A UK-wide preceptorship framework for health visitors has been launched in the hope of ensuring a ‘consistent, personalised’ approach for the workforce.
Employers have been urged to implement the new framework – developed by the Institute of Health Visiting (iHV) – amid ‘significant’ shortages and attrition within the profession.
The iHV’s 24-page blueprint offers practical guidance on what an ‘effective’ preceptorship programme looks like, drawing on existing research, evidence and policy.
Preceptorship is typically a period of structured transition to guide and support newly registered practitioners and those returning to practice.
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The iHV stressed that high-quality preceptorship enables leadership development and ongoing learning for the profession, as well as ensuring the delivery of safe and effective care.
Its new framework gives advice for preceptors, preceptees and line managers, and outlines the iHV’s ‘preceptorship gradient’ of ‘growing, embedding and thriving’ during the preceptorship period.
The iHV warned ‘many’ health visiting services across the UK are experiencing ‘significant shortages’ and attrition in the health visiting workforce.
It suggested that good preceptorship could be part of the solution.
Framework author and professional service lead at the iHV, Amanda Holland, said: ‘Supporting and enabling newly qualified health visitors to lay strong foundations from the beginning of their career is vital to enable them to grow and thrive and achieve their professional aspiration throughout the preceptorship period and beyond.
‘Enabling a good learning environment, where the preceptee is at the centre of preceptorship, and wellbeing and psychological safety is prioritised is key to success.’
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The framework was supported by a range of stakeholders across the UK, including: student health visitors; newly qualified health visitors; experienced health visitors involved in practice education, workforce, training and development; academics; health professionals representing professional and regulatory bodies and unions; commissioners; and members of the Institute of Health Visiting Advisory Forum.
Chief executive of the iHV, Alison Morton, added: ‘I fully support the aims of this much-needed iHV UK Preceptorship Framework for Health Visiting to facilitate a consistent, personalised approach to preceptorship for every health visitor.
‘The iHV seeks to achieve consensus with organisations employing health visitors actively supporting the preceptorship framework and “signing up” to use the framework in developing locally-agreed programmes, as part of their organisation’s quality strategy.’
Earlier this year, a national nursing preceptorship policy was launched in Wales.
Separately, NHS England launched a national nursing preceptorship framework in 2022.
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In a report in January, the iHV suggested closer GP alignment could be one of the potential solutions to addressing workforce capacity issues within health visiting.
