Enhanced Clinical Practitioner (Level 6)
Enhanced Clinical Practitioners are qualified health and care professionals who are working at an enhanced level of practice with specific knowledge and skills in a field of expertise. They manage a discrete aspect of a patient’s care within their current level of practice, which will be particular to a specific context, be it a client group, a skill set or an organisational context.
Enhanced Clinical Practitioners work as part of a multi-disciplinary clinical team across a wide range of settings, including hospitals, community clinics, individual’s homes and in dental and general practices. Specific examples of settings in which Enhanced Clinical Practitioners work include critical care units providing complex interventions to critically ill patients, GP premises providing specialist services for patients in the community and Children and Families Services units within a local council providing therapeutic interventions to children, young people and their families.
The main difference between Enhanced Clinical Practitioner (ECP) role and Advanced Clinical Practitioner (ACP) role in Primary Care is that ECPs manage a discrete aspect of a patient’s care whereas ACPs will manage defined episodes of of clinical care independently and from beginning to end. ACPs are therefore required to be further experienced registered health and care practitioners, at a level of practice characterised by a high degree of autonomy and complex decision making (which is underpinned by a master’s level award or equivalent that encompasses the four pillars of clinical practice, leadership and management, education and research, with demonstration of core capabilities and area specific clinical competence).
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Duration
21 months (18 plus 3 for End Point Assessment)
Most Suitable For
Qualified Health and Care professionals, wanting to become Enhanced Clinical Practitioners working at an enhanced level of practice with specific knowledge and skills in a field of expertise.
Award
Level 6 Non-Degree Enhanced Clinical Practitioner Apprenticeship Award, Plus either Level 6 University Advanced Diploma in Enhanced Clinical Practice or Level 7 Postgraduate Certificate in Enhanced Clinical Practice (dependent upon previous qualifications)
Additional Funding
- If apprentice is under the age of 25, Employer may not have to pay Class 1 Employer National Insurance. Full details and criteria are found here.
- For apprenticeships starting between 1 August 2024 - 31 July 2026, employer may be eligible for £1,000 if apprentice is aged 16 - 18 years old (or 15 years of age if the apprentice’s 16th birthday is between the last Friday of June and 31 August); or aged between 19 and 24 years old and has either an Education, Health and Care (EHC) plan provided by their local authority and / or has been, or are, in the care of their local authority. Full details and criteria are found within the relevant DfE Funding Rules.
- Some Councils are providing incentive payments to local small employers who recruit and employ young apprentices. To find out more, including eligibility and how to apply for an incentive, please visit Lancashire Skills and Employment Hub (details within the GRANT presentation)
- Lancashire County Council incentive is £3,000 for 100 Lancashire employers
- Chorley Council incentive is £1,500 for Chorley employers
- Fylde Borough Council incentive is £5,000 for Fylde employers recruiting a new apprentice who is a Fylde resident.
Start Date
This will be confirmed by the university at enquiry stage
Teaching Delivery
Online
Key Learning Requirements
Apprenticeships require learners to achieve specific new knowledge, skills and behaviours (KSBs), which are detailed in the Apprenticeship Standard. These are achieved by;
1) Programme Teaching; delivered using blended learning with a combination of flexible learning activities such as e-learning activities, online classroom sessions (usually 1 or 2 per month), videos and peer networking.
2) Independent study; such as assignment/project research and write up
3) Learning in the workplace; shadowing colleagues, completing programme assigned work based projects, day-to-day development within your current role duties/work activities, reflections with mentor, relevant training sessions.
On average, a full-time learner (30+ hours per week) will undertake 6 hours per week towards the above 3 areas. The flexibility of the delivery model allows apprentices and employers to balance the demands of the apprenticeship with the demands of front-line service delivery.
Modules
It will be confirmed at application stage whether the apprentice will undertake the Level 6 programme or Level 7 programme. For either of these, the learning structure is made up of a 40 credit module, a 20 credit module and End Point Assessment. The employer and apprentice are able to choose the focus of study for the 20 credit module (from a selection of options). A list of modules is available on the course webpage or course materials.
Placements
This programme does not require external placements to be completed, although varied experiences are beneficial.
Assessments
Apprentices will be assessed throughout the programme by assignments, observations, evaluations, work-based learning modules and End Point Assessment.
Key Candidate Entry Requirements
• Employed 30 hours or more per week for the duration of the apprenticeship.
• Hold registration with either one of the statutory healthcare regulators as outlined within the apprenticeship standard
• For Level 6 (UAD): A minimum of a DipHE, FDSc or equivalent qualification
• For Level 7 (PGCert): A minimum of a Bachelor’s degree in a health-related subject (or equivalent qualification)
• Preferably, certificate/s to evidence both Maths and English either GCSE C/4 or higher, Functional Skills Level 2 from an Ofqual approved examining organisation, or acceptable alternative (List of acceptable options here). If the candidate does not have evidence of Maths and English at the relevant level, there are two options; 1. via NHSE funded online revision and exams. Contact Training Hub Apprenticeship Team for more details. Or, 2, the Education Provider will support the learner through the relevant learning and exams, alongside their apprenticeship. An initial diagnostic assessment will be completed by the Education Provider at application stage to determine suitability for this option.
Full requirements and details are found on the course webpage/information.
Key Employer Entry Requirements
• Ensure Learner has the support and opportunities to achieve the requirements of the apprenticeship
• An appropriate healthcare professional to act as the workplace training supervisor and mentor the apprentice
Listed as an Approved Provider under an NHS Procurement
Yes - National Provider
Application Timescale
It takes on average 2 months to complete all application stages for this programme.
If recruiting to this position, additional time will be required for recruitment and advertising stages.
Additional Training Hub Support
Primary Care employees have access to:
• All resources provided by the L&SC PC Training Hub such as Digital training, Health and Wellbeing support and events.
Pathway
On successful completion of this apprenticeship, examples of further apprenticeship options include; Advanced Clinical Practitioner, Coaching Professional, Chartered Manager, Improvement Leader, Senior Leader, Senior People Professional. Skills England has an interactive occupational maps tool which shows the variety of progression pathways using apprenticeships.
Career progression does not have to be linear. Entry criteria may differ per provider and even more varied routes may be available depending on the individuals prior learning and experience.
Information Last Updated
11/06/25
Further Programme and Provider Information
If you would like to know anything further about the programme itself, please contact: Ben Cope, Business Relationship Manager on 07901 513765 or email at [email protected]
How to Apply
If you would like to apply for an apprenticeship (either for yourself, a member of staff or a vacancy position), please complete the Primary Care Expression of Interest Form. This is for Primary Care Employers within Lancashire and South Cumbria only. By completing the expression of interest form, the Training Hub Apprenticeships team will be able to complete basic pre-checks, provide you with personalised guidance, and start the programme application process for you. If you would like to discuss anything first, please email [email protected] or call Olivia, Apprenticeships Manager, on 07735161775. You can find out more about the stages of applying for an apprenticeship within our Apprenticeships Process - Employer Guide. Social Care Employers within Lancashire and South Cumbria, please contact Dawn on [email protected]
