Andy Morris

This is the second in a series of two articles looking over the past 21 years of developing assistant practitioners (APs) at the University of Bolton. Part one looked at the history and background of the AP and the university's long-lasting involvement in developing this innovative and versatile role. This article will focus on the case studies of two individuals who have engaged with the programme at the University of Bolton and how it has helped shape—or is shaping—their careers.

In 2023, a milestone was reached, marking 21 years of education, training and development of the assistant practitioner (AP) role at the University of Bolton. This is the first of two articles looking at the development of the assistant practitioner (AP) role in the north-west of England and the involvement of the University of Bolton in it over the past 21 years. It looks at the history and background of the programme at Bolton, from the first cohort in 2002 to the present apprenticeship programme for assistant practitioners in health.

In understanding the impact of apprentice assistant practitioners (AAPs) on mental healthcare services, it is important to understand the role of the practice trainer (PT). This article is the last in a series of four looking at AAPs in mental healthcare services. It will focus on the experiences of the PTs as they support AAPs working towards their qualified AAP role.
The challenges faced by mental healthcare services and the role of the PT in supporting workforce development via the AAPs will be introduced. Semi-structured interviews were carried out on two PTs working in the north west of England and employed at the University of Bolton. Both participants work with AAPs employed in mental healthcare services and consented to take part. During the interview, the PTs were asked to outline how long they had worked in role, followed by an exploration into their experiences of supporting AAPs within mental healthcare services.
The PTs were asked to give their opinion on the development of their role, throughout the programme, with particular reference to the restrictions and changes COVID-19 had made to their role.

Understanding the relevance of the AAP role in mental health is important for future developments within mental health services. This third article in a series exploring the potential impact of AAPs in bridging the gap in mental health services, focuses on the experiences of the mentor role. Mentorship in the development of health service workers is crucial to ensure competent, confident and skilled staff at all levels. This small-scale study looks at the experiences the mentor in general and more specifically, the experiences of a small group of mentors supporting AAPs in mental health services.
A questionnaire was sent to mentors at different stages of the AAPs journey and asked them to consider three broad themes; supporting the AAP, helpfulness of the AAP standards in mentoring and the impact of the AAP in mental health services. The results show a positive response in general from the mentors and the use of apprenticeship standards to focus the mentorship of the AAP as well as the potential benefits the Assistant Practitioner (AP) role has in both supporting services users and the service as a whole.

It is important to gain understanding in how Apprentice Assistant Practitioners (AAP) have an impact in mental health care services. This article is the second of a series of four looking at AAP’s in mental health care services focusing on the experiences of a group of AAP’s currently working towards their qualified AAP role. The challenge mental health care services face and their subsequent need for increasing the workforce will be introduced in terms of the developments in the AAP’s role.
A small group of AAP’s approaching completion of the Foundation Degree in Health and Social Care (FdA H & SC) were voluntarily recruited to take part in filling out a questionnaire followed by a focus group. All participants currently work in mental health care services and consented to take part. They were asked to outline in the questionnaire how long they had worked in the service alongside the specific area they specialise in. This was followed by a focus group, which explored their experiences of engaging in the AAP programme and how this currently affects their role and that of the wider team. They were asked to give their opinion on the role development from commencement of the programme up to the final stages of the apprenticeship.

It is important to have a well-trained workforce and this is especially so in mental healthcare services. This article is the first of four looking at mental healthcare services and the apprentice assistant practitioner (AAP). The background to the introduction of assistant practitioners (AP), both in generic terms and more specifically their potential in mental health provision, will be explored.
The present situation in mental health services will be examined, along with how the AP role might help mitigate some of the critical challenges faced in this area of health. The development of higher apprenticeships will be discussed in relation to standardisation of the AP role and how universally recognised apprenticeship standards around knowledge, behaviours and values will aid a more consistent understanding of the AP position and their consequent deployment in services.