Case Studies
Ensuring safe delivery of Advanced Therapies through education
The Challenge
The delivery of Advanced Therapy Medicinal Products (ATMPs) has not been common practice in many NHS trusts therefore access to comprehensive education and training has been limited, with varied levels of training being delivered across Manchester. Access to consistent and comprehensive education, is essential to ensure safe delivery of ATMPs throughout Manchester and the wider NHS.
The Solution
In order to achieve a consistent approach, the development of an ATMP specific education programme was initiated. The Christie ATMP education and training committee was established in November 2018 and forms part of the Trust organisational governance structure which provides a standardised approach across the organisation. The backbone of this was built from the existing internal cell therapy education work streams which ran independently across the trust.
In order to address the broader needs of the workforce across Manchester, additional work streams were created. The first initiative was a regular clinical education program, delivered every second month and hosted on a rotational basis in one of the three iMATCH hospitals. This development of a broad education programme in Advanced Therapies, applicable to all individuals involved in the delivery of ATMPs across the City, provides a platform for harmonisation across all aspects of clinical delivery and is used to feed into local training schedules. A train the trainer approach to ATMP education delivery was rolled out to support the creation of educational materials for wider use. To further develop training in this space a Pan Manchester ATMP Education Steering Committee has now been established to provide a forum for future development of education and training.
In addition, a modular MSc in Advanced Therapies was developed and opened at The University of Manchester in September 2019 to ensure accessible education exists for those with an interest in developing knowledge of ATMP development and delivery at a more advanced level. As of December 2020, modules are also being delivered as short courses to widen access and applicability.
The Results
Integration of existing medical and nursing training programmes (such as FACT-JACIE education standards) into a city-wide, comprehensive education programme ensures that ATMP activity across Manchester is uniform and follows a consistent approach, as well as creating a network to discuss and model activities to ensure the best care is given to patients.
The MSc in Advanced Therapies works towards educating a developing workforce in this field to match skilled resources with the increasing development, activity and requirement for advanced therapies for both licensed products and clinical trials.
Making Further Impact
Multi-professional Bi Monthly Education meetings are ongoing to drive this further as well as the pan-Manchester ATMP steering committee. Currently existing resources across sites are being collated and reviewed against their use in training and feedback from the trainees to contribute to the creation/modification of these materials to allow the most applicable training resources to be available. During the COVID-19 pandemic, sessions continued virtually.
As of December 2020, MSc modules are also being delivered as short courses to widen access and applicability.
the-christie.imatch.trial@nhs.net
