Guidance

NHSP: mentorship guidance

Updated 10 October 2024

Applies to England

In addition to the training and support from the NHS NHSP Programme, a new NHSP local manager will require support and mentorship from experienced peers. This should be sourced through the regional support network.

This document provides guidance for NHSP local managers providing support and mentorship to a new NHSP local manager.

1. Resources

NHSP operational guidance is available, including associated attachments. Specifically useful for new NHSP local managers are:

• Chapter 2 – education and training
• Chapter 3 – roles and responsibilities
• Chapter 4 – clinical governance
• Chapter 5 – equipment
• Chapter 6 – patient journey from screen to referral
• Chapter 7 – data and reports
• Chapter 8 – national IT system
• Local programme management tasks
• Reports guidance
• E-Learning for Healthcare
• National IT system resources

2. Mentorship

2.1 Screening babies

• follow the new screener training pathway
• understand NHSP screening protocols
• understand NHSP equipment protocols and quality assuring equipment
• understand principles of family-friendly working in NHSP
• understand informed consent and risk factors
• understand the local service process for equipment repairs and ordering consumables

The new local manager may require support to gain sufficient supervised screening to prepare for the external competency assessment (ECA).

2.2 National IT system

A mentor should discuss, demonstrate and support the new local manager in use of the training and live national IT systems including the following.

Basic principles of:

• data entry
• screener electronic data quality (SEDQ)
• screen outcome, follow up and patient status
• professional contacts
• printing proformas and letters
• creating screening and audiology appointments
• viewing screening results
• re-assigning a test result
• understanding matched and unmatched results
• deferring screen outcomes
• using the shared patient journey searches

Advanced principles of:

• searching to quality assure the local programme
• sharing and transferring records
• downloading screening waveforms
• understanding when manual result entry is appropriate
• managing incomplete data imports
• monitoring screen referrals
• exporting and interrogation of data

2.3 Managing a screening team

The NHSP programme team does not provide management training. Management training should be sourced locally. Most NHS Trusts provide in-house training for managers or look up Leadership development programmes

Mentors should demonstrate how they put detailed recommendations from the NHSP service specification and advice from the NHSP programme team into practice in their local programme, whilst sharing best practice from their regional support network group. They should discuss:

• holding effective screening team meetings
• monitoring competences using national reports and national IT data
• carrying out competency assessments using the performance observation checklists located within pages of the Level 3 Diploma for health screeners guidance
• screeners CPD, providing training updates and improving performance of the team and of individuals
• managing rotas to maximise coverage and cost effectiveness
• finding information and resources to train a new screener
• training admin staff to support you them in their role
• effective working with the NHSP team leader

2.4 Clinical governance

Mentors should demonstrate how they put detailed recommendations from the NHSP service specification and advice from the NHSP programme team into practice in their local programme. Whilst sharing best practice from their regional support network group. They should discuss:

• understanding your role in quality assuring the local service and the NHSP local programme management tasks
• understanding information from national reports
• understanding information from NHSP Trends
• reporting to commissioners and area screening and immunisation teams
• reporting to service providers and CHSWG
• producing an annual report (for inclusion in the antenatal and newborn screening report)
• relationships with and reporting to the regional screening quality assurance services (SQAS)
• identifying potential risks
• putting failsafes in place
• monitoring failsafes
• evidencing monitoring failsafes
• preparing for quality assurance reviews
• managing incidents and near misses
• audit and parent satisfaction surveys

2.5 Multidisciplinary working

Mentors should demonstrate how they put detailed recommendations from the NHSP service specification and advice from the NHSP programme team into practice in their local programme, whilst sharing best practice from their regional support network group. They should discuss:

• identifying the wider NHSP team and stakeholders
• effective CHSWG working: what is expected of the LM
• working with the ANNB screening co-ordinator
• working with audiology services – effective communication
• NHSP awareness training for new midwives, health visitors (in hospital sites), medical staff on maternity ward and NICU staff
• annual training updates for existing midwives, health visitors (in hospital sites) medical staff on maternity wards and NICU staff
• providing feedback for stakeholders and key staff