Since the 1 st April 2009 I have taken up responsibility for practice learning for our educational provision and I look forward to working with clinical colleagues and continuing the successful collaborations with NHS partners and the Private, Voluntary and Independent sector. The quality of the student experience in practice is dependent on so many diverse and challenging factors, and I am sure that through our continued partnerships we can achieve our vision of providing outstanding practice learning opportunities for all our students. Engaging with students as partners is a critical element in developing and enhancing learning in practice. Student evaluation of practice and mentor evaluation of the mentoring experience are important strategies that we will be reviewing. The role of the mentor and the sign-off mentor is a challenging and often undervalued one. Together, with Practice Education Facilitator (PEF) and Placement Development Manager (PDM) colleagues, we can provide learning and teaching environments which will nurture and develop a student nurse who will be fit for practice, purpose and award. Thank you for your ongoing support and contribution to student nurse education. Ros Thomas Practice Learning Officer from the Practice Learning Officer to the School of Nursing, Midwifery and Social Work s Mentors Newsletter. This is my first opportunity in my role as the School s Practice Learning Officer (PLO) to extend our thanks and appreciation to Geraldine Main who, after six years in post, decided that it was time to step down from her role as Director of Quality Assurance and Practice Learning. 1. from the PLO.. 1
News From the Practice Learning Officer Pandemic Flu Planning Event A Pandemic Flu Planning event took place on the 14 th July 2009 and was attended by representatives from the NHS North West, the Trusts, and the Greater Manchester Higher Education Institutions. The development of a co-ordinated response to the pandemic swine flu was discussed and planning remains ongoing. Your trust PEF will have details as they become available. Current Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) guidelines regarding students with suspected swine flu are available at http://www.nmc-uk.org Student Practice Assessment Updates to the Pan Manchester Practice Assessment document and the Ongoing Record of Achievement have been made which requires the mentor and sign-off mentor to complete a self-verification statement to confirm that they are on the Trust s Live Register of Mentors and have also attended an annual mentor update. An additional statement has also been added to the induction sheet regarding the Ongoing Record of Achievement document. A further guidance paper regarding the assessment process for students on split placements has been developed for mentors and is available via the Mentor Information web pages 1. from the PLO.. 2
News From the Practice Learning Officer The Quality Enhancement Process Document (Practice Learning Environments) It has become apparent that some students and mentors remain unaware of the of the correct process to follow when they have concerns about the learning environment, or if the mentor has concerns regarding student progression. Therefore, please can I ask that you re-visit the Quality Enhancement Process document and follow the processes outlined? We will shortly be reviewing the Quality Enhancement Process document with the intention of making it more user-friendly and self-explanatory. In turn, any comments or suggestions you may have for this review will be greatly welcomed. Reasonable Adjustments in the Practice Learning Environment In collaboration with practice, the School is commissioning a steering group to develop a series of guidance papers for mentors relating to reasonable adjustments in practice learning environments. I will bring you more news on these developments in the next issue of the Mentors Newsletter. 1. from the PLO.. 3
News From the Clinical Placement Unit (CPU) University Link Lecturer (ULL) Leavers, Changes, and New Appointments Central Manchester University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust (CMFT): Many thanks to Jed Finch (Manchester Metropolitan University, MMU) for all his work as ULL for Cardiology. Jed has stepped down from this role to take up a new ULL post. to Nigel Cox and Jim Hewitt (MMU), new ULL s for the CMFT team. The Christie NHS Foundation Trust: to Gary Witham (MMU) who will be working alongside Jan Fielding as ULL for The Christie Hospital. Manchester Mental Health and Social Care Trust (MMH & SCT) and other Independent Mental Health Areas: As from September 2009, Ros Thomas will be stepping down as ULL Lead for MMH & SCT and other Mental Health Independent areas. Many thanks to Ros for all her hard work in this role. All the best to Lynda Smithies who will be taking up the role of ULL Lead for MMH & SCT and other Mental Health Independent areas as from September 2009. to Heidi McDonnell who will be working alongside Steve Worth as ULL for the South Manchester MMH & SCT areas. Pennine Acute Hospitals NHS Trust (North Manchester General Hospital, NMGH): to Anne-Marie Borneuf (MMU) who has joined the ULL team for NMGH. 1. from the PLO.. 4
