Subject benchmark statements: Health Visiting
This subject benchmark statement provides a means of describing the nature and characteristics of programmes of study and education in health visiting in Scotland. It also represent general expectations about standards for the award of qualifications at a given level and articulates the attributes and capabilities that those possessing such qualifications should be able to demonstrate.
Subject benchmark statements are used for a variety of purposes. Primarily, they are an important external source of reference when new programmes are being designed and developed. They provide general guidance for articulating the learning outcomes associated with the programme but are not a specification of a detailed curriculum. Benchmark statements provide for variety and flexibility in the design of programmes and encourage innovation within an agreed overall conceptual framework.
Subject benchmark statements also provide support in the pursuit of internal quality enhancement. They enable the learning outcomes specified for a particular programme to be reviewed and evaluated against agreed general expectations about standards.
Subject benchmark statements are one of a number of external sources of information that are drawn upon for the purposes of academic review* and for making judgements about threshold standards being met. Reviewers do not use subject benchmark statements as a crude checklist for these purposes however. Rather, they are used in conjunction with the relevant programme specifications, the associated documentation of the relevant professional and statutory regulatory bodies, the institution's own self evaluation documentation, together with primary data in order to enable reviewers to come to a rounded judgement based on a broad range of evidence.
The benchmarking of standards in health care subjects is undertaken by groups of appropriate specialists drawn from higher education institutions, service providers and the professional and statutory regulatory bodies. Drawing on initial work undertaken within a UK context, the statements represent the first attempt to make explicit in published form the general academic characteristics and standards of awards in health visiting within the context of a devolved Scottish education system. In due course, the statements will be revised to reflect developments in the subjects and the experiences of institutions, academic review and others that are working with it.
This statement is © The Quality Assurance Agency for Higher Education 2002.
It may be reproduced by educational institutions solely for educational purposes, without permission. Excerpts may be reproduced for the purpose of research, private study, or review without permission, provided full acknowledgement is given to the subject benchmarking group for this subject area and to the copyright of the Quality Assurance Agency for Higher Education.
Electronic storage, adaptation or translation of the statement is prohibited without prior written agreement from the Quality Assurance Agency for Higher Education.
* academic review in this context refers to the Agency's new arrangements for external assurance of quality and standards. Further information regarding these may be found in the Handbook for Academic Review, which can be found on the Agency's web site.
Convener's Introduction
The main aim of the Scottish Nursing, Midwifery and Health Visitors Subject Benchmark Task Group was to develop higher education subject benchmarks that reflected the health and education sectors in Scotland. Therefore, the benchmark statements presented in this document will provide practitioner and academic curricula designers in Scotland with a framework on which to build creative and forward-looking pre-registration programmes. The benchmark statements will also provide learners with a clear guide to what a programme of preparation should enable them to do and what is required of them before they are eligible for professional registration.
The Scottish Benchmark Task Group members came from a wide range of academic and practice subject communities. It was therefore challenging for the Group members to be engaged in the diverse multi-disciplinary debate, a debate that often questioned existing beliefs, standards and ideas.
In the early stages of its work, the emergence of the triangular framework and the Task Group's endorsement of the plan to build upon the already complete UK benchmarking exercise1 gave the Group a true sense of identity, teamwork and clarity of direction. To ensure that each discipline was clearly represented the Task Group split into subject discipline groups, led by a 'champion'. The champions facilitated the subject discipline discussion and cross-referencing of the benchmark statements with the statutory competency requirements for registration. The Task Group met on pre-arranged dates, but much of the work was undertaken via electronic communication.
Also the full consultation period and consultation event provided subject communities with the opportunity to offer robust feedback which enhanced the quality of the finished documents. Therefore, it is with some confidence that the Benchmark Task Group present you with these Subject benchmark statements that meet the requirements of academic study at degree level and incorporate the statutory competency requirements for admission to the professional register.
Subject benchmark statements are an important part of the 'vocabulary for describing learning opportunities'.2 within the total quality standards framework. If you are a practitioner or an academic I encourage you to become fully conversant with the statements. Please use them when you are engaged in the development of any new curriculum design group.
I also urge you to encourage students, in the academic and practice setting, to reflect upon the relationship between the three main aspects of Professional Preparation and Development and debate with them how all three will enhance the meaningfulness of their learning.
Jennie Parry Chairperson Nursing, Midwifery and Health Visiting Scottish Benchmark group 2002.
