What standards do we cover?
We offer a End-point Assessment (EPA) service for the following standards:
- Healthcare Science Assistant – Level 2 standard (ST0218)
- Healthcare Science Associate – Level 4 standard (ST0220)
- Healthcare Science Practitioner – Level 6 standard (ST0413)
- Clinical Trials Specialist – Level 6 standard (ST0609)
- Clinical Scientist – Level 7 standard (ST0893)
- Bioinformatics Scientist – Level 7 standard (ST0649)
Why choose us as your End-point Assessment organisation?
The benefits of using us as an End-point Assessment organisation are:
- we provide assessments that are valid, reliable, comparable, and manageable with specialist knowledge
- we are a not for profit organisation
- we maintain credibility and value in the design and application of our specifications and assessment tools through our extensive expertise
- we recruit and train healthcare scientists from across all specialisms and we have a national network of independent assessors
- we ensure resources for delivering the EPA are fair and fit-for-purpose
- we understand the healthcare employment sector and uphold, as well as adhere to, the expected standards within the NHS
- we provide regular training and standardisation activities
- we support continuous professional development of people involved in assessments who are experts in their field
Quality assurance
As a registered End-point Assessment organisation, we are responsible for ensuring that End-point Assessments are valid, reliable, comparable, manageable, and minimise bias.
We do this by:
- maintaining credibility and value in the design and application of our specifications and assessment tools
- ensuring that the people and resources involved in the EPA are fit for purpose
- working collaboratively with all stakeholders
- quality assuring the delivery of EPAs, using a risk-based approach
- providing regular standardisation activities
- ensuring that those involved in the assessment and quality assurance (QA) of our EPAs undertake relevant continuous professional development (CPD)
- ensuring high quality reporting and management of information
- encouraging feedback on our service and delivery
- ensuring lessons learned and continuous improvement
Support and delivery
We offer employers and providers support visits. We will provide guidance to assessors and managers of apprentices on how to support their apprentice towards obtaining a successful End-point Assessment outcome.
We also provide employers and training providers with support materials and resources. These are available for all the standards we are approved to deliver the End-point Assessment for. All materials are included within the End-point Assessment cost. The materials will be sent to training providers and employers upon signing up to the service. The materials are the intellectual property of the School.
During the delivery of standards and End-point Assessment, new opportunities for support may be identified by employers and training providers. We have a quality process, as outlined in the Internal Quality Assurance (IQA) policy, for reviewing new support requirements and will develop new materials as part of this process.
Contact us
If you would like us to become your End-point Assessment Organisation please contact us on england.nshcsepa@nhs.net or call 0121 695 2291.
Healthcare Science Apprenticeship Co-Ordinator, Sheffield Teaching Hospitals
We have a great working relationship with the team at NSHCS and they run some very supportive sessions and are always looking for ways to improve. They have also looked at EPA in a logical way for healthcare science.