Understanding different roles

This chapter outlines the differences between Paramedic, Pharmacist Physician Associate, Physiotherapist, and Practice Nurse roles to support supervision in Primary Care multi-professional teams. It also signposts to further resources, including the latest guidance on supervision requirements for Advanced Practice clinicians.

The chapter prompts teams to note potential challenges when supervising someone from a different role, and guidance on steps clinicians can take to become an Approved Educator in NCL.

You should read the chapter on Understanding three different types of supervision before completing this chapter.

Learning outcomes:

What are NHS England’s three types of supervision?

For each of the five key Primary Care roles (Clinical Pharmacists, Paramedics, Physician Associates, Physiotherapists, and Practice Nurses):

What are the training pathways?
What are their supervision requirements, and how do they differ for each role?
Where would you find further information?
Changes in supervision requirements for Advanced Practice clinicians (APs).

Chapter resources:

The following resources are available to share with your practice team or to support you to work through the workshop learning:

Role specific videos to support learning with your supervisees and your teams.
Workbook with exercise on providing supervision support to different roles.
Slide deck which includes signposting to key contacts and links for organisations that support different roles in practice, and guidance on what roles can provide educational supervision.

Please select from the videos below for role specific information and guidance

Paramedics

Physician Associates

Pharmacists

Physiotherapists

Practice Nurses

Additional resources

Key contacts and links for organisations

This deck signposts to key contacts and links for organisations that support different roles in practice, and guidance on what roles can provide educational supervision.

Key contacts and links for organisations

Enfield Unity PCN PA Handbook

This chapter includes an example of how both PA supervision and continued professional development has been managed in a large multi practice PCN in Enfield.

Enfield Unity PCN PA Handbook

Apply for educator approval

The Training Hub manages approvals for clinicians of all roles who would like to provide educational supervision to trainees on accredited learner pathways in NCL. The NCL Faculty and Quality webpages include instructions on how to register for appropriate supervision courses, support to complete the application and details about the educator assessment workshop.

Apply for educator approval

Case studies

NCL practices have provided feedback on how changes made relating to themes in this chapter have had a positive impact on supervision and multi-professional teamwork:

What needed to change (what needed improvement)?	What changes were made? Who led and supported change?	What were the results? How has this improved daily work at the practice / within the team?
Need to document supervision sessions that take place in practice, and tailor these to support different roles/competencies.	The practice developed proformas for supervision of AHP roles, including an option to document discussions and issues that are raised in supervision huddles.	Supervision discussions have improved and there is a mechanism to capture supervisee feedback so any issues can easily be escalated and discussed as a team.
The practice recognised the need for greater diversity in the representation of all clinical roles in practice meetings.	The practice has implemented a new process to ensure face-to-face meetings include representatives from all clinical roles, not just GPs. This participation makes everyone feel part of the team and that they can contribute, share knowledge and expertise across the team and give feedback and raise issues safely.	Issues impacting supervisees of all roles are shared across the team, and team member competencies are better understood to support more effective supervision. .
Increase understanding of different roles and competencies	Practice has have ensured that new ARRS team members have a meeting with a clinician as part of their induction at the practice. This meeting helps us to gauge their current level of practice and enables us to ensure they receive an appropriate level of support and supervision for each clinic and during their time in practice.	By ensuring we explored learning needs and learning style in the induction, we were able to better provide appropriate supervision.