New roles to support practice learning - can they facilitate expansion of placement capacity?

The National Health Service (NHS) Plan [Department of Health, 2000. The NHS Plan: A Plan for Investment, a Plan for Reform, The Stationery Office, London] set out an ambitious programme of growth for the number of students undertaking health professional education programmes. To meet this demand there is a growing and widely acknowledged need to increase the number of clinical placements needed by these students. This paper outlines the findings from a regional project that aimed to map the current pattern and availability of clinical placements for healthcare students by the collection of quantitative placement data (such as location, specialty, and number of mentors) as well as in-depth interviews with Clinical Placement Managers (CPMs). This article will focus on the findings from interviews with CPMs and their views and experiences of what role they can play in increasing placement capacity. The study revealed that the introduction of this role had facilitated the development and expansion of placement capacity, as the CPMs filled a gap in the form of up-to-date local knowledge about the clinical areas. The CPMs provided a much needed 'bridge' between the Higher Education Institution (HEI), the student and the clinical area. Recommendations are made in relation to future introduction of similar roles that aim to support student learning in practice. Furthermore, useful insights for ongoing policy implementation and development are highlighted.