Pulse Issue 5

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Welcome

Welcome to the fifthedition of PulseMagazine – the Facultyof Health and SocialCare’s annual magazine.

We are pleased tointroduce the new Postgraduate MedicalInstitute, a partnership between Edge HillUniversity and regional health professionalsand providers seeking to improve the qualityof health and social care in the North Westthrough education, research and innovation.

In this edition we also announce the launchof two new programmes, a newundergraduate degree in the Applied Healthand Social Care portfolio, the BSc (Hons)Family and Community Studies and a newMaster’s programme, the MSc Psychiatry.

We are also pleased to tell you about someof the recent achievements of the Faculty’sstudents, including a social work studentwho is the recipient of the UniversityChancellor’s Scholarship and an award-winning ODP student.

There is our usual course listing on thecentre pages for anyone consideringprofessional development and on the backpages are details of forthcomingconferences and events at the Faculty.

We hope you enjoy reading about our workand we look forward to seeing you at one ofour events on campus in the future.

Seth CroftsPro Vice-Chancellor and Dean of the Facultyof Health and Social Care

ContentsNew Post Graduate Medical Institute - PGMI

Honorary award for nursing leader - Dr Peter Carter: Page 3

National Student Survey 2014 Page 4

Campus investments continue apace at Aintree Page 5

Edge Hill awarded prestigious new medical leadership module contract Page 6

New course is latest addition to family of non-traditional health degrees - BSc Families and Communities Page 7

Groundbreaking adolescent alcohol work sees Jayne score top marks Page 8

Scholarship reflects Jay’s dedication to social work Page 8

New pathways boost Faculty’s postgraduate surgery programmes Page 9

New MSc provides practical progressto psychiatric posts Page 10

Health and Social Care portfolio Page 11

MBE award for lifelong dedication to midwifery Page 13

Innovative new project should help see better care at home Page 14

California dreaming for nursing ambassador Gill Page 15

New training will help ODP graduates leave Edge Hill job ready Page 16

Finnish paramedic partnership is providing valuable for all parties Page 16

Africa hospice trustee role for Barbara Page 17

Simulation and Patient Safety Week Page 18

Baby Friendly Initiative University Accreditation from UNICEF Page 19

New Director of Nursing Education Page 19

Education is the key: Providing a competent and caring nursing workforce Page 20

New initiative puts sustainable food at the top of local agenda Page 21

New online diabetes tool should help get to thefoot of the problem Page 22

New combined online safeguarding modulefor Mersey Care, and beyond Page 22

Faculty of Health and Social Care 2014 – 2015 Events Page 23

pulseIssue 5

Editorial Team: Sam Armstrong

Design: EHU Creative Services - Mark Molloy

ContributorsTony Brown, Stuart Rayner

Faculty of Health and Social CareEdge Hill University

St Helens Road, OrmskirkLancashire, L39 4QP

edgehill.ac.uk

FACULTY OF HEALTH AND SOCIAL CARE | PAGE 2

In order to reflect the major changes that havetaken place at the faculty over the past decadeand a half, a new institute has been set up thatwill allow provision to be developed in new areas.

The Postgraduate Medical Institute (PGMI) hasbeen created as part of the university’s widerdiversification and means the Faculty of Healthand Social Care can now reach out to professionalgroups such as medics and dentists, as KathrynLowe, Head of Postgraduate Studies, explains:“After initially starting out as a school of nursing,over the past 15 years the faculty has developed agreat deal, training operating departmentpractitioners, paramedics and social workers. Asa result, creating the PGMI will give us theopportunity to diversify our funding streams,allow us to engage with more professionals anddevelop provision in new areas. As an example,although there has already been someengagement with medics and dentists, they weren’t group that we fullycatered for. The PGMI will allow us to capitalise on what’s already beenachieved and incorporate a range of programmes aimed at medics fromacross all three faculties of the university.”

The faculty has a number of collaborative partners that are closely linkedwith the PGMI, such as Wrightington, Wigan and Leigh NHS FoundationTrust, Liverpool Women’s NHS Foundation Trust and the Royal College ofPhysicians, while a number of other links with other NHS trusts and

organisations are currently in the planning stages.The Faculty of Health and Social Care is alsoworking with a number of other organisations aspart of the PGMI, including North WestDeaneries, and has received accreditation fromthe Royal College of Surgeons for the MChprogramme.

