Coaching aims to produce optimal performance and improvement at work. It focuses on specific skills and goals, and may also have an impact on an individual’s personal attributes such as social interaction or confidence (CIPD).

Coaches provide:

• Structured Approach: Coaches typically follow a structured process tailored to the individual’s needs, focusing on specific goals and outcomes.
• Skill Enhancement: They help individuals enhance specific skills or overcome challenges by providing feedback, support, and accountability.
• Objective Perspective: Coaches often provide an objective viewpoint, offering insights and strategies to help clients achieve clarity and make informed decisions.
• Short-Term Focus: Coaching relationships tend to be more short-term and task-oriented, aiming to achieve specific objectives within a defined timeframe.

For more details about coaching, you can visit Academi Wales Coaching and Mentoring .

Mentoring in the workplace describes a relationship in which a more experienced colleague shares their greater knowledge to support the development of an inexperienced individual. It calls on the skills of questioning, listening, clarifying and reframing that are associated with coaching (CIPD).

Mentors offer:

• Long-term Relationships: Mentors develop long-term relationships with mentees, offering ongoing guidance, support, and wisdom.
• Experience Sharing: They share their own experiences, knowledge, and expertise to help mentees navigate their career paths and personal development.
• Holistic Approaches: Mentors focus not only on professional growth but also on personal development, offering holistic guidance to help mentees succeed in all aspects of their lives.
• Informal Structure: Unlike coaching, mentoring relationships often have a more informal structure, with guidance and support provided based on the mentee’s needs and the mentor’s availability.

For more details, you can visit Academi Wales Coaching and Mentoring .

Preceptorship is a time when someone guides and supports you. It helps you move from being a student to becoming an independent and skilled professional.

For many jobs, preceptorship can also be offered at other important times in your career. It gives support when you need it most and helps you provide safe, caring, and high-quality work.

Not every job offers preceptorship, and it can look different in different places. The HCPC provides principles for preceptorship that might be helpful for some. When it is available, it is a very helpful way to learn and grow.

Quality means meeting people’s healthcare needs every time, without fail.

There are six parts of quality, set out by the Institute of Medicine:

• Safe - Care should not cause harm.
• Timely - Care should happen at the right time.
• Effective - Care should work well.
• Efficient - Care should not waste time or resources.
• Fair - Everyone should get the same good care.
• Person-Centred - Care should focus on the person’s needs.

These ideas can be used in any type of supervision. A supervisor can check if their supervision meets these six parts. A supervisee can also use them to give feedback on the quality of supervision.

For more details, visit Six Domains of Quality (Improvement Cymru) .