Using SEEC credit level descriptors to support the accreditation of professional learning in the NHS: a case study

Ongoing professional development post-qualification is a requirement for all nurses to maintain their registration and meet the workforce development needs of the organisation (NMC2019).
Inparticular ongoing training is essential to provide a quality and safe service for patients that adheres to current NICE guidelines and Care Quality Commission (CQC) standards. Whereas in the past NHS Trusts may have sent nurses and allied health professionals to HEIs to gain post-qualifying modules in such areas as mentorship, preceptorship,and clinical specialisms.Trusts are increasingly undertaking such training in-house.
Barts Health NHS Trust has its own training academy and states that ‘Training and development are a crucial part of our work, and fundamental to securing our future workforce and developing a learning culture across our organisation.’ Through our Accreditation processes, Middlesex University is able to offer these Trusts for malrecognition of the learning gained from these in house training courses (Middlesex University 2018).
In summary the SEEC descriptors have been used very effectively to support the accreditation of professional workplace training courses in the NHS. Practice educators have found the consideration of context and the articulation of both skills and knowledge for the various levels particularly useful to articulate the specific learning required for practice-based courses.