“The MCh has been running successfully for anumber of years, as has the MA ClinicalEducation, which is delivered by staff from theFaculty of Education,” adds Kathryn. “A numberof existing programmes and pieces of researchfrom across the university will be brought togetherunder the badge of PGMI. A steering group hasbeen established to help this process and there arenew premises on the Ormskirk campus to housethe institute. We are looking to formally establishthe PGMI in May 2014 and will organise an officiallaunch event to celebrate this.”

To find out more about the new PGMI, visit: edgehill.ac.uk/health/pgmi

New postgraduate medical institute will widen work of the faculty

“A number of existingprogrammes andpieces of researchfrom across the university will bebrought togetherunder the badge

of PGMI.”

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Honorary award for nursing leader

The summer graduation season saw one of the nursingprofession’s leading figures awarded an honorary doctorateby Edge Hill University.

Nursing Union leader Dr Peter Carter was given the awarddue to his dedication to the nursing profession and has beendescribed as a “compelling role model for nurses of allgenerations,” thanks to his lifetime of service delivered withinfectious enthusiasm, vigour and commitment to public service.

While accepting the award, Dr Carter, whose nursing trainingbegan over 40 years ago and whose close links with Edge Hillstretch back several years, said: “I would like to thank EdgeHill University for conferring this award on me, and I reallywill cherish it. I’ve developed a relationship with theuniversity over the past few years and it is an institution tobe proud of. The education the students receive is second tonone.”

As the General Secretary and Chief Executive of the RoyalCollege of Nursing (RCN), Dr Carter is responsible for amembership of 400,000 nurses, midwives, health visitors,nursing students, cadets and health care support workers.

As the voice of nursing across the UK, the RCN is the largestprofessional union of nursing staff in the world and its aimis to think and act as part of a global community.

Having been with the RCN since 2007, Dr Carter is perfectlyplaced to observe how healthcare has changed over the years.“Despite all of the changes and the pressures on and withinthe NHS, nursing and nurses still enjoy enormous respectfrom the public,” he explains.

“Those graduating today from universities such as Edge Hillwill go on to have incredibly satisfying and rewarding careersin the profession. It is still a wonderful occupation and aprivilege to have that interface with patients on a daily basis.This country should be so proud of all the young men andwomen who choose to become nurses and who do such agreat job.”


Edge Hill’s students are some of the most satisfied in the region, but youdon’t just have to take our word for it.

The results from the 2014 annual National Student Survey (NSS) are in,and reveal that Edge Hill is once again celebrating excellent rankings,remaining the top University in the North West in terms of studentsatisfaction.

Based on the average of the responses to all 22 questions in the survey for2014, the University is ranked top in the region with an overall satisfactionranking of 4.2 out of 5.

All fields of Nursing, and Midwifery, demonstrated increased satisfaction,specifically in reference to teaching and learning, academic support, andorganisation and management.

BSc Operating Department Practice at both Ormskirk and Manchester,showed positive increases with scores for personal development exceeding4.5, and Paramedic Practice maintained an average of over 4.6 (out of 5)across all areas.

Dr John Cater, Vice-Chancellor of Edge Hill University said: “It is testamentto our focus on the student experience that Edge Hill is once again ranked

top in terms of the full range of satisfaction measures in the North West.With our commitment to the student experience in addition to our stronglevels of graduate employment and social mobility, I’m confident that ourresults will continue to improve year on year.”

The satisfaction rate for students studying at UK universities and collegeshas hit a 10-year high, Professor Madeleine Atkins, HEFCE Chief Executive,said:

‘I’m delighted to see record levels of student satisfaction this year, as wellas marked improvements in satisfaction with assessment and feedback overthe last decade.

‘The NSS is the largest survey of its kind in the UK. Over the last 10 years ithas helped over 2 million students to make their voices heard about thethings that matter to them, and has been fundamental to driving change inour universities and colleges.

‘In a period of technological advance, internationalisation and fundingreforms, the NSS will continue to enable students’ views to be heard and tostimulate innovation and excellence in teaching and learning in ouruniversities and colleges.’

