Clare Louise Stephenson (School of Health Sciences)

This application highlights Clare’s leadership in improving clinical placements for trainee Psychological Wellbeing Practitioners (PWPs) through the creation of a comprehensive clinical audit tool. This project exemplifies innovation in quality assurance, ensuring high-quality placements for trainee PWPs nationwide and demonstrates Clare’s commitment to excellence in education, fostering professional competence and personal wellbeing for the next generation of PWPs.

Reach: The audit tool has significantly impacted the training and quality assurance of PWP placements regionally. Clare led the project, synthesising programme standards and NHS guidelines into a tool that encompasses key performance areas. The development process involved consultations with various stakeholders, leading to iterative revisions. The tool is now used for bi-annual audits and has been adopted by Liverpool John Moores University and the University of Central Lancashire, fostering cross-institutional collaboration. It standardises the audit process across NHS Talking Therapies services in the Northwest and has sparked national conversations about clinical placement audits.

Value: The initiative has delivered tangible benefits to students and staff. For students, it enhances placement experiences, resolves issues proactively, improves supervision, and increases advocacy. For staff and services, it standardizes evaluations, strengthens university-service relationships, and promotes cross-institutional collaboration. The tool ensures consistent, evidence-based quality assurance, improving training quality.

Impact: The initiative has led to measurable improvements, including changes in supervision standards, better learning experiences, early resolution of placement issues, and stronger student engagement in quality assurance. These outcomes have improved the training year for both students and service providers, enhancing the programme's reputation.