Intensive Care Society launches critical care capability framework - with help from 25 physios!

Dr Mather noted: ‘I urge the professionals, those they work with in their units, along with educators, employers, and integrated care systems to recognise the framework’s relevance and value and support its implementation.

 ‘It doesn't stop there – we encourage you to share this with your members, staff, those who lead training and development, and communities so that we can all work toward elevated standards and practice in intensive care units.’

Dr Mather added: ‘There is nothing more rewarding than working together with likeminded professionals who believe in excellence.

‘We want to champion everyone and celebrate the use of this framework. Tell us your plans and how you intend to implement this so we can share and inspire others to do the same.’

‘Background context'

A section in the guidelines titled ‘background context', states that there are 185,000 AHPs working in the NHS,  who ‘often operate autonomously as part of multi-professional teams, providing comprehensive care throughout the entirety of the patient's healthcare journey’.

‘Over the next 15 years the UK’s population is projected to grow by 6.6 million. With this, the number of individuals aged 75 or above is anticipated to double from 5 million to nearly 10 million, leading to an expected increase in the demand for specialised critical care services and more specialised interventions.

‘In this context critical care requires a health care system, and therefore workforce, that can adapt and expand in response to expected and unexpected surges in demand or complexity.

‘While the exact number of AHPs in critical care units across the UK is currently unknown, a recent 2022 study found significant variation in access to therapists for patients admitted to critical care in the UK, with several services not having services for core therapies such as occupational therapy.

It also highlighted that AHPs are rarely directly employed by intensive care services, but instead often shared across hospital services. In instances where services were available, many failed to meet the national guidance for therapist to bed ratios for the provision of intensive care services.

Parts of workforce 'under pressure'

The section continues: 'Significant parts of the workforce are now under pressure. Unless action is taken, the UK risks not having a large enough workforce, with the right capabilities, to effectively deliver current and future critical care services.

It adds: 'The AHP Strategy for England identified having "AHPs in the right place, at the right time, with the right skills" as a critical enabler and therefore it is of paramount importance that growing the workforce and building capability are appropriately prioritised to effectively deliver safe, high quality critical care services.’

I urge the professionals, those they work with in their units, along with educators, employers, and integrated care systems to recognise the framework’s relevance and value and support its implementation [Sandy Mather]

Framework objectives

• provide visible career pathways for AHPs in critical care, including alternative career access routes, such as apprenticeships
• raise the profile of AHPs and their unique professional contribution in critical care
• promote opportunities for interprofessional, multi-professional, and profession-specific learning
• ensure capabilities capture holistic patient needs and enable AHPs to work collaboratively, to ensure critical care services are delivered in a non-discriminatory way, recognising health inequalities and social determinants of health

It should support achievement of these outcomes

• shape the development, commissioning and delivery of future-focused, aspirational education programmes
• demonstrate ways support workers can illustrate learning and gain qualifications
• provide all AHPs with understanding and confidence in what they need to develop to move through nationally recognised levels of practice in critical care
• improve transparency and understanding of profession-specific and multi-professional capabilities, for better multi-professional team working and workforce planning
• ensure the voice of people and communities who access critical care services are reflected within the capabilities

Physiotherapy clinical advisory panel members

Gabriella Cork (professional lead)

Alice Harrison; Amanda Thomas; Ashwin Bhat; Caroline Dodds

Cat Lawrence; Catherine Donnison; Clair Martin; Claire Bradley

Ellie Pearson; Ema Swingwood; Emma Waring; Jenny Rains

Jo Hardy; Katherine Campbell; Kirsty Jerrard; Laura Mylott

Letitia Rabey; Lucy Lloyd; Paul Twose; Ruth Wood

Samuel Dean; Samantha Petty; Sian Goddard; Vikki Muller

Four other clinical advisory panels contributed to the framework's development: speech and language therapy, dietetics, occupational therapy and operating department practice.

Steering committee members included Steve Tolan, a physiotherapist by background who is deputy chief AHP officer at NHS England, and Reena Patel, a physiotherapist by background who is assistant director of education and workforce at the Chartered Society of Physiotherapy (CSP). The CSP’s diversity, student, and disability networks also contributed.