National Student Survey 2014

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Campus investments continue apace

As part of Edge Hill’s continued investment into facilities andresources, the Aintree Campus has undergone a majorrefurbishment and been renamed the Postgraduate Centre.

Associate Head for CPD Postgraduate Programmes, Lai K Chan,says this move reflects the faculty’s ambitions to rejuvenate theLiverpool site and provide qualified health and social care studentswith an identified place to study.

“We have titled the centre postgraduate, but in order to make itsomewhere for our professionals to call home we also mean post-qualified staff. The building has been refurbished to enable tocontinuing professional development (CPD) team to provide moreteaching at our Liverpool site, and we now have five classrooms, onemeeting room and a shared area for socialising.”

All of the classrooms are now equipped with the latest IT resourcesin order to enhance the learning experience, there are quiet roomsfor tutorials, bookable workspace for students and two of the roomsare separated by a mobile partition, which means the space can beflexibly arranged to house up to 45 people.

“This work will be of great benefit to students,” adds Lai. “Classroomavailability is a resource issue for many of our lecturers. Previouslywe couldn’t guarantee students that they would be in the sameclassroom for every session, leading to wasted time trying to locatewhere the next lecture would take place. The new PostgraduateCentre has a range of rooms, which means we will be able to allocatemodules to different rooms for the duration of a course. Thefeedback we have had from students so far has been very positive,with many saying that they like the new social area and the mobilechair and desk that allows them to change its arrangement for theirpreferred way of working.”

Continuing with campus news, last October saw more than 2,000people flock to the Ormskirk site to start the celebrations for EdgeHill’s 80 years in the town.

Visitors were treated to live entertainment by a range of streetperformers and acts, and a new exhibition and book launch to markthe milestone anniversary of when the Ormskirk campus wasofficially opened in 1933 by Lord Irwin, President of the Board ofEducation.


A collaboration between the faculty’s Postgraduate Education Departmentand the Royal College of Physicians has led to Edge Hill being awarded aprestigious contract by the Mersey Deanery.

The contract is to deliver a new masters-level, bespoke medical leadershipand management module, which can be studied on a standalone basis oralongside existing MSc programmes.

“This new programme comprises a bespoke medical leadership andmanagement module that is mapped to the Medical LeadershipCompetency Framework curriculum,” explains Charlotte Moen, MScLeadership Development Programme Lead. “This masters-level module isaimed at higher specialty trainee doctors whose next step is to apply fortheir first consultant post, and it will assist them to undertake the transitionfrom senior trainee to consultant.

“Specifically, it raises awareness of the importance of medical leadership,requires students to take theoretical learning into the workplace, aidsreflection on their own leadership and management skills and qualities,and facilitates understanding of the impact of their own behaviour onothers.”

Because the faculty already has an existing multi-professional MScleadership programme, doctors undertaking the new module can do so asa specific qualification or join existing MSc programme students such asnurses, allied health professionals, paramedics and senior managers.

“The new contract further validates our existing provision and is a reallyvaluable extension to our current programme,” adds Charlotte. “We havereceived some extremely positive feedback about the module so far, withmany doctors requesting to see a progression route. As a result, lastDecember a new MSc pathway in Medical Leadership and Managementwas validated, which has exit routes at Postgraduate Certificate andPostgraduate Diploma.” Over 250 people have been through the programmesince it launched in 2013.

To find out more about the new module, visit: edgehill.ac.uk/health/cpd-modules

Edge Hill awarded prestigious new medical leadershipmodule contract

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New course is latest addition to family of non-traditional health degrees

The 2014 recruitment cycle saw a 91% risein applications for Applied Health andSocial Care programmes. Establishedprogrammes, BA Health and SocialWellbeing; BSc Child Health and Wellbeing;and BSc Nutrition and Health; all demonstratedsignificant growth. BSc Counselling andPsychotherapy attracted over 200applicants; and whilst only its second yearrecruiting, BSc Psychosocial Analysis ofOffending Behaviour boasted an increase of320% in applications, with a cohort of over50 students starting in Sept 2014.

In our expanding portfolio of AHSCprogrammes, andto assist efforts to allowsustainable communities to be developed aspart of the government’s Big Society vision,a new degree programme has been launchedthat will give students real hands-onexperience within their communities.