1 Quality Assurance Agency for Higher Education (2001) Benchmark Statement: Health Care Programmes. The Emerging health professions framework. Gloucester: QAA.
2 Quality Assurance Agency for Higher Education (2001) The Framework for Qualifications of Higher Education in Scotland. Gloucester: QAA.
See also An Introduction to the Scottish Credit and Qualifications Framework page 2 (vii); The Scottish Credit and Qualifications Framework, 2001.
Foreword
This Subject benchmark statement (statement) describes the nature and standards of programmes of study in health visiting that lead to the subject awards made by higher education institutions in Scotland. It has built on the valuable work already done in which health visiting programmes of preparation in other parts of the UK have been benchmarked1. The Scottish statement not only strongly endorses this previous work, but has also incorporated parts of it, and has drawn upon it in various ways that renders the Scottish statement congruent with the UK context, both in terms of specificity to the health visiting profession and to the possibility of an emerging health professions framework.
Within such a UK context, Scotland has a devolved education system. This is reflected in the fact that the Scottish Credit and Qualifications Framework (SCQF) is slightly different from that of its counterparts in the rest of the UK2. In particular, Scotland has continued to embrace the development and award of the Scottish Ordinary Degree for a range of vocational and professional programmes of preparation. This is further reflected in the fact that, both historically and currently, programmes of study in health visiting in Scotland attract the award of ordinary degree. As such it is the ordinary degree that remains the as threshold standard for qualification in the subject of Health Visiting in Scotland. The Scottish benchmarking group has taken this into account.
It is for this reason that the Scottish statement for health visiting has been designed and presented in a way that differs slightly from its counterparts in the rest of the UK, while, as noted above, still remaining congruent with the overall purpose and value of the work already undertaken, including that of an emerging health professions framework.
In Scotland, the function of school nursing will be incorporated into that of the health visitor/public health nurse3. The benchmark statements have taken this into account. For convenience, however, the term 'health visitor' has been used throughout the document, and should therefore also be taken to signify these changing functions.
The design and presentation of the Scottish statement for health visiting has also been influenced by the benchmark information pertaining to the standard for initial teacher education in Scotland4. In particular, the Scottish benchmarking group placed a high value on the way in which a single set of benchmarks and expected features were presented as the threshold standard for professional preparation at an appropriate level of academic award.
The group took the view that such a manner of presentation was also appropriate for the health visiting context in Scotland with its current level of award of ordinary degree, and therefore made the decision to proceed down that route. This will enable the different higher education providers of health visiting education in Scotland to meet the threshold standards in their programme design while also facilitating unique pathways of provision and completion as and where appropriate.
The benchmarks for health visiting in Scotland, along with the expected features of the threshold standard are set out under the following three main headings:
A Professional Knowledge and Understanding
B Professional Skills and Abilities
C Professional Values, Accountability and Development
It is important to note that these three headings signify a high degree of interdependence where the academic nature of the programme meets the professional requirements of a programme that is practice-based but education led. In this respect, the benchmarking group valued the opportunity to cross reference the benchmarks and their expected features with the requirements for entry onto the professional Register as a health visitor. This fact has also strongly influenced the template in which threshold standards are presented.
The section on teaching, learning and assessment draws attention to the central role of practice in the design of learning opportunities for students and the importance of ensuring that professional competence developed through practice is adequately assessed and rewarded. It also notes how essential it is that the integration of theory and practice is a planned process within the overall arrangements made for teaching and learning.
The statement acknowledges the need to put the prospective client/patient at the centre of the student's learning experience and to promote within that experience the importance of team-working and cross-professional collaboration and communication. Implicit in the statement are the opportunities that exist for shared learning across professional boundaries, particularly in the latter stages of training when inter-professional matters can be addressed most productively. It is essential that the opportunities that exist for shared learning in practice are optimised, as well as best use being made of similar opportunities that prevail more obviously in classroom-based activities.
This statement and the associated statements will therefore allow higher education institutions, in partnership with service providers (where appropriate), to make informed curriculum choices about the construction of shared learning experiences. In this context shared learning is seen as one of a number of means of promoting improved collaborative practice and addressing a range of issues which span professional accountability and professional relationships. The statement has also been written in the context of the modernisation agenda for the health service in Scotland, where the goal is that of an ever-improving service and a continuing focus on patient-centred needs in what remains a practice-based and education led preparation. In this respect, benchmarking statements strive to make education fit for purpose in a manner that augments transparency and accountability to all stakeholders.
