EPA Standard
Assistant Practitioner (Health)
Level 5 
£12,000 18 months
1. What the role entails
Assistant Practitioners work as part of the wider health and social care team. They have direct contact with patients, service users and clients, providing high-quality and compassionate care. Assistant Practitioners work a level above Healthcare Support Workers and have a more in-depth understanding about factors that influence health and ill-health. A Registered Practitioner supervises an Assistant Practitioner, following employer policy, protocols and standard operating procedures. The Registered Practitioner remains accountable for the appropriate and effective delegation of activities and must ensure that the Assistant Practitioner has the competency, confidence and expertise to carry out such activities. The Assistant Practitioner is accountable for their actions once they accept an activity.
2. On-programme assessment
Before entering Gateway, the apprentice must complete the following on-programme assessment requirements:
- the 15 standards set out in the Care Certificate
- Level 2 English and maths
- study days and training courses
- formal programmes of lectures, seminars and workshops as part of their regulated qualification
- mentoring and/or buddy support
- portfolios, essays, reflective accounts and projects through which the apprentice gathers evidence of their progress
- structured one-to-one reviews of their progress with their employer or independent training provider (ITP).
3. Gateway requirements
The employer, ITP and apprentice make the decision to take the apprentice through Gateway. The apprentice must achieve all the required on programme elements before they enter Gateway, including:
- a regulated Level 5 occupational competence qualification
- a reflective journal – the apprentice must gather evidence after completing their programme, and during the 3 months leading up to their end-point assessment (EPA) date.
4. End-point assessment
The EPA for Assistant Practitioner (Health) contains two methods of assessment:
Multiple Choice and Short Answer Test
The Multiple Choice and Short Answer Test covers all knowledge requirements within the standard. There are 40 multiple choice (1 mark each) and 4 short answer questions (5 marks each) (maximum 250 word answers). The grade boundaries allow learners to achieve Pass, Merit and Distinction grades according to the following:
Pass: 40-59%
Merit: 60-74%
Distinction: 75%+
Observation of Practice
The Observation of Practice lasts for a minimum of 90 minutes, and takes place during the apprentice’s work day. It’s essential for assessing skills. During the Observation, an Independent End-Point Assessor (IEPA) will use their professional judgement to limit impact to business operations and will ensure sensitivity in delicate situations.
Grading: the Observation is ungraded above Pass.
Reflective Journal and Interview
The apprentice will produce a 2,000 word (+/- 10%) Reflective Journal that demonstrates their learning and development activities and the application of these in the workplace. The Reflective Journal should showcase the apprentice’s development of Case Management and Supervision and Teaching. Following the Reflective Journal submission, the IEPA will digitally connect with the apprentice for a 30 – 60 minute interview that enables the apprentice to further showcase their knowledge, skills and behaviours from across the standard.
Grading: the Reflective Journal and Interview are graded as a Pass where the standard is met, Merit where the standard is exceeded or Distinction where the standard is far exceeded.
5. Grade aggregation table
| Observation of Practice | MCQ and SAQ Test | Reflective Journal and Interview | Overall Grade |
|
Pass |
Pass | Pass | Pass |
| Merit | Pass | ||
| Distinction | Merit | ||
| Merit | Pass | Pass | |
| Merit | Merit | ||
| Distinction | Merit | ||
| Distinction | Pass | Merit | |
| Merit | Merit | ||
| Distinction | Distinction |
If the apprentice fails the Professional Discussion, the EPA will be deemed an overall Fail.
6. Completion and certification
We’ll activate certification once the apprentice has successfully completed all EPAs, and the IEPA has verified this. Working with the apprenticeship certificate issuing authority, we’ll ensure the apprentice receives their certificate.
7. What next?
For those Assistant Practitioners who wish to progress into Registered Practice, the apprenticeship can provide credits into some Higher Education programmes aligned to professional registration.
Why NCFE?
We’re an approved End-Point Assessment Organisation (EPAO) specialising in EPA delivery across health, education, early years, digital, social care, finance and business apprenticeship standards. We offer flexible and reliable EPA solutions supported by sector expertise, guidance documents and proactive service and support.