University of Northampton welcomes new Interprofessional Education standards

Shaping the future of person-centred care by University of Northampton (UON) students moves a step up with new standards supported by the institution.

Interprofessional Education (IPE) at UON provides students on health and social care courses with multidimensional learning opportunities. Delivered through a ‘collaborative curriculum’, they learn with, from, and about their peers in other programmes.

Earlier this week, the Centre for the Advancement of Interprofessional Education (CAIPE) officially launched its Quality Standards for Pre-Registration Interprofessional Education at the House of Lords.

CAIPE’s evidence-based standards are the first of their kind to be published nationally or internationally. They will prepare future health and social care professionals to work collaboratively across disciplines, placing patients, service users, families, and carers at the centre of care.

The Standards will be embedded in the wider IPE Strategy at UON, supporting the development of a workforce that is confident about and ready for collaborative practice.

Two of the guests at the launch were UON’s Deputy Dean in the Faculty of Health, Sports and Behavioural Science, Dr Roshni Khatri, and the University’s Interprofessional Education lead, Associate Professor Alison Power (pictured) who attended in her capacity as a CAIPE Board Member.

Alison says: “Interprofessional Education is part of the bedrock of how we ensure our students graduate with the skills to become effective members of the interprofessional team. I’ve represented the University as a Board Member of CAIPE since 2021, a post that has enabled our institution to stay at the forefront of IPE developments.

“These new Standards provide a valuable resource for further embedding collaborative practice into our programmes at the University and strengthening our commitment to person-centred care.”

Dr Khatri adds: “By adopting standards that are nationally and internationally recognised, the University of Northampton can demonstrate that its curriculum is aligned with best practice, supporting both internal quality assurance and external accreditation processes.”

Professor Liz Anderson, Joint Chair of CAIPE, adds: “These Standards mark a turning point for collaborative, person-centred care.  They provide a flexible framework for embedding interprofessional values into education and practice – supporting shared learning, mutual respect, and inclusive care.”

Dr Angela Lennox, Joint Chair of CAIPE, concludes: “This launch is a gift to the interprofessional education community – not a commercial venture. We warmly invite stakeholders across the system to engage with us, to apply the Standards, and to help evaluate and evolve their impact.”

Find out more about Interprofessional Education at UON on the University’s website.

Find out more about CAIPE here.