News From the Clinical Placement Unit (CPU) University Link Lecturers (ULL s) Leavers, Changes, and New Additions Pennine Acute Hospitals NHS Trust (North Manchester General Hospital, NMGH): As from September 2009, Christine Lappin will be taking up the role of ULL for the new Paediatric Services at NMGH. All the best to Christine in this new ULL role. Pennine Care NHS Foundation Trust: to Marcus Percy who will be working alongside Karen Price as ULL for Stockport Mental Health. Private, Voluntary and Independent (PVI) Sector Team (Adult & Child): All the best to Jed Finch (MMU) who has taken up the post of ULL for The Alexandra Hospital. Many thanks to Geraldine Main for all her work as ULL for Spire Manchester Hospital, The Regency Hospital and Manchester Lifestyle Hospital. Geraldine has stepped down from this role to take up a new ULL post. Stockport NHS Foundation Trust: Many thanks to Christine Brown-Wilson for all her hard work in the role of both ULL Lead for Stockport NHS Foundation Trust and the role of ULL for Elderly Services. Christine has stepped down from these roles to focus on her role as ULL Lead for the PVI Team. Eva Bedford has stepped down from her role as ULL for Surgery. Many thanks to Eva for all her work. to Lynda Millard as both the new ULL Team Lead and the new ULL for Surgery. to John Costello as the new ULL for Elderly Services. 1. from the PLO.. 5
News From the Clinical Placement Unit (CPU) University Link Lecturers (ULL s) Leavers, Changes, and New Additions Tameside Hospital NHS Foundation Trust: As from September 2009 Christine Lappin will be stepping down as ULL for Paediatric Services to take up a new ULL post. Many thanks to Christine for all her work in this post. As from September 2009 we welcome Nina Dunne as the new ULL for the Paediatric Services. Trafford Healthcare NHS Trust: As from September 2009 Cliff Richardson will be stepping down from the post of ULL Team Lead. Many thanks to Cliff for all his hard work in this post. As from September 2009 we welcome Judith Ormrod as the new ULL Lead for Trafford Healthcare NHS Trust. Many thanks to Jim Hewitt (MMU) for all his work as ULL for Critical Care. Jim has stepped down from this role to take up a new ULL post. to Neil Wilson (MMU) as the new ULL for Critical Care. University Hospital of South Manchester NHS Foundation Trust (UHSMT): Kristen Newman has stepped down from the post of both ULL Lead for UHSMT and ULL for Heart, Lung and Chest 1. Many thanks to Kristen for all her work in both these roles. As from September 2009, we welcome Geraldine Main as the new ULL Team Lead and ULL for Heart, Lung and Chest 1. NB: Up to date lists of all ULL teams, including contact details, are accessible via the Mentor Information web pages. 1. from the PLO.. 6
News From John Ryland s Library Changes to ATHENS Access via Clinical Academic Support Membership An official joint communication from Professor Kevin O Brien (Associate Dean for Learning and Teaching for the Faculty of Medical and Human Sciences) and Dr Stella Butler (Deputy University Librarian) has confirmed that the University has not renewed it s contract with ATHENS. As a result, ATHENS access ceased as from 31 st July 2009. As a result of the change in contract he Library can no longer supply remote access to e-resources for members of the Clinical Academic Support Scheme. Access to e-resources now require a central username and password, and to obtain this you must be a centrally registered student or staff member of The University of Manchester. The legal agreements the University has with publishers are that only full members of the University may have access to electronic resources. For further information, please contact Helen McEvoy, Faculty Team Manager, Medical Human and Life Sciences, in the first instance at helen.mcevoy@manchester.ac.uk 1. from the PLO.. 7