The BSc (Hons) Family and CommunityStudies course is aimed at those currentlyworking with families or communities in avariety of roles and also for school andcollege leavers interested in working withinthat area but unsure about exactly whataspect they wish to pursue.

“The Applied health and Social Care teamare developing degree programmes to meetthe needs of a growing workforce that doesnot follow the traditional professionalhealth routes such as nursing, midwifery orsocial work,” reveals Pat Hosgood, SeniorLecturer and Programme Leader.

“Many of the careers relating to communitydevelopment, sustainable communities,family support and empowerment. Throughthe consultation process for this degree itwas identified that employers wantgraduates with specific knowledge andunderstanding of these concepts.”

The three-year programme will providestudents with an understanding of theprinciples, knowledge and skills essentialfor working with and sustaining familiesand communities. Students will explore thesocial, economic and political factors thataffect families and communities within theUK and around the world, and consider theimportance of leadership and managementskills in working effectively with otherprofessionals in an integrated way.

The programme will provide students withan understanding of how to identify andcommunicate with diverse and vulnerable

groups, while working within legal, ethicaland professional boundaries. In addition,they will also be able to ensure this degreeis bespoke to their interests and potentialcareer path through a choice of optional,work-related and dissertation modules.“This course was developed in consultationwith community development officers,asset-based community practitioners,people working within the ‘troubledFamilies agenda’ and the Department forWork and Pensions, and an individualworking within the illegal money lendingteam,” adds Pat. “This in itself shows thevariety of potential jobs and roles that areavailable to graduates of this course, thecontent of which has been informed both bywhat the government are advocating andwhat the workforce are experiencing. Weare now working closely with LancashireCounty Council to negotiate placements forour students so that they can experiencefirst hand the projects taking place withinthe local area, which will also provide themwith valuable work experience and increasetheir employability.”

To find out more about the new BSc (Hons)Family and Community Studies, visit:edgehill.ac.uk/health/ahsc/ug-degrees


Groundbreaking adolescent alcohol work sees Jayne score top marks

Groundbreaking work produced by BSc (Hons) IntegratedChildren’s and Young People’s Practice student Jayne Rowlandsresulted in her scoring top marks for her course.

Jayne chose to focus on the physical and social effects of alcohol onadolescents in the UK because of her own work-based observationsand interests in the British binge-drinking culture. The result was ahugely impressive 96 per cent for her work and a first class honoursdegree, something for which she is understandably so proud.

“To be told that I had the highest mark in our faculty was amazing.My time at Edge Hill has been fantastic. It’s such a lovely, friendlycampus and the support I have received from tutors has beenamazing. Although I was a lot older than many of the other studentsI never felt out of place and I enjoyed the whole experience.

“With regards to my study, I found that it was children with moredisposable income who are likely to drink from an early age.Parental consent and introducing children to alcohol in a moresensible manner, such as in France where children are givenwatered-down wine with a meal, seems to be a much betterapproach in answer to our binge-drinking children.”

Dedication to her studies and the overcoming of adversity to embarkon a university degree were just two of the main reasons why a SocialWork student was awarded the Chancellor’s Scholarship at the end of2013.

Jay Lowe from Salford received the prestigious award in recognitionof the difficult journey she has endured to reach Edge Hill.

“I was really pleased and humbled, and a little bit embarrassed, toreceive the ward,” she says, “but hopefully it reflects my determinationto succeed. After having to give up my degree place over ten years agowhen both my mother and father died and I became the carer for mybrother and sister, it’s great to be finally picking up where I left off.Social work has always been my passion and that’s why I’m sodetermined to succeed.”

The judges commented that it was evident that Jay’s work reflects hercommitment to promoting social work, and that she is a trueambassador for the faculty and the university generally.

Highlighting this, Jay has also recently volunteered to develop a SocialWork Association, which aims to benefit current students withmentoring, peer-to-peer support and the opportunity to exploredifferent areas of professional practice – as well as having a socialside too.

Scholarship reflects Jay’s dedication to social work

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After consultation with both practising professionals and past andcurrent students, the successful MCh programme has been furtherdeveloped to incorporate new pathways.