The statement does not set a national curriculum for programmes leading to awards in health visiting. It acknowledges that the requirements of the professional and statutory regulatory bodies need to be incorporated into the design of programmes. It seeks to encourage higher education institutions and service providers to work collaboratively in the design and delivery of their curricula. Its essential feature is the specification of threshold standards, incorporating academic and practitioner elements, against which higher education institutions are expected, as a minimum, to set their standards for the award.
Finally, the Subject benchmark statement for health visiting in Scotland has also been designed in such a way that looks to the future, both in terms of internal quality enhancement, continuing professional development and the modernisation agenda. Thus the statement that follows is seen as the first phase in an ongoing evolution of both quality systems, inter-professional collaboration, and transparency of programme content and design in a manner that is clear to all stakeholders. In this respect it is presented as a sound platform for the future of the health visiting profession in Scotland.
1 Quality Assurance Agency for Higher Education (2001) Benchmark Statement: Health Care Programmes - Health Visiting, QAA, Gloucester. The emerging health professions framework is given in Appendix One.
2 Quality Assurance Agency for Higher Education (2001) The Framework for Qualifications of Higher Education in Scotland, QAA, Gloucester. See also, Scottish Executive (2001) An Introduction to the Scottish Credit and Qualifications Framework, Edinburgh, Scottish Executive.
3 Scottish Executive (2001) Nursing for Health: A review of the contribution of nurses, midwives and health visitors to improving the public's health in Scotland, Edinburgh, Scottish Executive.
4 Quality Assurance Agency for Higher Education (2000) The Standard for Initial Teacher Education in Scotland: Benchmark Information, QAA, Gloucester.
Benchmark statement for health visiting in Scotland
Introduction
Health visiting is a specialist discipline within community nursing practice. It has a significant focus on public health, and shares areas of practice and health care goals with colleagues in primary care and other professions. Through work with individuals, families, groups and communities, health visitors seek to promote health and well-being and prevent illness. Whilst there is an emphasis within health visiting practice on child and family health, work with populations and communities to address issues of health and social inequalities and social exclusion represents an increasing focus on public health within contemporary practice. The health visiting service is unsolicited, thus not offered in relation to specific care needs. Hence it is a dynamic and health-focused service able to respond flexibly to a range of service and community needs.
Health visiting is underpinned by four principles that guide and direct professional practice. These include:
- the search for health needs;
- the stimulation of an awareness of health needs;
- the influence on policies affecting health;
- the facilitation of health-enhancing activities.
This statement acknowledges contemporary developments within the context of health visiting both in Scotland, and its regulation across the UK, which will shape its content and focus over time. These developments include an increasing emphasis on primary care and public health within the health service, social, demographic and epidemiological changes, new models of service provision, and changes in professional practice.
Health visiting programmes are approved by the statutory regulatory body and higher education institutions at degree level. This statement therefore incorporates the requirements of the Professional Statutory body. Registration as a first level nurse or as a midwife is a requirement for entry to a health visiting programme. Study may be undertaken on a full- or part-time equivalent basis. Health visiting programmes share a common core curriculum with the other disciplines in community nursing specialist practice, and have an equal balance of theory and practice. Whilst ensuring that students acquire the unique knowledge and skills to underpin practice in health visiting, education programmes also prepare students for multi-professional and multi-agency working.
Nature and extent of programmes in health visiting
The search for health needs
The search for health needs is regarded as the primary function of the profession and one that is fundamental to the process of health visiting. It incorporates searching out, identifying and assessing need. Whilst these stages occur in an integrated way, it is necessary to conduct a search or an investigation of health needs before the process of identification and assessment can be satisfactorily completed.
Searching proactively for health needs takes place at an individual, family and community level. The search is focused on the identification of factors influencing health at all levels. It is initiated by health visitors, is non-stigmatising, and guided by a code of ethics and client participation in the process.
Health visitors search for unmet needs in society and identify needs not currently addressed by other professional groups. Identification of the broader environmental influences on health, including those closely associated with poverty, poor housing and unemployment is an important part of the role of the health visitor.
A partnership approach, through which clients are empowered to address issues influencing their health, is an important element of the health visiting process and is central to the promotion of health and the prevention of ill health. Not all health needs are immediately transparent and particular skills are required to identify unmet health needs. On an individual basis the principle of searching for health needs is demonstrated through skilled observation of and communication with clients. Hidden needs are revealed through this mechanism, where discussion is centred around helping clients to examine situations and possible interventions, ensuring that they are provided with the opportunity to discuss issues that they may not have raised independently.
