INVOLVE have launched a Confidential Benefits Advice Service for
See details at: http://www.invo.org.uk/posttypenews/benefits-advice-service-for-involvement/
Healthcare Science Week gives you and your colleagues the opportunity to tell people about your work and how it is making a difference to patients.
How to get involved
Finally, if you intend to tweet about Healthcare Science Week please use #HCSWeek2015.
The NHS Change Day provides an opportunity for NHS employees, volunteers, patients and members of the public to share ideas and take the necessary steps to improve health services.
On Wednesday 11 March 2015 there will be local initiatives taking place to highlight the changes that are already being implemented. On 10 February a ‘NHS Change Day for the North West’ event is being held at St Catherine’s Hospice in Preston to provide further information about Change Day and how you can get involved. If you are interested in attending the event please register here.
To read about the actions that health workers have already taken and to find out how you can contribute to the day please visit http://changeday.nhs.uk/ and follow @NHSChangeday
Friday 9 January 2015 at 10am-3pm
Lecture Theatre A, University Place, University of Manchester
Are you interested in the applying for a place on the Scientist Training Programme (STP)?
Do you want to specialise in any of the following areas: Blood Sciences, Cellular Sciences, Clinical Bioinformatics, Clinical Pharmaceutical Science, Neurosensory Sciences, Reconstructive Science or Cardiac, Critical Care, Vascular, Respiratory and Sleep Sciences?
If so, come and find out more about the Masters in Clinical Science programmes offered in Manchester. These programmes form the academic component of the STP.
By attending the event you will discover:
A current STP trainee from the North West Healthcare Science Trainee Network Board will also talk to you about what you need to know before you apply and provide an insight into what it is like to be an STP trainee.
You will then get the opportunity to meet with our programme teams to discuss more details about the specialisms you are interested in and you also have the option of booking on a tour around a local NHS Trust laboratory or department that is linked to your chosen specialism.
We hope that you will be able to join us. If you would like to attend please complete the online registration form by Monday 15 December and download a copy of the programme.
For more information about Healthcare Science Education and Training please visit: http://www.nwhcs.nhs.uk/images/Healthcarescienceexplainingthfacts.pdf
The Academy for Healthcare Science (AHCS) are accepting abstract submissions from Healthcare Scientists for poster presentations at the inaugural Academy for Healthcare Science Congress which is taking place on 8-9 December 2014. The event is entitled “Passionate for patients, passionate about science” and will feature talks from Professor Chris Lowe, on nanotechnology in healthcare, George Freeman MP, Minister of State for Life Sciences and Ian Cumming, Chief Executive of Health Education England. For further details please access the Congress programme.
Abstract submission
If you are interested in presenting a poster which showcases your innovative research please read the criteria for abstracts and the submission processes on the AHCS Congress website. (www.ahcscongress.com)
The closing date for abstract submissions is Monday 17 November 2014.
The National School of Healthcare Science has released the new 2014 STP Trainee Handbook. The handbook provides trainees with an overview of the structure of the STP (including work-based assessments), outlines the role of the National School and what is expected from trainees, and also signposts trainees to useful resources.
The North West Healthcare Science Trainee Network Board have produced a PTP Welcome Pack and STP Welcome Pack for all trainees and training managers. The network was established to develop the trainee arm of the North West Healthcare Science Network. Trainees in the North West automatically become members, granting access to free events, resources and support.
Each welcome pack outlines crucial information on:
NHS England has published this snapshot overview of the current NHS structure in a succinct and practical resource for everyone who works and trains in the NHS. Written by five doctors in training, it is particularly relevant to trainees to provide a context for their academic and clinical practice.
The guide recognises the complexity of the systems and processes that sit behind the interactions with patients and their families – whether purchasing, planning, financing or regulatory activity, and presents these underpinning structures in a way that is easily comprehensible. It provides an overview of the principles and priorities which are the current drivers to framing health and social care policy.
