North West Faculty for Advancing Practice
June 2026 update
For further information about the Faculty and the Centre for Advancing Practice please have a look at our page on the website.
Faculty News and Updates
NW Regional Faculty for Advancing Practice
2025 - 2026 highlights
Across 2025–26, the NW Faculty has delivered significant progress in advanced practice education and workforce development. The following highlights showcase improvements in quality, retention, system collaboration, and overall return on investment.
Lancashire Apprenticeship Awards
Congratulations to Matthew Roberts, Advanced Practitioner, from Lancashire and South Cumbria Foundation Trust who won in the 'Public Service and Health' category at the Lancashire Apprenticeship Awards! Matthew completed the MSc Advanced Clinical Practice (Degree Apprenticeship) programme earlier this year at the University of Lancashire and has been supported via NHS England North West's training grant funding. You can read more about the award here.
North West Hospices Advanced Practice Lead
Congratulations to Alice Thompson Advanced Practice Lead North West Hospices who has successfully completed her Professional Doctorate in Health " From roots to shoots: An appreciative inquiry into the key factors that enable hospice Advanced Practitioners to successfully integrate the four pillars of advanced practice". We await to read her forthcoming publications.
Call for examples of effective community based supervision
As part of ongoing work exploring the shift of advanced practice roles and training from acute hospital settings into community environments, we are keen to learn from what is already working well across the system.
We would welcome examples of novel, effective or successful models of supervision in community settings, including primary care, neighbourhood services, virtual or integrated teams. This might include creative approaches to clinical, educational or professional supervision, use of multiprofessional supervisors, innovative use of technology, or ways supervision has been adapted to support autonomy and complexity outside traditional hospital models. Please share any examples, learning or reflections, formal or informal, as they will help shape future thinking and guidance.
Examples can be sent to sarah.henry22@nhs.net or we can arrange a Teams meeting to discuss these models.
Conferences, webinars and study days
Central Cheshire Integrated Care Partnership CPD event: Improving Care Beyond Hospital Walls
Central Cheshire Integrated Care Partnership are hosting a CPD event for APs, AHPs, Nurses and GPs, bringing clinicians and partners together to explore current challenges and emerging practice across community, primary care and acute pathways. The event will be held on Thursday 9th July. For more information please see: Advance Practice Collaborative :: Mid Cheshire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
Research funding and engagement opportunities
NIHR Health and Care Professional (HCP) Internship Programme 2026/2027
Applications are open for the second cohort of the NIHR HCP Internship Programme, which provides the opportunity for health and care professions (not including doctors and dentists) to access predoctoral tailored and bespoke learning and development across the full range of research related career aspirations.
Further information including how to apply can be found here. Applications close on 6th July.
NIHR Pre-application Support Fund
The NIHR Pre‑Application Support Fund provides up to 12 months’ flexible funding to help applicants at any career stage develop competitive career development award proposals, offering tailored support through training, placements and mentorship. For more information visit NIHR. Closing date 16th July.
NIHR Doctoral Award
The NIHR Doctoral Award is a single-stage, 3-year funding opportunity supporting early career researchers to undertake PhD study across health, public health and social care, with up to 20% protected time for clinical or practice roles where applicable. For more information visit NIHR. Closing date 23rd June.
NIHR Researcher Development Programme for Social Care Nurses
The NIHR Researcher Development Programme for Social Care Nurses supports registered nurses to build research skills and capacity, offering 12 months of funded protected time (0.2 FTE) to deliver practice-based research, embed a research culture, and join a national peer network. For more information visit NIHR. Closing date 14th June.
International Journal for Advancing Practice
Looking to stay up to date with the latest publications in the field of advancing practice? Wondering where to publish your latest research? Why not visit the International Journal for Advancing Practice
If you have any queries, please contact england.advancedpractice@nhs.net