UCLan working in collaboration with key partners and employers to transform the future of mental health education and pathways to employment
Hot off the heels of winning a prestigious Educate North award, the University of Central Lancashire’s psychology team are once again celebrating, after scooping the top spot at another regional awards ceremony.
At the North West Coast Research and Innovation Awards 2023, held on Thursday 22 June, the team were delighted to win the Innovation in Workforce Development award; recognising the team’s development of an innovative new career route for psychology graduates in the North West Region, to address workforce supply challenges in the NHS.
The new Trainee Associate Psychological Practitioner (TAPP) Initiative – which in April won the Employer Engagement Award – University Sector at the Educate North Awards – was once again triumphant, with the judges recognising the success of the ground-breaking collaboration between UCLan’s Psychology team, the Innovation Agency, NHS partners and NHS England North West (now NHSE). Working together, the teams have created a pilot training route for TAPPs in Lancashire, South Cumbria, Cheshire and Merseyside.
The innovative scheme, which has already won a number of other industry awards, was designed to address the national shortage of NHS mental health staff, with the TAPPs providing psychological interventions and support to patients and community groups.
Dr Kathryn Garden, UCLan’s Senior Lecturer in Psychology and co-director of the TAPP programme, alongside Dr Mark Roy, said:
“The project team is absolutely thrilled to have won this award, which recognises our efforts in driving forward an innovative new career route for psychology graduates in the North West region.
“The services that we’ve worked with report that the TAPPs fit into teams really well, support patient wellbeing and helped to reduce waiting times. Evaluation results show clinically and statistically significant reductions in anxiety and depression, and improvements in resiliency and wellbeing. It’s a fantastic outcome for everyone involved in the initiative.”
"We're absolutely thrilled to have won this award, which recognises our efforts in driving forward an innovative new career route for psychology graduates in the region."
— Dr Kathryn Garden, UCLan’s Senior Lecturer in Psychology and co-director of the TAPP programme
Training involves the delivery of a UCLan Postgraduate Certificate Associate Psychological Practitioner programme combined with workplace learning in clinical service. More than 130 psychology graduates have moved into the mental health workforce in the North West over the past two years, benefitting more than 1,000 patients to date.
Due to the project’s success, the scheme has been expanded to Greater Manchester.