First Contact Practitioner GP Ready Programme
What is a First Contact Practitioner?
A first contact practitioner is a diagnostic clinician educated to masters level, this level of clinical practice developed from an expanded scope of practice beyond the initial registration. The five multi-professional roles must have a minimum of 5 years post graduate experience, with 3 years in their relevant field of expertise that will enable the assessment of undifferentiated and undiagnosed conditions who may not have been clinically assessed by another health care professional.
The five multi-professional roles for which we are providing our course are all first contact practitioner roles. For information on the roadmaps to becoming first contact practitioners check out the below HEE website which is frequently updated.
Programme Overview
In 2021/2022 GMTH ran a GP Ready Programmes for the following First Contact Practioners working within primary care.
– First Contact Physiotherapist
– First Contact Occupational Therapist
– First Contact Dietitian
– First Contact Paramedic
– First Contact Podiatrist
This course offered an alternate to the HEI offers across Greater Manchester to offer support through Stage 2 of the HEE Roadmap (details of the HEI offering below.)
Following evaluation we are now developing future GP Ready Programmes, details of which will be announced later in 2022. If you are, or employ, one of the above professionals, and wish to be informed of more details of any upcoming GP Ready course please express your interest below or if you would like more information please email [email protected].
Programme Team
Judith Dawson – Clinical Educator
Judith has 32 years of physiotherapy experience; 30 years of which has been in MSK.
Prior and alongside First contact physiotherapy (FCP) she practices as an Advanced physiotherapy practitioner in a MSK Clinical assessment and treatment service and also owns and practices in an Independent Physiotherapy practice.
She has worked collaboratively with other health professionals to establish primary care intervention for patients with chronic pain and was the local clinical primary care lead for the delivery and roll out of the National back pain pathway across MSK services in Salford. Judith has worked in an extended role for over 20 years. She practices and has previously taught injection therapy. She is also a non- medical prescriber.
HEI Modules
Below are the links to information about the HEI FCP modules and PgCert:
Stage 1- FCP MSK:
https://www.mmu.ac.uk/hpsc/cpd/course/advanced-musculoskeletal-practice/
Stage 2 -FCP MSK:
https://www.mmu.ac.uk/hpsc/cpd/course/fcp-in-primary-care-msk-placement/
FCP – generic multi-professional:
https://www.mmu.ac.uk/hpsc/cpd/course/first-contact-practitioner-in-primary-care/
https://www.salford.ac.uk/courses/single-module/first-contact-practice-primary-care-level-7-30-credits
FCP MSK PgCert:
Benefits for Clinician
INDUCTION
PEER SUPPORT
CLINICAL TRAINING
LEADERSHIP TRAINING
QUALITY IMPROVEMENT TRAINING
Primary Care Clinical Supervision training
HEE will deliver the accredited FCP roadmap clinical supervisors course. This bespoke 2 day course will enable the delegates to confidently and competently supervise and verify first contact practitioner. if you are interested in becoming a clinical supervisor, or are an employer looking to up skill your staff please sign up below.
Those that can undertake the roadmap clinical supervisor training must meet the following criteria.
A clinician who has a postgraduate Masters degree
A First contact Practitioner who is on the First Contact directory
An Advanced practitioner who is on the Advanced practice directory
To express your interest please use the link below.
First Contact Physiotherapists
This Primary Care Educational Roadmap for First Contact Physiotherapists can be found here
First Contact Occupational Therapists
Primary Care – why the push from RCOT?
Karin Orman talks about the rise of occupational therapy within primary care and offers some examples of innovative practice already taking place across the UK
First Contact Dietitian
The British Dietetic Association are currently supporting Health Education England to develop the First Contact Practitioner to Advanced Practitioner in Primary Care dietetic roadmap and are looking for feedback. Please head to the link below for more information, feedback closes on the 20th June 2021
First Contact Paramedic
This Primary Care Educational Roadmap for First Contact Paramedics can be found here;
First Contact Podiatrist
The College of Podiatry has produced a document looking at podiatrists as First Contact Practioners.