The new validated pathways will complement the existing MCh andsister programme, MCh Studies, to add diversity to the existing suiteof courses, which will, in turn, boost recruitment. A recruitmentdrive is currently underway, with the aim to enroll overseas studentsfor September 2014 entry.

“The overall programme structure remains the same but eachpathway has two clinical modules that relate to the surgicalspecialty. It is the introduction of new specialist clinical modulesthat will enable new named awards to be created,” says Carol Kelly,Senior Lecturer and MCh Programme Leader.

“The introduction of new specialist pathways will add diversity andfurther strengthen the continued viability of the programmes. Ascompetition within the employment market increases, sub-specialisation is seen as a way to enhance personal surgical practiceand employability. The current model of teaching allows studentson different specialty pathways within the MCh programme to studytogether for the majority of the programme, securing the feasibilityof supporting small intakes of students,” she adds.

The new named awards for the MCh include Minimal AccessSurgery; Paediatric Orthopaedics; Orthopaedics (Upper limbsurgery); Orthopaedics (Hand and wrist surgery); Orthopaedics(Spine); Orthopaedics (Hip and knee); Orthopaedics (Foot andankle); and Surgical Oncology.

To find out further information, visit: edgehill.ac.uk/health/surgery

New pathways boost faculty’s postgraduate surgeryprogrammes

Guiyang, Guizhou province


A new postgraduate course, planned and designed in conjunctionwith the NHS and local trusts, has been launched and will providethe practical training needed for doctors to apply for seniorpsychiatric posts.

The MSc Psychiatry is the result of months of consultation betweenEdge Hill and the 5 Boroughs Partnership (5BP) NHS Trust duringwhich key stakeholders in psychiatry, including consultantpsychiatrists from all disciplines, have been engaged. The newcourse is aimed at psychiatrists seeking a specialist masters-levelqualification in order to apply for senior posts.

“At present there is a shortage of traditional training post vacanciesvia deaneries, which has, in part, led to a shortage of psychiatrists,something we’re unlikely to see change in the short to mediumterm,” says Steve Jones, MSc Programme Leader.

“That is why we have developed this new route, which is a practical,skills-based course that incorporates clinical placement specialties.Initially, students will be recruited via interview at 5BP for the MScas part of their current employment and we will present theopportunity for them to undertake an MSc that is directly beneficialto their career and clinical practice.

“This route should prove very desirable, as students will be in paidwork, in a modern foundation trust alongside respected clinical

specialists and will be able to provide a portfolio of evidence in orderto apply for approved status, which means they will be able tosection under the Mental Health Act. Essentially, the programmeand experience will offer most of what doctors require to be able toprogress with clinical and managerial psychiatric positions in atimely and efficient way.”

The MSc will be delivered by experienced senior psychiatrists,researchers, academics and interdisciplinary staff from across thespecialties, including mental health pharmacists, clinicalpsychologists, therapists and academic psychologists. Theprogramme will also be delivered at a time to suit students –Saturday mornings are likely – so that it does not interfere withclinical commitments.

“This was an aspect that we considered crucial,” adds Steve. “It isimportant that the MSc Psychiatry can be completed while workingfull time in psychiatry and that it has a complete student-centredfocus to learning. I believe that what we have provided is a masterscourse that is designed by, delivered by and evaluated bypsychiatrists working collaboratively with Edge Hill.”

To find out more, visit: edgehill.ac.uk/study/courses/psychiatry

New Msc provides practical progress to psychiatricposts

PRE-REGISTRATION PROGRAMMES- DipHE Paramedic Practice - BSc (Hons) Children’s Nursing and Social Work- BSc (Hons) Learning Disabilities Nursing and Social Work- BSc (Hons) Midwifery- BSc (Hons) Nursing (Adult, Mental Health, Learning Disabilities, Children’s)- BSc (Hons) Operating Department Practice- BA (Hons) Social Work

UNDERGRADUATE PROGRAMMES- BSc (Hons) Child Health and Wellbeing- BA (Hons) Counselling and Psychotherapy- BSc (Hons) Family and Community Studies*- BA (Hons) Health and Social Wellbeing- BSc (Hons) Nutrition and Health- BSc (Hons) Psychosocial Analysis of Offending Behaviour