The NHS faces multiple challenges to deliver quality care whilst resources come under increasing pressure. The role of trainee clinical professionals in finding solutions to these challenges is emphasised, but also the necessity of understanding the system in which healthcare is delivered in order to know how to go about successfully making changes. The guide aims to empower trainees to comprehend the broader picture of the healthcare system from an early stage of their careers; to give them the confidence to challenge the existing system, identify improvements and make change happen.
The attitude in healthcare towards patients has evolved dramatically over recent years. Historically the health professional/patient relationship has been very unequal, with health professionals in the role of expert, and patients the passive recipient of diagnoses and prescriptions. However, due to cultural changes in society, financial pressures on services, and the increasingly complex nature of medical treatment, the role of the patient is changing and with it their relationship to the professionals involved in their care.
Participation in care and treatment
Over the last century, medical science has been very successful in treating life-threatening illnesses. However, this means that the challenge often facing modern healthcare services is in dealing with long-term and/or complex conditions often associated with old age. This has led to a change in the way that patients are valued as part of both the design and delivery of services. Patients have had to become more involved in managing their healthcare, and those with long-term conditions build up extensive knowledge about their condition. Research has demonstrated the more patients are involved in decision-making, the more they will follow prescribed treatments, leading to less (re-)hospitalisation and better outcomes[i].
Feedback and consultation
In a culture of consumer rights, patients, and the wider public, now expect much greater transparency from healthcare providers about the standard of services, and what is being done to address shortcomings. The Francis report following the mid-Staffordshire enquiry highlighted dramatically the importance of listening to patient and carer complaints in order to identify potential failings in the system. The use of patient and carer feedback to help design and commission services is also seen as a way to gain public acceptance of the difficult decisions that have to be made about how to use the limited resources of the NHS.
Involvement in medical training
At the more personal level of the health professional/patient relationship, the importance of developing patient-centred skills and behaviour in future health professionals is a key element of medical training. This includes access for students to real life situations which provide context to their learning, where they can develop empathy and clinical reasoning skills, and gain new insights into the patient experience.
Patient involvement in medical training also includes input into the design and delivery of training, and feedback on the quality of learning and assessment. Within MAHSE, we have two public/patient representatives on the boards for each of our STP programmes, who contribute their experiences to enhance the provision of clinical training. Their input into the interview process, course content and assessment processes means that the STP programmes focus trainees on developing an ability to provide personalised care, and to recognise that the needs of individual patients are at the heart of all medical practice.
NHS Constitution and the Health and Social Care Act 2012
The focus on patient and public involvement in healthcare will impact on the career of any medical practitioner, both at the level of personal relationships with patients, but also at an operational/strategic level. The concept of patient-centred care was enshrined in the NHS Constitution, which requires the rights of patients to be taken account of by all NHS service providers when making any decision. Under the Health and Social Care Act 2012, the concept of patient-centred care is reflected in the legal duties imposed on Clinical Commissioning Groups to involve patients in their own treatment, and for public participation in the commissioning process. In turn, commissioning drives the focus and priorities of services provided by healthcare professionals. The NHS England document, Transforming Participation in Health and Care, outlines how commissioning will operate to deliver patient-centred care, and provides an excellent insight into how this ethos will shape the future of healthcare service delivery.
[i] *NHS England (2013) Transforming Participation in Health and Care
The HEE Clinical Academic Training Internship Programme offers the opportunity for health professionals with no research qualifications or research training to take the first step towards a clinical academic career. The programme would be applicable to STP trainees once they have finished their training and are working in the NHS.
The internship includes a 5 day programme to increase your knowledge and understanding of the NHS research community and how you could develop your career in this area. You will have an experienced research supervisor who will help you follow a personalised programme over a period of 35 days, and provide mentoring and supervision of your research project. Your project will need to have a clear benefit for patients and the public, and it is encouraged to focus on one of HEE’s mandate requirements.
Funding is provided by Health Education England. Payment of £7500 is made to the intern’s employer to allow release from duties and cover travel expenses. A fee of £1000 is paid to the organisation hosting the intern to cover supervision costs.
Internships commence in January 2015 and must be completed by June 2015.
To find out more and apply, visit the Health Education England site for more information. You can check your eligibility here. The closing date for applications is Wednesday 19 November.
