We know that becoming a functional specialist can be a significant change for many healthcare professionals.
It introduces a new way of working and a completely different type of care. While you’re no longer providing hands-on patient care, you’ll still ensure claimants are treated fairly, compassionately and with dignity.
This role can be challenging, especially during the first six months, so we’ve developed a comprehensive training programme to support you as you get up to speed. You'll be taught to use your existing skills in new ways as you become accredited in functional assessment to deliver the Health Assessment Advisory Service.
You’ll learn how to evaluate situations in a different way, and you’ll grow your knowledge of unfamiliar conditions. You’ll learn on the job from your colleagues and mentors and be supported on an ongoing basis as your career continues to develop.
We’ve created a continual learning culture through our Clinical Learning and Development Academy, which provides a clear development path covering theoretical and practical core training and guidance, non-clinical internal training and continuous professional development (CPD).
When you start, one of our learning specialists will contact you to support your onboarding, discuss your training and schedule it in line with your personal training plan. Our preceptorship approach supports your transition from new starter to autonomous functional specialist, embedding the values and behaviours needed to deliver excellence. The training is delivered remotely, and you’ll join our virtual classroom with your camera on to allow you to fully participate.
You’ll start with a 12-week programme that will take you from new starter to approved functional specialist, which will run between 9am and 5pm. It takes approximately 17 weeks to reach full competency on the full-time course, part-time options will vary.
Your new entrant programme is a layered journey of online learning, facilitated training and supervised practice to support you becoming a multiskilled functional specialist across three main areas: initial review, paper-based reports, and in person assessments.
If you’re a part-time employee, you can choose between two part-time training options: a four-day schedule from Monday to Thursday, or a three-day schedule on Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday. It’s important to note that during the initial training period, which can last up to 6 months on a pro-rata basis, you’ll have the same day off each week to simplify scheduling with your training cohort.
Training will include a mix of self-directed learning and days with trainer facilitation and support, all within the core business hours of 9am to 5pm. On self-directed days, you’ll have more flexibility in your working arrangements, but trainers will not be available outside those core hours to answer queries.
After your induction, we’ll continue to support your development personally and professionally to enable you to perform at your best, build the necessary portfolio of evidence to support your revalidation and help you grow your career with Capita.
You’ll have access to a dedicated support network including your line manager, Clinical Learning Specialists, and your Functional Specialist colleagues to help you settle into the role, advise on day-to-day challenges, and provide additional coaching and mentoring.
You’ll have monthly meetings with your manager in which you’ll create an individual performance plan to support your progress. In addition, you’ll have access to detailed progression planning tools enabling you to identify your owns skills, undertake gap analysis against career paths, and design a Personal Training Plan to develop the competencies for your career path within HAAS and across the wider Capita business.
We believe in clear transparent growth opportunities for all our colleagues. There are a lot of different roles you can progress into depending on your skills and interests. Many of our Functional Specialists go on to take other roles within HAAS. Have a look for yourself at our available opportunities:
Clinical governance
Clinical training
Escalations management
Quality, Learning and Support
Quality Improvement Service (QIS)
CPD
Access to quality assured and accredited continuing professional development, personalised to individual career pathways to support your professional development and ongoing certification.
Professional pathways
Providing further learning opportunities to support professional development, including things like apprenticeships.
Internal career pathways
Access to a range of opportunities to grow your career within HAAS or another area of Capita.
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