The expert nature of searching for health needs in communities is apparent in the methods used by health visitors, which include qualitative and quantitative approaches to the collection, interpretation and analysis of data. Health visitors are involved in developing profiles of the health and social needs of the local population. This involves bringing together relevant epidemiological data, information from the health visitor's case load, general practice data, local information, and needs expressed by individuals and communities. This information is used to inform local health improvement programmes and to influence resource allocation to areas with the greatest health and social needs.
The stimulation of awareness of health needs
Stimulating an awareness of health needs is the next stage in the process of health visiting. This principle underpins professional practice at an individual, family, community and political level and relates to stimulating awareness through the provision of knowledge and influencing beliefs and behaviours, which positively affect health.
This principle is particularly relevant to the work that health visitors undertake with vulnerable groups in society who may have limited access to information regarding health and health care services. Health visitors frequently work with socially excluded groups to stimulate an awareness of health needs and to establish outreach services to promote social inclusion.
The health visitor's role in stimulating an awareness of health needs is based on the principles of empowerment. This includes the provision of information and the building of self-esteem and confidence, to motivate and enable individuals to see health as a positive resource.
Health visitors work closely with other professionals and statutory and voluntary agencies to raise an awareness of and address the needs of individuals and communities and to provide services where they are most needed. They also apply the principle of stimulating an awareness of health needs through positively influencing the media and by working with action groups. Environmental issues may also be the focus of their work.
Influences on policies affecting health
The principle of influencing policies that affect health is pivotal to the health visitor's role in promoting health and underpins work at a local and national level.
This principle is applied in health visiting practice through activities that seek to influence policies at an individual, community and national level. These activities are the evaluation of the effectiveness of current practices and the provision of feedback to inform future organisational policy and strategic planning and the use of new data to stimulate policy development. A contribution to the activities of professional organisations and other national bodies that represent the needs of clients and the profession may also be made. In each of these cases the health visitor may be engaged in direct action and/or in empowering individuals and groups to seek positive change.
The facilitation of health-enhancing activities
Health visitors act as catalysts for change and promote an understanding of factors that influence health. Within a framework of empowerment, advocacy and leadership, the health visitor works in partnership with individuals, families and communities to facilitate health-enhancing activities. The aim of health visiting work is to enable others to control or change their own lifestyle or environment. Health visitors also work closely with other agencies and bodies to promote the development of services supporting health enhancing activities.
Threshold standard for health visiting programmes in Scotland: Elements of Professional Development
Programmes of health visiting preparation are for many nurses a developmental step in a career of lifelong learning and public health service. Programmes of preparation for registration as a health visitor require to promote three main aspects of such development.
A Professional Knowledge and Understanding
B Professional Skills and Abilities
C Professional Values, Accountability and Development
The significance of placing these aspects of professional preparation within a triangle is to emphasise that they are not simply lists of competencies or outcomes. They are interdependent aspects of the professional preparation of the student. It is the relationship between the three aspects that constitutes a meaningful education and preparation for professional practice. Benchmark statements have been produced for each of the three aspects. Programmes will be designed to give attention to each of these and to their interaction. The Benchmark statements, as well as meeting the requirements of academic study, also incorporate the competencies that are a statutory requirement for registration5.
The threshold standard for health visiting programmes of preparation in Scotland contains the following three key elements. First, the 'benchmarks' which are statements specifying the design requirements for programmes of health visitor preparation in Scotland. Second, each benchmark contains a bullet list of 'expected features' which designate aspects of student performance that the programme is designed to achieve in relation to a particular benchmark. These 'expected features' will be used in designing assessment strategies that facilitate the integration of academic work and practice learning. Third, each benchmark has been cross-referenced to the appropriate professional competencies, the meeting of which is a statutory requirement for registration as a health visitor in the United Kingdom. In this manner the benchmarking exercise has occurred within the context of a devolved Scottish education system while still embracing the UK context of the health visiting profession and its statutory requirements.
