It is a good idea to hold a staff meeting as soon as possible to inform the staff that they have been approved as a training practice and that a Foundation Therapist (FT) will be starting work in September. If there are any delays with the Pre-Employment Checks or Occupational Health Checks, they will be notified by NWSSP prior to the start date.
Highlight to the staff that your practice has been recognised as a suitable environment for training a Foundation Therapist. It is important that all the staff are involved from an early stage to support the FT when they arrive.
It is worth briefing the staff that the FT will be a fully qualified therapist who will be enthusiastic and fully up to date with all the latest techniques, and that the practice will benefit from this fresh input of ideas. They will however need support, encouragement and guidance in adapting to general practice. This will be the job of the whole team, not just the ES, and everyone in the practice will benefit and be involved. Your FT will require a fully registered and suitably experienced nurse at all times when they are performing clinical work in practice. The FT’s nurse should possess skills and attributes that allow them to be tactful, helpful, supportive, encouraging, and positive. They must have a good relationship with the ES, as they are an important link between you and your FT. They are a vital source of feedback, especially in the early weeks.
The nurse should be briefed to expect the FT to be slow initially and possibly unsure of themselves. They will need to be patient supportive and encouraging. They will be expected to guide the FT with NHS regulations, forms, computer operation and many other aspects of the running of the practice. They must understand your own role and be ready to consult and confer with you about the FT’s progress.
Inform the staff that when speaking to patients it is important to refer to the FT as a young therapist who is experienced and up to date with the latest techniques. Avoid telling the patients they are newly qualified and on no account should they use the terms ‘trainee’ or ‘vocational trainee’, which imply to patients that they are not qualified.