Tracey Miller

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.