Content by Agilio Software.
Having only been launched in 2019, the significant uptake of the Additional Roles Reimbursement Scheme (ARRS) indicates that the collaboration amongst general practices in the UK is going from strength to strength; however, it doesn’t come without its challenges.
Expanding the GP workforce and managing multidisciplinary teams, as well as the addition of 17 new roles, means that primary care networks (PCNs) need to find an effective way to manage their growing teams and provide them with adequate support and supervision.
Appropriate supervision not only improves productivity and enhances job satisfaction but also impacts the quality of patient care and safety. The ARRS programme is still in its infancy and whilst developing certain areas has proven difficult for PCNs to navigate, there is a need for a clear strategy to successfully integrate the ARRS roles into existing systems and processes.
So, what are the different challenges and how can you address them within your PCN? We’ve listed some of the key areas that you should address if you’d like a smooth integration of ARRS staff in your Primary Care Network.
- Streamlined clinical supervision
Some ARRS roles require clinical supervision, and from the outset, the arrangements should be clear for the member of staff as well as the one providing the supervision. Having software like Clarity Additional Roles will allow your team to manage clinical supervision as well as professional career development, all from one place. You can learn more about the software here.
- Appropriate education and training
Different members of your staff have different training needs and requirements depending on the nature of their role – PCNs should provide all additional staff with the necessary training and educational resources to help support their professional development.
- Defining roles and responsibilities
When introducing ARRS staff, PCNs need to ensure that they work together to correctly define the roles and responsibilities of their job. Whether that is the remit of their work, how they’ll work with other staff, or how much authority they have – this is important to ensure that ARRS staff are clear on what they are able to provide for their patients.
- HR support
ARRS staff should be provided with the appropriate HR policies and procedures by PCNs as that of permanent staff members. This should include supporting recruitment, induction, training, appraisal, and performance management reviewed regularly to ensure that standards are being maintained.
- Working arrangements
With an influx of additional staff to the rota, PCNs should coordinate the working arrangements of their ARRS staff and allow access to the necessary resources to ensure they can manage their schedules effectively.
- Working in an effective team environment
ARRS staff are providing much-needed additional services for PCNs to offer to their patients, meaning that they should be provided with the necessary opportunities to work collaboratively with other members of staff to help build effective relationships and ensure an effective care service.
How does Clarity Additional Roles support staff and PCNs?
To help ARRS staff juggle the complexities of their required CPD, manage patients, and for PCNs and practices to manage the influx of new team members, healthcare technology specialists Agilio Software has developed Clarity Additional Roles to help ensure that everything can be managed in one place.
- Supporting the professional development and retention of ARRS staff
When working across the different ARRS profession types, there is no one-size-fits-all solution to ensure that appraisals, capability frameworks, and professional development are being properly followed and managed.
Agilio’s one-of-a-kind software, specifically crafted for these ARRS roles, is responsive and bespoke to each profession type – as well as being compliant where necessary with relevant professional standards and requirements for ARRS staff including Health Education for England’s Roadmaps to Practice and KSA frameworks.
Clarity Additional Roles is a lifelong, single source to log any CPD or other items needed to present to regulators and in applicable frameworks – Staff are also able to track their progress in real-time against the Stage 1 and Stage 2 Roadmap to Practice requirements, which is also accessible by PCNs to ensure staff are on track.
Such is the impact of the software, employers are now funding the use of Clarity Additional Roles to help attract, retain, and support these ARRS roles through streamlined professional development and continuous learning.
- Saving time with evidence recording place
Making sure permanent staff are on top of their appraisals and CPD recording is difficult, but adding ARRS staff and the clinical complexities that come with some of the professions into the mix makes it extremely challenging.
Agilio has worked closely with practitioners and Training Hubs in the development of Clarity Additional Roles, creating a solution that helps clinical supervisors manage the appraisals and development of their ARRS staff from one place.
Clarity Additional Roles also allows PCNs to manage clinicians in a way that suits them, with the option of custom dashboards to grade competencies and conduct reviews. When annual appraisals come around, Clarity Additional Roles has a strengthened appraisal process to ensure the PCN and the staff member can easily meet the Direct Enhanced Service mandate.
- Education aligned with clinical supervision
An important aspect of CPD is education, Clarity’s Additional Roles software is fully integrated with their e-learning platform, iLearn.
Developed by the authors of The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) Clinical Knowledge Summaries, iLearn offers an additional option for PCNs to support their ARRS staff with a rich library of resources that align with the clinical supervision tools used in practice.
- Crafted by profession
The ARRS scheme is made up of 17 different professions, with no one being the same in terms of how they can record and track their progress and the clinical requirements that need to be met.
Clarity Additional Roles is adapted to a specific profession, including; Clinical Pharmacists, Pharmacy Technicians, First Contact Physiotherapists, Dieticians, Podiatrists, Occupational Therapists, and Community Paramedics.
This attention to detail ensures that your ARRS staff can make sense of and track their own professional progress to their specific needs and requirements so they can avoid complications when appraisals come around.
- Developing Clarity Additional Roles for wider professions
As the scheme develops, so does the Clarity Additional Roles software to ensure that the needs of other professions are being met with the most recent update adding four new roles to the software (GP Assistant, Social Prescribing Link Workers, Health & Wellbeing Coaches, and Care Coordinators).
Like with the previous roles, Agilio has adapted the software to specifically cater to the framework and roadmaps of these roles to allow these roles to continue their professional development whilst providing much-needed support to practices and PCNs they are parachuted into.
Want to learn more about how Agilio Software and Clarity Additional Roles can support the management of your additional roles? Click here to learn more about the first-of-its-kind software or here to speak with one of our experts.
