Employer Story

Apprenticeships support delivery of workforce strategy

The Royal Marsden approached Skills Training UK to offer expert advice on management of the Apprenticeship Levy and to support the trust in developing a tailored workforce apprenticeship programme.

Focus of the training

The programme focused on two key areas, to support the challenge of new recruitment in new administrative roles and to further develop the management team with higher-level Apprenticeships. Over 70 employees were enrolled onto apprenticeship programmes, covering business administration, continuous quality improvement, leadership and management.

Skills Training UK supported the Trust to create two bespoke qualifications which are relevant to clinical members of the team – Business Administration with the addition of a Royal Marsden Level 2 Award in Cancer Terminology and CMI Level 3 in First Line Management.

Skills Training UK also used our specialist recruitment service to shortlist high-calibre Business Administration candidates to fill positions within the Royal Marsden’s radiotherapy, catering, pharmacy and research departments.

Outcomes

Royal Marsden has since been rated ‘Outstanding’ by CQC, specifically mentioning how the Trust’s well-led teams and culture has been used to improve the delivery of high-quality person-centred care.

“As an organisation that has been rated outstanding at CQC level, we believe that our staff are at the heart of driving excellence. Therefore, education and training, and in particular Apprenticeships, are a key component to delivering this excellence. Skills Training UK has been the perfect partner to support us along this journey.”

Nina Singh, Director of Workforce, Royal Marsden NHS Foundation Trust

What’s been great about working with Skills Training UK is that whilst our prime concern is always patient care, they have been able to think out of the box and provide expertise from an external point of view, so we can come up with the best possible training solutions for our staff.”

Kulpna Daya, Deputy Governance Lead & Education & Development Technician

Skills Training UK has been the perfect partner to support us.

Nina Singh, Director of Workforce, Royal Marsden NHS Foundation Trust

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Background

The Royal Marsden NHS Foundation Trust is a world-leading cancer centre, dedicated to cancer diagnosis, treatment, research and education. Over 2,500 cancer specialists including consultants, clinicians, nurses and healthcare professionals work collectively to ensure that patients receive the highest level of care.

In 2018 the Trust launched its Five-Year Strategic Plan outlining an ambitious Workforce Strategy in line with the National Cancer Workforce Agenda. Education and training was crucial for achieving this strategy and the Apprenticeship Levy presented an excellent opportunity to invest in new and existing staff across clinical and non-clinical teams.

Skills Training UK Trainer Assessors visit monthly to deliver 1-2-1 support to Apprentices, providing them with the skills and knowledge to be practically applied within their workplace. Assessors are also regularly available over e-mail and phone.

Recruitment support

The introduction of more administration staff has helped reduce the pressure on senior staff members across all departments, who are now able to focus on key strategic tasks.

“Skills Training UK were able to come up with a shortlist of candidates who were highly-employable and exactly what we were looking for. Many of these candidates’ details were then shared with other departments to aid recruitment elsewhere in the Trust.”

Marisa Tozzi, Pharmacy Systems Manager, Royal Marsden NHS Foundation Trust

Reinforcing Management Skills

The Trust’s Apprenticeship approach has focused on the development of Senior Staff Members with higher-level Management programmes, helping them to understand best practice and theory for managing projects, teams and wider departments.

What the learners said ...

The Apprenticeship has enabled me to get stuck into more projects, areas and tasks than somebody in my position normally would, meaning that my skills are more varied, and I am a more valuable asset to the team. The trainer assessors have also been very helpful and are always there if I have a question.

Daniel Lake, Pharmacy Assistant, Business Administration Level 3 Apprentice

The Business Administration qualification has given me a brand new skill-set to take into any role with me. Developing conflict resolution skills through this course has made me much more confident in the way that I talk to patients and manage their enquiries.

Arti Haddadi, Radiotherapy Aide, Business Administration Level 3 Apprentice

The addition of the Cancer Terminology certificate was of particular interest to me because the business administration skills are tailored towards my work as a Clinical Trial Administrator.

Helen Morgan, Clinical Trial Administrator, Business Administration Level 3 with Cancer Terminology

I’ve accrued 15 years of experience from working within an NHS setting. The management course will allow me to put these skills into a more formal setting and understand the theory behind why we do things the way we do, to help me further progress within my role.

Gemma Lees, Therapeutic Radiographer, Operations Manager Level 5 Apprentice

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