5 The domains of Health Visiting Competencies are shown in Appendix Two.
Threshold standard for health visiting programmes in Scotland
A Professional Knowledge and Understanding
| Benchmark | Expected features | Competencies |
|---|---|---|
| The Programme of Preparation will enable students to: | By the end of the programme students will be able to: | Cross reference to professional competencies |
| A1 Analyse and reflect upon the nature of health visiting, and forms of health visiting knowledge and practice. |
|
A, A1, A2, C3, C4, C5, D1 |
A Professional Knowledge and Understanding
| Benchmark | Expected features | Competencies |
|---|---|---|
| The Programme of Preparation will enable students to: | By the end of the programme students will be able to: | Cross reference to professional competencies |
| A2 Understand the appropriate life and human sciences that underpin and inform public health and health visiting practice. |
|
A, B, C, D |
A Professional Knowledge and Understanding
| Benchmark | Expected features | Competencies |
|---|---|---|
| The Programme of Preparation will enable students to: | By the end of the programme students will be able to: | Cross reference to professional competencies |
| A3 Understand the appropriate health and social sciences that underpin and inform public health and health visiting practice. |
|
A, B, C, D |
A Professional Knowledge and Understanding
| Benchmark | Expected features | Competencies |
|---|---|---|
| The Programme of Preparation will enable students to: | By the end of the programme students will be able to: | Cross reference to professional competencies |
|
A3 Understand the appropriate health and social sciences that underpin and inform public health and health visiting practice. |
|
As above. |
A Professional Knowledge and Understanding
| Benchmark | Expected features | Competencies |
|---|---|---|
| The Programme of Preparation will enable students to: | By the end of the programme students will be able to: | Cross reference to professional competencies |
| A4 Acquire knowledge and understanding of applied principles and concepts in professional practice. |
|
A, B, C, D |
A Professional Knowledge and Understanding
| Benchmark | Expected features | Competencies |
|---|---|---|
| The Programme of Preparation will enable students to: | By the end of the programme students will be able to: | Cross reference to professional competencies |
| A4 Acquire knowledge and understanding of applied principles and concepts in professional practice. |
|
As above |
A Professional Knowledge and Understanding
| Benchmark | Expected features | Competencies |
|---|---|---|
| The Programme of Preparation will enable students to: | By the end of the programme students will be able to: | Cross reference to professional competencies |
| A5 Develop the understanding and skills required to use information technology to support and evaluate health visiting practice. |
|
A, B, D |
| A6 Develop the skills of numeracy necessary for health visiting knowledge and practice. |
|
A, B, C |
B Professional Skills and Abilities
| Benchmark | Expected features | Competencies |
|---|---|---|
| The Programme of Preparation will enable students to: | By the end of the programme students will be able to: | Cross reference to professional competencies |
| B1 Utilise higher level communication skills pertinent to health visiting practice. |
|
A, B, C, D |
B Professional Skills and Abilities
| Benchmark | Expected features | Competencies |
|---|---|---|
| The Programme of Preparation will enable students to: | By the end of the programme students will be able to: | Cross reference to professional competencies |
| B2 Utilise appropriate knowledge and skills to identify and assess the health needs of individuals, groups, families, communities and populations. |
|
A, B, C |
B Professional Skills and Abilities
| Benchmark | Expected features | Competencies |
|---|---|---|
| The Programme of Preparation will enable students to: | By the end of the programme students will be able to: | Cross reference to professional competencies |
| B3 Formulate plans and strategies for meeting the health needs of individuals, families, groups, communities and populations. |
|
A, B, C, D |
B Professional Skills and Abilities
| Benchmark | Expected features | Competencies |
|---|---|---|
| The Programme of Preparation will enable students to: | By the end of the programme students will be able to: | Cross reference to professional competencies |
| B4 Demonstrate the knowledge and skills required to carry out focussed activities for public health and health promotion and education. |
|
A, B, C, D |
B Professional Skills and Abilities
| Benchmark | Expected features | Competencies |
|---|---|---|
| The Programme of Preparation will enable students to: | By the end of the programme students will be able to: | Cross reference to professional competencies |
| B5 Demonstrate the knowledge and skills required to evaluate health promotion strategies and activities. Demonstrate a critical, reflective approach to practice. |
|
C, D |
| B6 Engage in teamwork, multiprofessional, inter-agency and collaborative working. |
|
C, B, D |
C Professional Values, Accountability and Development
| Benchmark | Expected features | Competencies |
|---|---|---|
| The Programme of Preparation will enable students to: | By the end of the programme students will be able to: | Cross reference to professional competencies |
| C1 Value and demonstrate a commitment to promoting an holistic concept of health and social well being for individuals, families and communities regardless of age, gender, sexuality, race, disability, creed or culture. |
|
A, B, C, D |
C Professional Values, Accountability and Development
| Benchmark | Expected features | Competencies |
