The Community Health and Wellbeing Worker Apprenticeship is aligned to Personalised Care, Social Prescribing Link Worker, Care Coordinator and Health and Wellbeing Coach.
The NHS is transitioning to an integrated care service model and as a core driver, patients will be given more healthcare options, better support, and properly joined-up care. Delivered at the right time, by the right clinical service provider in the optimal care setting. This approach is fully aligned with the Five Year Forward View.
Community health and wellbeing workers are found in different organisations and commissioned by a range of agencies, including local government, the NHS, and other funders such as voluntary, community and social enterprise (VCSE) organisations.
Over a 12-month period, the focus will be on working in partnership with individuals and their communities to identify and address health and wellbeing needs, improve health, prevent ill-health and reduce inequalities.
Fees
This apprenticeship is 95% government-funded with a 5% employer co-investment. Please call or email for more information.
If you are an employer with a pay bill over £3 million each year, you will automatically be paying into the apprenticeship Levy. Please call or email for more information.
Further funding information can be found here.
Duration: 12 Months
Location: Workplace
Entry Requirements
It is expected that the learner will be working towards Functional Skills Level 2 or have prior accepted GCSE certificates. Alternatively, learners with long-standing evidence of work to a Level 3 standard may apply if they are supported by their employer and would then follow Functional Skills training alongside the apprenticeship.
It should also be noted that the learner will need to achieve a Level 2 standard in English and Mathematics prior to their End Point Assessment. These are referred to as Functional Skills and during enrolment, learners will be required to complete both Maths and English Initial Assessments and diagnostic tests to assess their level of understanding. If learners are exempt due to prior achievements, certificates must be presented as evidence before enrolment if this is the case, failure to do so will result in learners having to complete Functional Skills.
To be eligible for the apprenticeship learners will need to work a minimum of 30 hours per week and have the support of their line manager and employer. Learners will complete a self-assessment to assess their knowledge, skills and behaviours to ensure they are eligible for the apprenticeship.
This apprenticeship course will fulfil the following objectives
Community Health and Wellbeing Workers need to:
- address the causes of poor health and wellbeing in the broadest sense (causes of the causes). They do this by taking a holistic ‘whole-person’ approach regarding physical, mental, emotional and social health and wellbeing and resilience.
- work with individuals, groups and communities to identify what matters to them, building on their strengths to improve health and wellbeing.
- understand the local and accessible services and resources available, to which people in the community can be signposted to support their health and wellbeing needs.
- identify gaps in available services and resources preventing individuals and communities from achieving optimal health and wellbeing.
- build relationships with local organisations and groups.
Community Health and Wellbeing Workers:
- enable individuals, networks and the communities in which people live or work, and in the ‘place’ or locality in which people are living, to address unmet needs to improve their health and wellbeing.
- work autonomously within the scope of their role and within legal and ethical requirements to implement strategies and policies that promote health and wellbeing.
- manage data and information and maintain accurate records.
- provide interventions that support health and wellbeing for individuals in specific settings (e.g. education, healthcare, housing, criminal justice, job centres, workplace, community, care) or in different communities (e.g. Black, Asian and ethnic minorities (including Gypsy, Roma and Traveller) communities, carers).
- use a range of methods, and behavioural science, working with people to develop their knowledge, skills and confidence to tackle their own problems and challenges affecting their health and wellbeing.
- work alongside people as equal partners, actively listening to what matters to them, building trust and rapport to help them to recognise what they need and to connect them with the best available support or intervention to meet their needs.
- help people to identify barriers preventing them from accessing local resources or existing services appropriately. They are at the front line of the evolving integrated health and care system, helping people to navigate complex services and providing coordination when necessary.
- identify appropriate support and where there may not be any obvious provision by statutory health and care services, connect with and involve the wider public, private and voluntary sectors, and potentially initiate new activities or programmes.
- work collaboratively to help people identify sources of support within their local communities (particularly underserved areas). Work with local groups and organisations to help develop support in relation to identified needs and resources (assets) within that community.
- work collaboratively with leading agencies to tackle health inequalities that occur when certain groups, or people in certain areas, suffer more ill-health than people like them in other communities, areas or places.
In their daily work, an employee in this occupation interacts with:
- individual people on a one-to-one basis and people in groups.
- community-based organisations and service providers (including voluntary or charity-based providers).
- NHS and local authority health and care professionals, individually and in teams.
- Lay and professional workers from other sectors, including people representatives such as faith leaders or parish and ward councillors, as well as organisations such as Healthwatch.
