A review of the clinical assistant workforce at a district general hospital during the COVID-19 pandemic

Abstract

In April 2020, a new workforce of clinical assistants (CAs), comprising predominantly of medical students, began work at Northampton General Hospital. Clinical-years students had a role similar to final-year student assistants; pre-clinical students were offered a healthcare assistant role. This research aimed to evaluate both CAs' and clinicians' perceptions of this programme. Separate questionnaires were developed for CAs and clinicians, assessing the scheme's successes and failures. Data analysis was carried out using MS Excel and SPSS. Forty-nine CAs and 60 clinicians responded. CAs of all years were completing the higher-level role. They were perceived to improve continuity of care (74% CA agreement; 88% clinician agreement), reduce clinician workload (90% clinician agreement) and felt significantly more confident with practical and administrative tasks. Sixty-eight per cent of CAs and 72% of clinicians believed the role should be available to students before their final year.