|---|---|---|
| The Programme of Preparation will enable students to: | By the end of the programme students will be able to: | Cross reference to professional competencies |
|
C2 Understand the importance and requirements of professional practice and accountability in different healthcare settings and employer contexts. |
|
A, B, C |
C Professional Values, Accountability and Development
| Benchmark | Expected features | Competencies |
|---|---|---|
| The Programme of Preparation will enable students to: | By the end of the programme students will be able to: | Cross reference to professional competencies |
|
C2 Understand the importance and requirements of professional practice and accountability in different healthcare settings and employer contexts. |
|
As above |
|
C3 Value themselves as autonomous professionals by taking responsibility for their lifelong learning, reflective practice and the professional development of self and others. |
|
A, C, D |
Teaching, learning and assessment
Decisions about the strategies and methods for teaching, learning and assessment are for institutions to determine, but should complement the learning outcomes associated with health profession programmes. It is not for statements to promulgate any one, or combination of, approaches over others. However, this statement promotes an integrative approach to the application of theory and practice. It underlines the significance attached to the design of learning opportunities that facilitate the acquisition of professional capabilities and to assessment regimes that ensure these are being both delivered and rewarded to an appropriate standard. Fundamental to the basis upon which students are prepared for their professional career, is the provision of programmes of academic study and practice-based learning which lay the foundation for career-long professional development and lifelong learning to support best professional practice and the maintenance of professional standards.
Teaching, and learning in health visiting
The applied nature of health visiting as an academic subject means that practice is an essential and core element of the curriculum equal in value to learning of a theoretical nature. In this statement, 'practice' as an activity refers to experiential, action-based learning that takes place not only in health visiting practice placements but also in a variety of other experiential learning situations that reflect public health practice developments. In this sense, practice provides opportunities for students to improve and demonstrate their understanding through the application and testing of knowledge and skills. Practice learning opportunities are subject to professional regulations that further define educational requirements, standards and modes of assessment. An appropriately qualified practice assessor must facilitate the learning that takes place in practice placements.
Students should be offered a variety of teaching strategies that take account of individual learning styles and the needs of the curriculum.
Assessment strategies must explore the student's ability to conceptualise, compare and analyse issues from a range of sources and demonstrate the integration of theory and practice. The assessment strategy used within a health visiting programme must ensure the coherent and comprehensive assessment of the fitness of the student to enter the professional register as well as to meet the requirements of the academic programme.
Appendix One
An Emerging Health Professions Framework
The subject specific statements for health visiting have been set within the emerging health professions framework outlined below. As indicated in the foreword, this framework developed as a result of the benchmarking work undertaken collaboratively by 11 different health professional groups. Further evolution of the framework is anticipated through a second phase of the project which will address its goodness of fit with a range of other health and social care professions benchmark statements.
A Expectations of the health professional in providing patient/client services
This section articulates the expectations of a registered professional within health and social care services. It describes what is regarded as a minimum range of expectations of a professional that will provide safe and competent practice for patients/clients in a variety of health and social care contexts.
A1 Professional autonomy and accountability
The award holder should be able to:
- maintain the standards and requirements of professional and statutory regulatory bodies;
- adhere to relevant codes of conduct;
- understand the legal and ethical responsibilities of professional practice;
- maintain the principles and practice of patient/client confidentiality;
- practise in accordance with current legislation applicable to health care professionals;
- exercise a professional duty of care to patients/clients/carers;
- recognise the obligation to maintain fitness for practice and the need for continuing professional development;
- contribute to the development and dissemination of evidence-based practice within professional contexts;
- uphold the principles and practice of clinical governance.
A2 Professional relationships
The award holder should be able to:
- participate effectively in inter-professional and multi-agency approaches to health and social care where appropriate;
- recognise professional scope of practice and make referrals where appropriate;
- work, where appropriate, with other health and social care professionals and support staff and patients/clients/carers to maximise health outcomes;
- maintain relationships with patients/clients/carers that are culturally sensitive and respect their rights and special needs.