Practice Education Facilitator (PEF) News NHS Stockport and Stockport NHS Foundation Trust In-house Mentorship Course NHS Stockport (formerly Stockport Primary Care Trust) and Stockport NHS Foundation Trust are now offering an in-house mentorship course for staff which will be delivered locally at Pinewood House, Stepping Hill Hospital, Stockport. The benefits of the in-house mentorship course will be to provide an opportunity for staff to study more locally, alongside their colleagues, where the course content can be tailored to meet local needs. The first mentorship course will be offered next year. For further details, please contact either Sarah Booth (PEF for NHS Stockport) on 0161 426 5971, or Jean Rogers (PEF for Stockport NHS Foundation Trust) on 0161 419 5811. Mentor of the Semester for Stockport NHS Foundation Trust Last semester the mentors nominated as Mentor of the Semester were the Emergency Department (ED) mentor team at Stepping Hill Hospital. This is a wonderful achievement for a team of mentors; an achievement which has demonstrated how much they were appreciated by their students. Congratulations to the mentor team ED on achieving this accolade. The ED won the vote as a result of their enthusiastic commitment to student support and development in the clinical area, as well as their teaching, feedback and consistent encouragement to the learners. Well done ED! 1. from the PLO.. 8
North West Placement Development With the number of healthcare students in practice areas increasing on an almost daily basis, and not all Placement Development Managers (PDM s) yet in post, the Placement Development Network is already embracing new changes to the role and working practices to ensure that every healthcare student secures an appropriate and timely, quality placement where their learning outcomes can be met. Having implemented a new structure across the North West, the Network is now working from three bases, in conjunction with the management team at The Studios in Bolton: The Greater Manchester team are based at Regents House, Stockport. The Cheshire and Mersey team are based at Regatta Place, Liverpool. The Cumbria and Lancashire team are based at Preston Business Park. Recruitment to the PDM posts is continuing and we are pleased to report an increase in interest for these posts from the Allied Health Professions. It is envisaged that all appointments will have been made by the end of September 2009. 1. from the PLO.. 9
North West (NW) Placement Development Each team now has a primary responsibility for specific professions across the North West, with Greater Manchester being responsible for Physiotherapy, Occupational Therapy, Speech and Language Therapy, and Dietetics. The Team will also maintain existing links with their partners in nursing and midwifery. The Placement Development Lead in each team will be the primary point of contact for all partners. Linked to a robust communication system, the Lead will ensure that information is disseminated to the most appropriate person in the Network. Obviously our work is pivotal to that being done by the Practice Education Facilitators (PEF s). The interface and communication between PEF s and PDM s will be explored and developed in an Action Group planned for September 2009. For any enquiries please contact: Shirley Harrison, Placement Development Lead for Greater Manchester Tel 0161 475 0627 or 07501 486348, or e-mail Shirley.Harrison@bolton.nhs.uk Ann Amor, Network Communication Lead Tel 01204 462459 or 07552 164308, or e-mail Ann.Amor@bolton.nhs.uk 1. from the PLO.. 10
1. from the PLO. A FREE One Day Conference for Clinical Mentors and their Third Year Child Branch Students When? Where? Why? Tuesday 24 th November 2009, 9.30am 3.30pm. Ground Floor, Jean McFarlane Building, University Place, The University of Manchester, Oxford Road, Manchester, M13 9PL. To share current research that might be useful for your practice, help students prepare for their final project or dissertation; share examples of different career pathways involving research from and for practice. Role of research: From Staff Nurse to Nurse Consultant. Research in the Nursing Diploma and Degree. Preparation of information for teenagers with asthma. Moving care closer to home for children with long term conditions. Some of the topics covered are as follows: Role of a Professor of Nursing in an NHS Trust. Self care support for children with long term conditions. Conducting a literature review to inform research. Treatment adherence after kidney transplant. For more details please contact Veronica Swallow via e-mail at veronica.swallow@manchester.ac.uk. 11
The Practice Learning Team The Practice Learning Team for the School of Nursing, Midwifery and Social Work can be found in the Jean McFarlane Building, University Place, Oxford Road, Manchester, M13 9PL and consists of: Ros Thomas: Practice Learning Officer Room 6.313 Tel: 0161 306 7852 E: roselyn.thomas@manchester.ac.uk Lindsay Blanks: Secretary to the Clinical Placement Unit Room 3.326 Tel: 0161 306 7706 E: lindsay.h.blanks@manchester.ac.uk Laura Garner: Secretarial Assistant to the Clinical Placement Unit Room 3.326 Tel: 0161 306 7704 E: laura.garner@manchester.ac.uk 1. from the PLO.. 12