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Community Nurse Specialist Practitioner (NMC 2022) (Level 7)

Community Nurse Specialist Practitioners provide health care at an advanced level of practice to people of all ages and communities. They work across different organisations and settings; for example, Primary Care, Social Care, third-sector organisations, hospitals (including mental health), hospices, prisons, schools and other community services.

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Apprenticeship

Community Nurse Specialist Practitioner
Education Provider

University of Lancashire
Location

Face-to-face
Duration
21 months
Most Suitable For
Registered Nurses wanting to develop specialist Knowledge, Skills and Behaviours in General Practice.
Award
Level 7 Community Nurse Specialist Practitioner (NMC 2022) Apprenticeship Award and Postgraduate Diploma in Advanced Community Nurse Specialist Practitioner; General Practice Nursing. Qualification also leads to annotation on NMC register.
Programme Cost

£14,000.

Tuition fee financial support options, and how to apply for most of these, are detailed in our Apprenticeships Process Employer Guide. Please note the following important changes to apprenticeship tuition fee funding options, for August 2026-July 2027 intakes:

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Additional Funding
  • NHSE CSP Training Grant Sep 2025: *Expressions of Interest must be received on or before 13 June 2025*. NHSE have confirmed a training grant is available for CSP-GPN programmes starting September 2025 (either on traditional route or apprenticeship route). To find out more please refer to the training grant document . For the apprenticeship route, the training grant will provide salary contributions of £2,904 per month (pro rata for a maximum of 12 months / 52 weeks). Depending on the size of the organisation, the employer may also be able to apply for financial support to cover 100% of the tuition fee. New apprenticeship interest for September 2025 intakes can still apply to either University of Lancashire or University of Greater Manchester. Please find programme details here.  To express interest in this training grant (for either the traditional route or apprenticeship route) please contact [email protected] as soon as possible, but no later than 5pm on Friday 13 June 2025. When emailing, please confirm the official organisation name and address, route (traditional or apprenticeship), university, and the name and email address of your GPN candidate/s. The Training Hub will then notify NHSE of your expression of interest and will also provide you with further instructions on how to apply for the programme.
  1. Employer incentives for apprenticeships starting between August 2026-July 2027 (see here for full details):
    • £1,000 if apprentice is aged 16-18 (or turning 16 June-August 2026); or aged between 19-24 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.
    • £2,000 for non-levy paying employers only (typically SMEs) if recruit person(s) aged 16-24 (or turning 16 June-August 2026) on to an apprenticeship programme from October 2026, as long as the employment only starts within 90 days before the intake start date.
  2. £3,000 Youth Jobs Grant - Employer may be able to apply for this if recruits an unemployed person(s) aged 18-24 who has been on universal credit for over 6 months. Full details are available here.
  3. Employer may not have to pay Class 1 Employer National Insurance if apprentice is under the age of 25. Full details are available here.
Start Date
September
Teaching Delivery
Face-to-face (Preston Campus)
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; frequency tbc. This programme includes 4 modules on V300 throughout the programme. If a candidate has evidence of completing V300 at level 7 already they are able to: either choose alternative learning from the University of Lancashire CDP framework, or reduce their apprenticeship duration. If a candidate has evidence of completing V300 at level 6 already, they will need to complete a top-up assignment.
2) Independent study; such as assignment/project research and write up. The project for this programme is a Service Improvement Project.
3) Learning in the workplace; shadowing colleagues, completing programme assigned work based projects, new learning and development whilst completing working duties, reflections with mentor, relevant training sessions.
4) External placements are not required for this programme, although learners are encouraged to consider some practice learning opportunities outside of their place of work/setting in agreement with their Practice Assessor (if agreed, supervision during this time must be within the SSSA standards where professional boundaries are exceeded).
Modules
This programme has profession route pathways, this description relates to the CSP General Practice Nurse route. For information on other routes please see the university webpage.
Placements
This programme does not require external placements to be completed, although varied experiences are beneficial.
Assessments
Assessed throughout the programme by assignments, observations, evaluations and End Point Assessment.
Key Candidate Entry Requirements
• Employed minimum 30 hours a week in a suitable role for the duration of the apprenticeship
• Evidence of English and Maths at GCSE C/4/Functional Skills Level 2/Equivalent or above is required at application stage due to the nature and level of the programme. An initial diagnostic assessment will also be completed by the university at application stage.
• An Honours Degree (or equivalent) in Nursing. Applications will be considered where successful level 6 study within previous 5 years’ can be evidenced.
• Enhanced DBS (within 3 years of course start date)
Accreditation of Prior Learning (APL) may be considered for relevant prior learning, including for the V300 teaching.
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
  • Minimum 1 Practice Assessor and 1 Practice Supervisor to support the apprentice. The Assessor will need to have a specialist practitioner (GPN) qualification or significant experience within the field of practice. Plus a suitable assessor for the V300 element. Practical learning is integrated throughout the course and is supervised and assessed, utilising named sign off Practice Assessor / Practice Supervisor.
  • Up-to-date Unified Learning Environment (for apprentice’s place/s of work where practical learning is to take place). Locality GPEF to support Employer with these checks (including any relevant training and paperwork approval).
  • University’s NMC Employer Partner Approval:
    • New Employers (who have not had an apprentice on this programme with this training provider before) are to complete the University of Lancashire’s NMC Checklist and submit return this to UCLan for UCLan to approve (along with ULE and evidencing assessors and supervisors).  The University will provide the Checklist and will support with any questions. Employers are to also seek guidance from their Locality GPEF where relevant.
    • Employers who have previously completed this paperwork will need to review this paperwork for each new application. This is required in order to ensure the previous details are still correct and answer any new questions. Employers are to also seek guidance from their Locality GPEF where relevant.
Full requirements and details are found on the university course webpage.
Listed as an Approved Provider under an NHS Procurement
TBC - Currently awaiting Higher Procurement award outcome from NHS Salisbury Procurement Service.
Application Timescale
  • It takes on average 3-4 months to complete all application stages for this programme.
  • If recruiting to this position, additional time will be required for recruitment and advertising stages

Education Provider deadlines include:

  • All September Intakes:
    • Employer must have submitted NMC Checklist to the university asap but no later than early August
  • All March Intakes:
    • Employer must have submitted NMC Checklist to the university asap but no later than early February
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.
  • Plus, visit our GPN webpage for more information on Nursing in Primary Care, training, support and resources for qualified professionals (some training is available for trainees).
  • Plus, the Non-clinical Training and Resources. This webpage lists training and resources for non-clinical roles, which may compliment the apprenticeship (always check suitability with your apprenticeship education provider).
  • Clinical CPD opportunities will also be available via Locality Training Hub.
  • Audit and Assessor Support: via Local GPEFs.
Pathway
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
10/07/2025

Further Programme and Provider Information

If you would like to know anything further about the programme itself, please contact: Lisa Broadley, Course Lead on [email protected]

How to Apply

If you would like to apply for an apprenticeship programme - either for yourself, a member of staff, or a vacancy position - please complete our apprenticeship form. This form is for Primary Care Employers within Lancashire and South Cumbria only.

By completing the 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 about the stages of applying for an apprenticeship within our Apprenticeships Process (Employer Guide). 

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