A3 Personal and professional skills
The award holder should be able to:
- demonstrate the ability to deliver quality patient/client-centred care;
- practise in an anti-discriminatory, anti-oppressive manner;
- draw upon appropriate knowledge and skills in order to make professional judgements, recognising the limits of his/her practice;
- communicate effectively with patients/clients/carers and other relevant parties when providing care;
- assist other health care professionals, support staff and patients/clients/carers in maximising health outcomes;
- prioritise workload and manage time effectively;
- engage in self-directed learning that promotes professional development;
- practise with an appropriate degree of self-protection;
- contribute to the well-being and safety of all people in the work place.
A4 Profession and employer context
The award holder should be able to:
- show an understanding of his/her role within health and social care services;
- demonstrate an understanding of government policies for the provision of health and social care;
- take responsibility for his/her own professional development;
- recognise the value of research and other scholarly activity in relation to the development of the profession and of patient/client care.
B The application of practice in securing, maintaining or improving health and well-being
All health care professionals draw from the knowledge and understanding associated with their particular profession. This knowledge and understanding is acquired from theory and practice. It forms the basis for making professional decisions and judgements about the deployment in practice of a range of appropriate skills and behaviours, with the aim of meeting the health and social care needs both of individual clients/patients and of groups, communities and populations. These decisions and judgements are made in the context of considerable variation in the presentation, the setting and in the characteristics of the client/patient health and social care needs. They often take place against a backdrop of uncertainty and change in the structures and mechanisms of health and social care delivery.
Sound professional practice is essentially a process of problem solving. It is characterised by four major phases:
- the identification and analytical assessment of health and social care needs;
- the formulation of plans and strategies for meeting health and social care needs;
- the performance of appropriate, prioritised health promoting/health educating/caring/diagnostic/therapeutic activities;
- the critical evaluation of the impact of, or response to, these activities.
B1 Identification and assessment of health and social care needs
The award holder should be able to:
- gather relevant information from a wide range of sources including electronic data;
- adopt systematic approaches to analysing and evaluating the information collected;
- communicate effectively with the client/patient, (and his/her relatives/carers), group/community/population, about their health and social care needs;
- use a range of assessment techniques appropriate to the situation and make provisional identification of relevant determinants of health and physical, psychological, social and cultural needs/problems;
- recognise the place and contribution of his/her assessment within the total health care profile/package, through effective communication with other members of the health and social care team.
B2 Formulation of plans and strategies for meeting health and social care needs
The award holder should be able to:
- work with the client/patient, (and his/her relatives/carers), group/community/population, to consider the range of activities that are appropriate/feasible/acceptable, including the possibility of referral to other members of the health and social care team and agencies;
- plan care within the context of holistic health management and the contributions of others;
- use reasoning and problem solving skills to make judgements/decisions in prioritising actions;
- formulate specific management plans for meeting needs/problems, setting these within a timescale and taking account of finite resources;
- record professional judgements and decisions taken;
- synthesise theory and practice.
B3 Practice
The award holder should be able to:
- conduct appropriate activities skilfully and in accordance with best/evidence-based practice;
- contribute to the promotion of social inclusion;
- monitor and review the ongoing effectiveness of the planned activity;
- involve client/patient/members of group/community/population appropriately in ongoing effectiveness of plan;
- maintain records appropriately;
- educate others to enable them to influence the health behaviour of individuals and groups;
- motivate individuals or groups in order to improve awareness, learning and behaviour that contribute to healthy living;
- recognise opportunities to influence health and social policy and practices.
B4 Evaluation
The award holder should be able to:
- measure and evaluate critically the outcomes of professional activities;
- reflect on and review practice;
- participate in audit and other quality assurance procedures;
- contribute to risk management activities.
C Knowledge, understanding and skills that underpin the education and training of health care professionals
The education and training of health care professionals draws from a range of well-established scientific disciplines that provide the underpinning knowledge and understanding for sound practice. Each health care profession will draw from these disciplines differently and to varying extents to meet the requirements of their specialty. It is this contextualisation of knowledge, understanding and skills that is characteristic of the learning in specific health care programmes. Consequently, in this introductory section, the attributes and capabilities expected of the student are expressed at a generalised level.
C1 Knowledge and understanding
The award holder should be able to demonstrate:
- understanding of the key concepts of the disciplines that underpin the education and training of all health care professionals, and detailed knowledge of some of these. The latter would include a broad understanding of:
- the structure and function of the human body, together with a knowledge of dysfunction and pathology;
- health and social care philosophy and policy, and its translation into ethical and evidenced based practice;
- the relevance of the social and psychological sciences to health and healthcare;
- the role of health care practitioners in the promotion of health and health education;
- the legislation and professional and statutory codes of conduct that affect health and social care practice.
