Healthcare science - education and training provision: baseline review

7. Aim 5: Emerging Roles

To analyse the emerging roles at each of the stages and to identify the education and training programmes required to support them.

Each of the surveys contained questions regarding the potential development of new roles and the education and training programmes that may be required to support them.

Questions posed within the survey:

• What new roles may be developed over the next 5 years within your specialism across the 3 stages of the MSC Career framework
• Please provide details of these roles and outline the education and training programmes that support them.

7.1 Life Sciences

Feedback from the survey suggests that many areas within Laboratory Medicine are exploring the Band 4 Associate Practitioner role, either to increase their numbers at this level or to implement such roles within their services. Whilst professional bodies such as British Society of Histocompatibility and Immunogenetics (BSHI) and IBMS offer vocational awards to support progression to this level, concerns have been raised in relation to the lack of a formal part time route to support progression to registration from the Band 4 role and the difference in scopes of practice across the Health Boards.

Point of Care Testing (POCT) is an expanding specialism, with roles spanning assistant/associate practitioners to registered staff. To support this, IBMS has recently launched the Certificate of Extended Practice in POCT and include POCT within their support worker qualifications.

Within Histopathology and Cytopathology, there is potential to develop the role of Anatomical Pathology Technicians and Associate Practitioners (Band 4) to undertake a more expanded role within the specialism. There is also a desire to expand the Biomedical Scientist role to undertake dissection. Many areas are considering utilising the IBMS qualification (Advanced Specialist Diploma in Specimen Dissection) which is already available to either implement or expand their numbers of Specialist BMS Dissectors.

Although many developing roles are supported by qualifications offered by the professional bodies, there are areas that require to be considered for further development. These include roles related to Quality and Consultant posts.

Due to the increased need for accreditation quality is an area which has expanded within the Life Science specialisms and although there is an IBMS post registration qualification (Certificate of Extended Practice in Quality) to support this, more is required at a pre-registration stage to include specific regulatory compliance in relation to new areas emerging (Tissues Cells and Therapeutics).

The lack of available personnel for Consultant Scientist posts is a critical area within laboratory medicine and 1 actively discussed at many stakeholder groups (DiSSG; Regional Workforce Groups)

7.2 Physical Sciences

Clinical Scientists within the Medical Physics specialisms are embedded in research and development across their various specialties. Feedback within the survey suggests that this area requires development to ensure that Scientists are able to lead and develop their skills in relation to research. It has also been highlighted that significant development is required for areas such as quality management and roles to support accreditation processes.

Roles in Quality Management, auditing and supporting accreditation were noted as areas of development for Clinical Engineering.

There is general interest in supporting Consultant Scientist roles in most areas within the Physical Sciences. Currently there is a general lack of education provision to support this and potential roles require scoping along with the education required to underpin them.

7.3 Physiological Sciences

Respiratory/sleep/cardiac departments noted in the survey that due to a change in working practices since the Pandemic they would be keen to develop Assistant and Associate practitioner roles within their areas.

Clinical Scientist and Consultant Scientist roles require to be further developed for these specialisms. Workforce re-profiling and raising the profile of the specialisms is also required.