Overview
In the past known as Training Practices, now with a wider remit for the education of the future healthcare workforce, a Learning Organisation (whether a single practice or a larger group), may host Learners from GP registrars to student nurses to trainee paramedics, and various others. Governed by NHSE’s Education Quality Framework, being a Learning Organisation is rewarding, interesting and beneficial to both staff and patients.
Why become a Learning Organisation?
Becoming a GP Learning Organisation is a valuable way to support the development of the future primary care workforce while enriching learning opportunities within your practice. Welcoming enthusiastic GP and other healthcare learners into the organisation helps create a positive educational culture that encourages continuous growth, reflection, and innovation. This not only supports the professional development of staff and learners alike but also contributes to workforce development across norfolk and suffolk.
Becoming a Learning Organisation is a whole-practice commitment that brings significant benefits to staff, learners, and patients alike. Welcoming learners into the practice creates a positive educational culture where knowledge, skills, and experiences are continually shared. Staff often find supporting learners rewarding, contributing to job satisfaction, professional development, and workforce retention.
Learners also bring fresh perspectives, up-to-date knowledge, and experiences from other settings, encouraging reflection, innovation, and continuous improvement within the practice. This exchange of learning helps maintain high standards of clinical care and supports ongoing quality improvement.
As a Learning Organisation, practices are encouraged to engage with quality assurance processes, learner feedback, and educational standards to ensure a high-quality learning environment. This ongoing commitment supports workforce development, succession planning, and recruitment, with educational involvement often being a key attraction for prospective staff.
See here for what the East of England Primary Care School say: Prospective Organisations | East of England
How to become a Learning Organisation?
Practices may become a Learning Organisation on their own but might like to consider becoming a learning organisation at scale – perhaps as a PCN. This may give extra flexibilities; experienced LOs supporting practices new to education, a degree of cross-cover of educators or sharing teaching, and potentially creating innovative training pathways for Learners in your organisation.
However, you chose to become involved, start by contacting the Training Hub Quality team who will be able to guide you – [email protected]. They will furnish you with the most up-to-date application form and guidance. Making an application can be quite a daunting prospect so talk to other practices you know who are already LOs, and perhaps speak to your local GP Training Programme directors, at either Colchester, Ipswich or Bury.
Have a look at the Primary Care school web page for prospective organisations Prospective Organisations | East of England, but you might also find helpful the page for established organisations – there is a helpful Practice Manager’s handbook here, and explanation of payments.
Individual organisations may apply to become training organisations although where possible it is encouraged that organisations should apply as a locality, for example, a primary care network.
- To apply for approval as a training environment, please complete this form. A useful guidance document to help you complete the application form can be found here.
- Once you have completed your application form, return it electronically to the training hub – [email protected]. After this an approval visit will be arranged at a mutually convenient time.
This is a supportive experience. It is an opportunity for the visiting team who will comprise Training hub Quality team members, and likely a Training Programme Director and Associate Dean, or possibly a Practice Manager, and sometimes an HEI representative, to find out about your Practice, and for you to ask any questions about the nuts and bolts of being a Learning Organisation and hosting Learners.
It is beneficial for the placement or Practice manager to be present as well as any educational Leads. The visiting team will be keen to look around your premises, to chat to staff and then have more in depth conversations with those who will be most involved with Learners. After a short discussion at the end of the visit, the team are likely to give you their decision there and then.
Ongoing Quality Monitoring
Once approved as a Learning Organisation and following the Primary Care School ratifying the visiting panels’ decision, you will receive formal documentation.
This should note the highlights of your provision but may also have some development points. It is important that you continue to fulfil the requirements for ongoing recognition, and the Training Hub are charged with gathering evidence that this is so. You are likely to be asked to complete a self-declaration form at about 2 years after initial approval, and the Training Hub will seek feedback from both Learners and TPDs. It is good practice for you to seek feedback from your learners too.
The Training Hub Quality team will also look at any soft intelligence received indicating any ‘concerns’ with the Learning Environment. After the initial 2 year period, the LO is likely to be asked to complete the self-declaration approximately every 4-5 years.