C2 Skills
Information gathering
The award holder should be able to demonstrate:
- an ability to gather and evaluate evidence and information from a wide range of sources;
- an ability to use methods of enquiry to collect and interpret data in order to provide information that would inform or benefit practice.
Problem solving
The award holder should be able to demonstrate:
- logical and systematic thinking;
- an ability to draw reasoned conclusions and sustainable judgements.
Communication
The award holder should be able to demonstrate:
- effective skills in communicating information, advice, instruction and professional opinion to colleagues, patients, clients, their relatives and carers; and, when necessary, to groups of colleagues or clients.
Numeracy
The award holder should be able to demonstrate:
- ability in understanding, manipulating, interpreting and presenting numerical data.
Information technology
The award holder should be able to demonstrate:
- an ability to engage with technology, particularly the effective and efficient use of information and communication technology.
Appendix Two
Principles to Health Visiting Domains and Competencies
A Search for health needs
A1 Develop and sustain relationships with groups (and individuals within those groups) with the aim of improving health and social wellbeing.
A2 Work effectively with other practitioners and agencies to improve health and social wellbeing.
A3 Monitor and identify the health and social wellbeing and related needs of groups and individuals within those groups.
A4 Identify groups and individuals who are at risk or in need of further support.
A5 Identify, monitor and evaluate service provision and support networks in the local area.
A6 Collect, collate and analyse data related to improving health and social wellbeing.
A7 Profile the health and social wellbeing of a community's population and their related needs based on the data analysis relating to groups.
A8 Prioritise work and the focus of activities.
B Stimulation of awareness of health needs
B1 Raise awareness about health and social wellbeing and related factors and services and resources.
B2 Raise awareness about the actions that individuals, groups and communities can take to improve their health and social wellbeing.
B3 Work with groups to enable them to identify services, benefits and community resources that will improve their health and social wellbeing.
C Influences on policies affecting health
C1 Articulate the need to change and develop policies and make effective contributions.
C2 Work with others to press for changes in policies that do not improve health and social wellbeing.
C3 Work with others to develop services and community resources based on the identification of needs related to health and social wellbeing.
C4 Develop, implement, evaluate and improve own practice on the basis of research, evidence and evaluation.
C5 Contribute to the development, implementation, evaluation and improvement of practice on the basis of research, evidence and evaluation.
D Facilitation of health enhancing activities
D1 Enable groups to develop their knowledge, skills, confidence and resources about health and social wellbeing.
D2 Plan, deliver and evaluate programmes to improve the health and social wellbeing of groups.
D3 Protect groups and individuals whose health and social wellbeing is at risk.
D4 Enable others to improve the health and social wellbeing of groups and individuals.
Appendix Three
Health Visiting Benchmark Group membership (Scotland)
Ms Linda Sydie, Queen Margaret University College
Ms Cherry Salisbury, University of Paisley
Ms Sheila Fraser, University of Abertay Dundee
Ms Mary Benefield, The Robert Gordon University
Chairperson
Ms Jennie Parry, The Robert Gordon University
Development Officer
Dr John Drummond, University of Dundee
QAA Officers
Dr David Bottomley
Ms Sheila Dunn
Appendix Four
Benchmark Steering Group Membership (Scotland)
David Bottomley, QAA
Mary Boyle, NHS Education for Scotland
Helen Bryers, Midwife, Highland Acute Hospitals NHS Trust
John Drummond, University of Dundee
Rhona Hotchkiss, Clinical Standards Board for Scotland
Karen Lockhart, The Scottish Executive
Helen Mackinnon, NHS Education for Scotland
Jennie Parry, The Robert Gordon University
Jack Rae, University of Paisley
Ishbel White, Health Visitor, Greater Glasgow Primary Care NHS Trust
Acknowledgements
The Scottish benchmarking group would like offer thanks to the following for their valuable contribution to this document.
1. Professor Bart McGettrick for his input, and the members of the Initial Teacher Education Benchmarking Group for allowing their document to be used as a resource.
2. UK-wide Health Visiting Benchmarking Group for provision of a document that proved to be a resource of immense value in the production of the Scottish statement.
ISBN 1 85824 821 3
AR 069 11/2002
© Quality Assurance Agency for Higher Education 2002
Published by Quality Assurance Agency for Higher Education
The Quality Assurance Agency for Higher Education is a company limited by guarantee
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