TOP-UP DEGREE PROGRAMMES- BSc (Hons) Complementary Therapies - BA (Hons) Counselling- BSc (Hons) Integrated Children and Young People’s Practice

FULL-TIME FOUNDATION DEGREES AT EDGE HILL UNIVERSITY OR IN PARTNERSHIP WITH FE COLLEGES- FdSc Complementary TherapiesPartners: St Helens College and Wirral Metropolitan College

- FdA CounsellingPartners: King George V College, Preston College; ShrewsburyCollege of Art and Technology (part- time)

PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT UNDERGRADUATE PROGRAMMES - DipHE Paramedic Studies- BSc (Hons) Behavioural Analysis and Intervention- BSc (Hons) Clinical and Professional Practice- BSc (Hons) Clinical and Professional Day Surgery Practice- BSc (Hons) Clinical and Professional Child and Younger Person - Palliative and End of Life Care Practice BSc (Hons) Clinical and Professional Mental Health Practice- BSc (Hons) Clinical and Professional Midwifery Practice - BSc (Hons) Clinical and Professional Paramedic Practice - BSc (Hons) Clinical and Professional Perioperative Practice - BSc (Hons) Leadership and Management in Organisations- BSc (Hons) Public and Community Health- BSc (Hons) International Nursing Studies- BSc (Hons) International Midwifery Studies

PAGE 11 | PULSE

Health and Social Care Portfolio

PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT POSTGRADUATE PROGRAMMES- PGC Mental Health Law and Ethics- PGC Teaching and Learning in Clinical Practice (provided by Faculty of Education)- PGC Work-based Postgraduate Medical Education (provided by Faculty of Education)- MSc Advanced Practice- MSc Advanced Practice (Mental Health)- MSc Advanced Fertility Practice- MA Clinical Education (provided by Faculty of Education)- MSc Cognitive Behavioural Psychotherapy- MSc Evidence Based Practice - MSc Integrated Children and Young People’s Practice- MSc International Midwifery Studies- MSc International Nursing Studies- MSc Leadership Development (Clinical Leadership/Leadership & Management)- MSc Learning Disabilities Studies- MA Practice Education - MSc Professional Clinical Practice- MSc Public Health and Wellbeing

- MCh Minimal Access Surgery*- MCh Paediatric Orthopaedics* - MCh Orthopaedics (Upper Limb Surgery)*- MCh Orthopaedics (Hand and Wrist Surgery)* - MCh Orthopaedics (Spine)*- MCh Orthopaedics (Hip and Knee)*- MCh Orthopaedics (Foot and Ankle)*- MCh Otorhinolaryngology- MCh Rhinology

- MCh Surgical Oncology*- MCh Trauma and Orthopaedics- MCh Minimal Access Surgery Studies*- MCh Paediatric Orthopaedic Studies*- MCh Orthopaedics (Upper Limb Surgery) Studies*- MCh Orthopaedics (Hand and Wrist Surgery) Studies*- MCh Orthopaedics (Spine) Studies*- MCh Orthopaedics (Hip and Knee) Studies*- MCh Orthopaedics (Foot and Ankle) Studies*- MCh Otorhinolaryngology Studies- MCh Rhinology Studies- MCh Surgical Oncology Studies*- MCh Trauma and Orthopaedics Studies

Partner: Wrightington, Wigan & Leigh NHS Foundation Trust

- MPhil/PhD Health Research and Evaluation- MRes Clinical & Health Research*

*Subject to validation

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Course Information TeamT: 01695 657000E: [email protected]

CPD EnquiriesT: 01695 657249E: [email protected]

edgehill.ac.uk/health


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A lifelong dedication to her profession saw Edge Hill’s Head ofMidwifery awarded an MBE in the 2013 Queen’s Birthday HonoursList.

Jane Morgan was recognised due to her outstanding service tomidwifery in the UK, midwifery services in Rwanda and for makinga real difference to women and their childbirth experiences. Despitethis, she says she still couldn’t believe it when she heard the news.

“I was overwhelmed to hear that I was being given and MBEbecause I feel as though I’ve just been doing my job,” she says. “I’mno good at shouting about my achievements, but it is obviouslylovely to be recognised for what you do, and it is a huge honour.”