- peers (paid and voluntary) in their own or other organisations.
- other workers (paid and voluntary) who they may supervise.
- local health and wellbeing services, such as lifestyle support services, IAPT (Improving Access to Psychological Therapies).
- sources of digital help and support, including those supporting mental and emotional health and wellbeing.
- the private sector, e.g. retail firms and local businesses.
Course Delivery
This will include a wide range of teaching and learning techniques and styles including one-to-one coaching, discussions and teaching, observations, practical assessments, mentoring, independent research and e-learning. The assigned PMA Tutor/Assessor will use online face-to-face platforms such as Zoom/MS Teams/FaceTime/Skype, as well as periodic workplace visits.
Learners will have access to Aptem, our e-portfolio system that supports monitoring progression throughout the apprenticeship. It is the central system that keeps track of learner assignments, and evidence and holds resources that will support learners to complete the apprenticeship.
Line managers will be key drivers in learner development, importantly in agreeing the unique learning plan and keeping abreast of progress at every step.
What is off-the-job training (OTJ)?
The learner will be able to evidence that they spend 6 hours per week on learning/training and that this is:
- Directly relevant to the apprenticeship standard or framework and is teaching new knowledge, skills and behaviours
- The learning is taking place within the apprentice’s normal working hours (paid hours excluding overtime)
Apprentices will be expected to keep a log of all learning activities while working towards the off-the-job requirements of 6 hours per week
Off-the-job activities could include:
- Attending masterclass teaching and learning sessions
- Coaching
- Independent research
- In-house training
- Shadowing
- Industry visits
- Mentoring
- Supervision with employer
- Writing assignments
- Online learning
- Manufacturer training
- Roleplay
- Simulation exercises
- Team meetings that include training
- Completion of reflective journal
Functional Skills
Functional Skills are nationally recognised qualifications in English and maths. They are part of a government initiative and designed to improve literacy and numeracy skills across the workforce. Due to this, Functional Skills are a mandatory part of Apprenticeship Standards. Anyone enrolling in an apprenticeship must complete Functional Skills English and Functional Skills maths unless they have already achieved them previously at Level 2 or have GCSEs (or equivalent) in both subjects at Grade C or above. Certificates must be presented as evidence before enrolment if this is the case, failure to do so will result in learners having to complete Functional Skills.
In order to support you in completing Functional Skills, PMA will undertake an initial assessment and diagnostic assessment which will enable its specialist tutors to identify which areas to focus on with you and this will form the basis of a personalised learning plan.
It is important to bear in mind that Functional Skills do require apprentices to sit formal examinations. The team will support you with exam techniques alongside your learning plan and will arrange for the examinations to take place at your workplace.
If you are undertaking a Level 2 apprenticeship, you are required to complete Functional Skills English and maths at Level 1. If however, you complete Functional Skills early, it is a government requirement for PMA to upskill you to Level 2 Functional Skills. If you are undertaking an apprenticeship at Level 3 or higher, then you will automatically be enrolled in Level 2 Functional Skills.
End Point Assessment (EPA)
EPA is the name given to a series of tests that an apprentice must complete at the end of their apprenticeship in order to receive their certificate. The EPA confirms apprentices are capable of undertaking the job that they have been trained to do. These tests are undertaken with an external organisation (known as an end point assessment organisation) to remove any bias from the examination process. The employer will choose the end point assessment organisation and PMA will support them to obtain information pertinent to this if needed.
When apprentices enrol on an apprenticeship, they study various units covering a wide range of relevant topics for their job enhancing their knowledge, skills and behaviours. This is often referred to as being ‘on programme’ and apprentices must complete all of the mandatory components of this including Functional Skills where appropriate.
Once this is completed, it is at this point the employer, after discussion with their apprentice and PMA, ‘signs off’ their apprentice as ready for EPA. This decision process is known as the ‘gateway’ to End Point Assessment.
The apprentice must be assessed by a minimum of 2 different assessment methods and the methods used will be the ones most relevant to the job.
| End-point assessment methods | Duration | Grading options |
| Multiple choice test | 45 minutes | Fail/Pass |
| Demonstration of practice | 100 minutes | Fail/Pass/Distinction |
| Professional discussion underpinned by a portfolio of evidence | 60 minutes | Fail/Pass/distinction |
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As a PMA member, you will benefit from regular news and updates on key issues and regulatory changes that affect GP practices. You will gain access to exclusive training and events that ensure you maintain currency of knowledge and skills. You will have the opportunity to meet and network with your peers from around the UK.