How to do it?

1. Consider where retirees could add value to practice placements and supporting services to continue to support learners. Look at the variety of placement models (see references) and speak to your education team to understand how a different role in the team could facilitate these.
2. Define the skills and training needs that retirees may require, in order to ensure the quality and effectiveness of the placements delivered. This would be dependent upon the role the individual was undertaking within particular models, their previous experience with supporting learners and their own developmental needs to enable their growth.
3. Seek out and engage with your workforce to determine the appetite for these opportunities. This could be via pre-retirement programmes offered within organisations, conversations with line managers about options for the future or even, trust-wide communication or a ‘call to action’.
4. Engage with HR to ensure the best package is available to staff that does not negatively impact their retirement package. NHS Pensions has lots of information about flexible retirement options for staff and employers. Also, ensure that appropriate recruitment and governance processes are in place to ensure transparency and equity across the organisation.
5. Support the appropriate induction of staff choosing to move into this role.  It may be that spending some time with the Education Team prior to supporting services is part of an induction and education programme.
6. Consider buddying up with experienced educators if the retiree has not supported learners in practice for a while, or a new model is being trialled.
7. Ensure robust communication and feedback with all parties involved so that appropriate learning can be captured and the impact of the role measured in relation to the benefits identified previously.