Jane started her career in 1984 as a community midwife inLiverpool and, with 30 years under her belt, not only brings a wealthof experience and expertise to her role at Edge Hill, but also inRwanda where she was inspired to help improve the maternity caregiven to women after a trip there in 2001.

“My life changed after that visit. My local church is linked to a village

called Shyira and I went to visit their maternity hospital. I wascompletely unprepared for what I saw. There were five nurses, onlyone of whom was trained, and no midwives. There was no runningwater or electricity and it was filthy. The delivery room had a bighole in the window so everyone congregated outside and looked induring deliveries. The ward also was mixed, so mothers who hadjust given birth were with women who had miscarried or hadmalaria or TB. I was absolutely paralysed with shock.

“When I got home from Rwanda I was like a woman possessed.Through the church and local community we raised £24,000 tobuild a new hospital and it has made such a difference to the peopleof Shyira. At the time we didn’t realise just how successful it wasgoing to be – it’s becoming so popular, with 1,000 babies deliveredeach year.”

The work in Rwanda reflects Jane’s passion for empowerment andwomen-centred care, which is an ethos she brings to her work atEdge Hill: “I strive to ensure that our students receive a learningexperience that provides opportunities for them to become trulyautonomous midwives,” she adds.

MBE award for lifelong dedication to midwifery


Innovative new project should help see better care at home

A groundbreaking project has been launched at the faculty, which providestraining for families and parents of children with complex healthcare needs.

Better at Home is the only project of its kind in the UK and aims to helpparents and families provide clinical and nursing care at home. Practical,hands-on training is provided at the faculty’s simulation centre, which isthen complemented by a range of online tools and the support of aWellchild nurse, who has also been funded as part of the project.

“The project was developed in collaboration with the Wellchild nationalcharity for sick children and Alder Hey Children’s Hospital,” says JillGriffiths, Wellchild Parent Educator. “It gives parents of children withcomplex health needs the chance to take part in practical sessions at oursimulation centre, which has been built as a small flat with a bedroom,bathroom and living area. This allows them to take advantage of a hands-on approach in a safe environment so that they can gain experience andbuild up their confidence when it comes to the healthcare needs of theirchild.”

Apart from helping parents and families to develop the skills needed to lookafter their children, the project’s other main aim is to help discharge fromhospital occur sooner and prevent readmissions due to care packagebreakdown.

“Sometimes it’s just a case of being shown some basic skills and techniquesand allowing the confidence to flow from that, and that is what we’re tryingto achieve with this project,” adds Jill.

An open house day was held at the end of January, which allowedcommunity staff to visit the facilities and learn more about the project,while a conference and official launch is due to take place later in thesummer.

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California dreaming for nursing ambassador Gill

A Nursing student was given the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity totravel to California last autumn and speak about her positivetraining experiences and role as a Student Quality Ambassador(SQA).

Gill Neary, who is studying on the BSc (Hons) Nursing (Adult)programme, applied for the opportunity when she discovered thattwo places were up for grabs for SQAs to attend the RevolutionisingNursing Education: Using Inter-professional Teams andTechnology conference with SQA Project Lead, Ann Butler last July.

The conference examined the changing role higher education mustplay in successfully educating the healthcare professionals of thefuture. It also explored the dramatic changes the healthcare systemwill face over the next decade and how inter-professional practiceteams, as well as the reliance of health information tools, willbecome integral components of this transformation.

It was due to her commitment to the role of SQA that Gill felt shewanted to speak about her experiences at the conference: “I becamean SQA during my second year as I felt it would be good to becomea best practice ambassador and help to promote a culture of careand compassion among my fellow students across the region. I havethoroughly enjoyed the role and how it involves collaborating witha range of higher education institutions and service providers indeveloping quality measurement tools that embody the values ofthe 6 Cs: care, compassion, competence, communication, courageand commitment.

“The conference highlighted the use of patient simulation, whichalthough is a fairly new concept in the USA it is something that EdgeHill students have access to throughout their clinical training. I’vealways believed that we produce excellent, professional andcompetent nurses in the UK and was very proud to share mypositive experiences of our NHS and my excellent universityeducation with everyone.”


