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

Introduction: 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.

Methods: 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.

Results and discussion: 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.