1. Practice Education North East London Foundation Trust (MHS) In
Trish Reynolds & Paul Chesnaye

2. NMC’s stance
Nursing education – requires mentors, practice teachers and teachers to provide the full range
of support and assessment required to meet the needs of pre-registration, and specialist
practice education
NMC approve practice teacher preparation programmes (i.e. PGCE, PgDip)
Recorded on the NMC Register
Practice Teachers must have previous qualification and experience as a mentor & sign off mentor

3. Identified on ‘local registers’
Subject to Triennial Reviews
New Practice Teachers must be supervised by an Experienced Practice Teacher for at least 12 months
Various criteria to become a PT and responsibilities of a PT (see Appendix 1 and 2)
PT Qualification is mandatory for those delivering learning to nursing students at HEIs

4. NELFT’s Practice Education Framework
Supported and overseen by Director and Associate Director of Nursing
DoN funds 2 places per year for the PGCE
Applicants must be a Sign off Mentor
Contractual commitment to develop pre & post registration nurses for at least 2 years
PT’s develop, assess & support potential sign off mentors

5. Experienced Practice Teachers support, assess & develop, developing PTs
PTs actively participate in NELFT’s Practice Teacher Panel
Available to support mentors and sign off mentors
Heavily engaged in recruitment of pre-reg students & teaching opportunities

6. Practice Education Framework in NELFT
Practice Facilitators – senior level
Engaging mentors in additional education opportunities (recruitment, mock interviews, teaching, curriculum development)
Sign off mentor development & support
Practice Teacher Development
Practice Teacher Panel
Visiting previous mentors of referred students

7. Practice Facilitators
Part funded by NHSL; part funded by Trust
Team of PFs for the Trust – 2 MH PFs
Monitor, develop, support practice education across 60+ clinical teams and 500+ mentors
Manage practice education competency issues (both students and mentors/SoMs/PTs)
Manage & facilitate Preceptorship Progs
Partnership working with local HEI (LSBU)

8. Engaging mentors etc
PFs actively contribute to mentoring preparation programmes
PFs encourage and promote mentors etc to participate in additional practice education opportunities
PFs and mentors attempt to bridge Practice - theory gap

9. Sign off Mentor Development & Support
Expressions of interest; manager proposal; identified & approached by PFs
Fulfill NMC criteria (see Appendix 3)
Personal understanding of Sign off Role
Manager’s support
Development Workshop (half day)
PT assesment
Identified on ‘local register’
Regular contact with PFs
Support Group whilst sign off student on placement

10. Practice Teacher Development
Previous engagement with additional practice education opportunities
Experience as a Sign off Mentor
2 places on PGCE each year
Currently have 5 PTs in MHS (2 due to commence)
Active participation in Practice Teacher Panel
Responsible for assessing potential sign off mentors

11. Practice Teacher Panel
Supportive process for Sign off Mentors
Where a sign off student is not meeting required level of competency
Panel acts as an independent view of the student’s and SoMs evidence of attempts to meet required level of competency
Panel either supports or does not support the sign off mentors decision to refer the sign off student
Panel makes recommendations to HEI

12. Visiting previous mentors ….
PFs and SoMs meet with the previous mentors of a sign off student who has been referred
To explore previous mentors opinions of said student
To encourage mentors to identify deficits earlier in a student’s programme
To reinforce responsibilities of mentors etc