Offers support for practices and nurse mentors/ assessors/ supervisors to take undergraduate student nurses on placement.
The aim is to increase access to general practice placements for student nurses, to promote practice nursing as a career and help secure the primary care workforce of the future.
Great recruitment tool and professional development opportunity for staff.
Practices receive a tariff to support time for assessment/supervision and coordination.
Funding available for nurses to undertake the assessor course.
When is it available?
Ongoing – student placements take place throughout the year and you can start getting involved at any time.
What’s involved?
By providing placements for student nurses, the aim is to promote practice nursing as a career pathway when in the past it might otherwise have been overlooked by students. This in turn should help to secure an important part of the future primary care workforce.
- Great recruitment tool
- Professional development opportunity for staff
- Additional income stream
- Give student nurses the opportunity to experience a quality placement in General Practice
- Help secure the primary care workforce of the future
- Bring enthusiasm and two-way learning into the practice
What funding is available?
Practices receive a tariff from HEE per student per week for assessor/supervisor time supporting the student.
What are the requirements to get started?
- GP training practice or equivalent (actively involved in training students from other disciplines e.g. medical students or foundation doctors) and agree to taking a minimum of two student nurses per year
- Have a nurse assessor (previously mentor) who is current on the assessor register, or in training/ going to train to be an assessor, and one or more nurse supervisors to support the students.
- Complete a placement profile and practice audit with your local University, on PARE (Practice Assessment Record and Evaluation). We will help with this and can arrange it for you.
What is involved in becoming a Nurse Assessor or Supervisor?
Information about the roles of Assessor and Supervisor can be found on the below links:
- Who can be a practice supervisor? – The Nursing and Midwifery Council
- Who can be a practice assessor? – The Nursing and Midwifery Council
The NMC four-minute animation ‘Understanding student supervision and assessment‘ sets out how our SSSA provide the structure and guidance that students need to learn and achieve their goals. It covers the roles of supervisors, academic assessors and practice assessors.
If a nurse has previously been a mentor and has a qualification such as ENB997/998, D32/33, C&G730, it may be that to become an assessor they will only require an update/transition training. If more support is required we can offer a session shadowing an assessor with a student. If you have potential supervisors and assessors please email Debra.Smith8@nhs.net, who will be able to advise and help Once assessors have been entered onto the register they will need to keep up-to-date. The Training Hub hold regular assessor peer group meetings which you can access for support and updates.
A wealth of information and resources can also be found on the university websites:
- University of York: http://www.york.ac.uk/healthsciences/practice-ed-support/
- University of Hull: https://www.hull.ac.uk/faculties/fhs/shsw/placement-team
- CU Scarborough: https://www.coventry.ac.uk/cus/course-structure/hnc-hnd-degree/2021-22/adult-nursing/
- York St John University: https://www.yorksj.ac.uk/working-with-the-community/placement-providers/nursing-practice-placements/
How much of the nurse’s time does it take to have students?
Student nurse placements are generally 6-14 weeks dependent on the university, and their year. As well as their supervisor, assessor and other members of the nursing team, the student can spend time during their placement with other clinicians or linked community services. Nurses/clinicians don’t necessarily need altered appointment times or shortened surgeries, but assessors will need approximately an hour of protected time at the beginning, middle & end of the placement for review with the student.
What can student nurses do on placement?
Student nurses must be supervised at all times but can take part in consultations under supervision once deemed competent by the supervisor/assessor or competent clinician. The list below gives some examples of skills students can be taught and assessed in practice, and perform once the supervisor/assessor or supervising clinician is confident that the student is competent.
- Can (with a registered nurse present) do all of the observation and specific clinical skills for chronic illness management and record these findings electronically.
- Can administer (with supervision) any drug or vaccine covered by a PSD (i.e. B12, depo) but cannot give any drug or vaccination that is covered by a PGD.
- Can (with supervision) do all of the verbal consultation for travel vaccines but cannot give the vaccines.
- Can (with supervision) do all of the verbal consultation for childhood vaccines but cannot give the vaccines.
- Can (with supervision) do all of the verbal consultation for cervical cytology but cannot perform the procedure.
- Can (with supervision) do all of the verbal patient checks and electronic recording for venepuncture but cannot
perform the procedure. - Can (with supervision) have opportunity to do wound care
- Can (with supervision) have the opportunity to record ECGs
- Can have the opportunity to work with other professionals within the practice and local links, i.e:
• All members of the nursing and HCA team to see a variety of skills and procedures
• Doctors, advanced practitioners, and other clinical staff in the practice
• Pharmacy or dispensary staff
• Administration and reception teams, to understand the running of GP practice and learn about different areas
i.e. budgeting, QOF and enhanced services
• Visit other specialties in the community (this could be a swap for a day or two with a student based at another community placement) - Further opportunities within General Practice:
• Inter-professional learning on a daily basis
• Observing work across all fields of adult, child, learning disabilities, mental health
• Acute emergencies that may arise
• Simulation and discussion on areas such as death, last offices and talk about how they are managed in Primary care as opposed to secondary care. Areas such as DoLs.
• Discussion and practice re: drugs calculation, IVs care and management (but not usually the opportunity to administer or work with secondary care equipment)
How much is the practice paid to take student nurses?
Spoke practices will receive a tariff per student, currently £3.91 per hour (2026-27). This is paid by the Training Hub, who confirm placement details each quarter and then claim from NHSE. Spoke monies will be paid once received by the Training Hub.
What will be expected of us once we start?
- Provide practice contacts and take at least two nursing students per year. There is no maximum, you may take as many as you like.
- Induction pack for learners, including: practice information, confidentiality and health & safety
- Insurance agreement in place for students (this is usually covered by your group policy)
- Assessor(s) to maintain updates, maintain the placement profile including annual audit with the university and access nurse assessor support via the training hub and university
- Confirm details of placements 3x per year, in order for the hub to claim your funds and arrange payment to you
How can I find out more or express interest?
If you would like any further information or advice we are more than happy to help. If you would like to meet and discuss things in more detail let us know your availability and we would be happy to arrange this.
Email – hnyicb.traininghub@nhs.net
Phone – 01482 303986
