Health Nurses
The Review of Live Mentor Registers as Part of GCU Programme Monitoring & Approval/Reapproval

14. Final Version Section 1: Guidance and Development Aims
Section 2: Register Format for the Presentation of Live Mentor/Practice Teacher Information to Nursing &Midwifery Council
Section 3: Live Mentor/PT Register Accuracy & Currency – Guidance to Manage Potential Challenges
Section 4: Identifying Active, Suspended & Removed Mentors/PTs when Allocating Students – Guidelines for Register Holders
Section 5: References
Appendix 1: GCU Mentor Strategy Group Membership

15. Agreed Timelines
Annual Update
Triennial Review

16. Potential Impact of the Guidance
Consistency of Data Capture
Across all areas of service
Working to Agreed Timelines
Annual Update & Triennial Review
Mentors/Sign-Off Mentors
Fit for Purpose & Fit for Practice
Retention of Mentors/Sign-Off Mentors
Consistent Mentor Support – Improving the Student Practice Experience
Positive Impact on Student Progression & Retention

17. What Now & What Next? Dissemination Members Working to Meet Guidance
NHS Intranet
GCU and UoG Programme Teams
Professional Network
Members Working to Meet Guidance
New Members of Mentor Strategy Group
Document being reviewed by
NHS Highland
NHS Dumfries & Galloway
The State Hospital (NHS Scotland)
University of the West of Scotland
Publication
Exploring Retrieval of Mentor Status

18. References
Data Protection Act, 1998, [online], available from: [Accessed 18th February 2013]
NHS Education for Scotland, 2007, National Approach to Mentor Preparation for Nurses and Midwives: Core Curriculum Framework, NES, Edinburgh
Nursing & Midwifery Council, 2006, Standards to support learning and assessment in practice, NMC, London
Nursing & Midwifery Council, 2008, Standards to support learning and assessment in practice, NMC, London
Nursing & Midwifery Council, 2009, Standards for pre-registration midwifery education, NMC, London
Nursing & Midwifery Council, 2010, Standards for pre-registration nursing education, NMC, London