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A pioneering apprenticeship programme in the NHS, which started out in Cornwall, has been given national recognition for the ‘Best Educational Programme’ at the prestigious Health Service Journal (HSJ) Partnership Awards.

Delegates from the Trust and its educational partners at the University of Plymouth were in London to receive the Best Educational Programme award for the clinical associates in psychology programme. They were there alongside other partners from the group of trainers.

Alongside being named Workforce of the Year at last year’s HSJ awards, the innovative programme was also highly commended in the category of Best Mental Health Partnership in the NHS during the recent ceremony.

“It’s excellent to receive this level of recognition for our partnership work. As well as the contribution it’s had towards establishing and training a new psychology workforce in the NHS. The positive impact the programme has had on our own workforce is incredible. To see it being rolled out so widely now across the country is great. Through some real collaborative work with our educational partners at the University of Plymouth, it’s allowed us to build a new, sustainable, and diverse psychology workforce. The programme has over 100 clinical associates in psychology.” Dr Lynn Olver, Associate Director and Head of Psychology Professions

The HSJ Partnerships entry was led by the national group of clinical associates in psychology trainers. The group is co-chaired by Dr Pete Keohane from the University of Plymouth. Both Dr Olver and Dr Keohane were present at the event which was attended by over 900 guests. The event brought together national healthcare leaders and professionals from both the NHS and the private sector.

“Cornwall is where it all started. The Trust has done a fantastic job in terms of leading the way with clinical associates in psychology. They’ve been at the forefront of the growth of this new professional role since the very beginning. Right now, we’re just very proud of the programme. It’s clear that clinical associates in psychology are having a substantial impact on the services where they’ve been deployed. We have reduced waiting times, improved care, and enabled meaningful transformation within the NHS.

“It’s been so rewarding to work with our NHS colleagues. It’s been done in a true partnership fashion. As the employer, they’ve been very engaged with the programme. We’ve worked closely with the service leads, supervisors, and clinicians. As well as people with lived experience across Cornwall. Throughout the entire process they’ve helped to develop the curriculum content, assessment design. As well as just generally helping co-create the programme to best meet the needs of the NHS. Most importantly, the people using services. It was lovely to be able to invite representatives from the Trust to the award ceremony and stand alongside them whilst we collected our award.” Dr Keohane

The initial development of clinical associates in psychology was led and pioneered by Professor Ken Laidlaw at the University of Exeter. The initial cohorts were trained to work in Cornish NHS services. Clinical associates in psychology are now trained across the south west and the majority of England. The team has grown quickly to meet the need locally and regionally. They work alongside stakeholders to provide the highest quality clinical associates in psychology training.

“I was working for the Trust already as an assistant psychologist within the forensic service. I was aware of the clinical associates in psychology training. I spoke to a couple of qualified clinical associates in psychology to find out about their experiences. They were incredibly enthusiastic about it. They're absolutely loving their jobs and the training they’d done. It really drew me towards this pathway.

“It’s provided me with a good alternative to a 3-year doctorate. It’s a shorter course that places you within a particular team or service for the duration of your clinical practice. That really suits me. It’s a great additional pathway, which I feel provides me with a better balance between work, study, and family life.” Tonnie Cooke, Trainee Clinical Associate in Psychology