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The Trust’s Preceptorship Team has today been awarded with the National Preceptorship Quality Mark, which highlights the gold standards expected of an NHS Trust’s preceptorship programme. This award was introduced by NHS England in October 2022.

In order to achieve the award, the Trust’s preceptorship programme, policy and portfolio were re-designed and submitted to both the regional and national preceptorship teams, where it was assessed against a number of mandatory criteria.

Following an assessment, the Trust was notified to confirm that all documents passed on the first submission, with feedback stating the policy in particular was ‘excellent’.

This means that the support and guidance given to our newly registered nurses, nursing associates and allied health professionals is of the highest quality and provides a safe and nurturing environment for professionals to develop their skills as confident and competent practitioners. The Trust has one of the first multi-professional preceptorship programmes in the region and this will help to attract newly qualified professionals providing them with a fantastic springboard for their career development.

Watching the team receive the award, which was presented by Regional Chief Nurse, Catherine Morgan, was the Trust's very own Chief Nurse, Jo Bennis, who said,“I am incredibly proud of the fantastic work that the team have put in to achieve the Interim Quality Mark. Receiving this award highlights our commitment to supporting our nurses and AHPs by providing a NHSE standard programme for all newly qualified staff who join us. 

“I hope that receiving this award will help attract newly registered professionals to the Trust, and show that we are dedicated in supporting them as well as providing a opportunities for them to grow and learn.

"This is an exciting time for our preceptorship programme and the Trust, and we are looking forward to seeing how the programme continues to grow."

What is Preceptorship?

Preceptorship is a structured start for newly registered healthcare professionals. The main aim of the preceptorship programme is to welcome and integrate new starters into our team and place of work. It helps to embed knowledge into everyday practice, help staff grow in confidence and give the best possible start to their careers. It also helps to provide a lifelong journey of reflection and the ability to self-identify professional development needs.

“The preceptorship programme is allowing me to set achievable and manageable goals. It gives me a support system to guide me through my first year of being a qualified nursing associate. It has allowed me to build good professional working relationships with my colleagues.” – Thomas Quick, Nursing Associate

“The preceptorship programme is something that is new to me. Due to the fact that I am an international nurse, the UK is a completely different environment to what I am used to. A rich variety of people and cultures, and navigating such can be really challenging. The preceptorship program, I feel is a program where we are given the basic tools we need to give standardised care. It has also served as a platform where we all come and share our experiences as new nurses.

It has empowered me to actually reflect about who I am and the type of nurse I would like to be. This transition has been a lot easier due to this program. I am really grateful.” – Isha Jatta, Nurse

A huge well done to our Preceptorship Team for achieving this award!