New training will help ODP graduates leave Edge Hill job ready

Edge Hill last year became one of the first universities in the UK toincorporate essential new training within its Operating DepartmentPractice (ODP) degree programme.

Responding to national guidelines, the faculty introduced an‘enhanced scrub’ module, which involves students spending severalweeks learning relevant theory, complete simulated training andundertaking research before putting it all into practice. As pre-registration students, undergraduates take part in minor andintermediate surgery, predominantly taught and mentored byconsultant surgeons and qualified surgical first assistants, as wellas surgical care practitioners. Senior theatre practitioners also assistand overview.

Jean Hinton, Programme Lead for Perioperative studies, says:“European Working Time Directives and changes to apprenticeship-style medical training mean that junior doctors are less likely to beable perform their traditional role of assisting in operating theatres.As a result, this has created new opportunities for operatingdepartment practitioners (ODPs), which could be met by our futuregraduates by incorporating the appropriate education and traininginto the final year of their degree.

“This new training is very practical and entails 100 hours of practice,ensuring students can undertake these professional roles oncompletion. It raises the status of the ODP and helps support thedevelopment and enhancement of the ODP profession, as well asstrengthen the ODP role within the perioperative team nationwide.On top of this, the advantage of this new training is that upongraduation our students will be job ready.”

A new partnership has been developed with a leading university inFinland, which is seeing staff and students from both institutions takepart in exchange programmes.

Funded by the British Council’s Erasmus programme, the newpartnership with Saimaa University has seen staff from Edge Hill visitFinland to teach paramedic students and spend time in clinicalpractice with the Finnish ambulance service, while Saimaa teachingstaff have visited the UK to do the same.

January 2014 also saw two student paramedics from Saimaa fly overto the UK to begin a 12-week stint at Edge Hill involving both theoryand practice and the chance to accumulate credits that can betransferred back to their own course of study.

“International partnerships such as this bring enormous benefits toall parties,” says Phil Crompton, Head of Paramedic Science and Pre-hospital Care. “These include enhancement of the student experience,staff development and knowledge transfer via experiencing examplesof best practice in teaching, assessment and simulation. They also leadto potential research opportunities and the development of theprofession as a whole.

“We are planning another visit to Finland in September 2014 withthree of our students and have been invited to a paramedic educationprovider in Hamburg, Germany in April with a view to scoping anErasmus agreement with them too. This contact came via our last visitto Saimaa, where the Hamburg paramedics were in attendance andjust shows where partnerships like this can lead,” he adds.

Finnish paramedic partnership isproving valuable for all parties

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Barbara Jack, Head of Research and Scholarship, and Director ofthe Evidence-based Practice Research Centre, has been madetrustee of Hospice Africa UK, thanks to her pioneering research tohelp the terminally ill in Africa.

Professor Jack has had a strong interest in the care of the dying andbeen involved in research around terminal illness for a long time,which led to her links with the hospice in the first place nearly adecade ago. Her research work in Africa has included developingclinical staff to conduct their own research in order to address theshortage of academic palliative care researchers on the continent.

Speaking of her pride at the appointment, Professor Jack says: “Iam delighted to be invited to become a trustee of Hospice Africa andto play an increased role in supporting the work the hospice isdoing. Having had first-hand experience of working with the teamin Uganda, seeing the challenges they face and what they canachieve will be invaluable to my role as trustee.

“The role is an extension of my long-held professional interests and,through my clinical background as a registered nurse, I have had alot of contact with terminally ill patients in a hospital setting,” sheadds. “Palliative care as a specialism was still in its infancy then, butI could see its value from my own experiences and it sparked aninterest in the development of end of life care. Everyone should havethe right to die with dignity and without pain, and it is this notionof a ‘good death’ that has influenced the direction of my research inthe UK and Africa.”

Ann Vassie, Chair of Hospice Africa UK, added: “We are delightedto have Professor Barbara Jack as a trustee of Hospice Africa UK.Barbara has always been a great source of support to us and weknow that she will add great value to our work as we endeavour tospread the practice of good palliative care across sub-SaharanAfrica. We welcome her on to our Board of Trustees and are excitedat the work we can do together to bring pain relief to all who sufferin Africa.”

Africa hospice trustee role for Barbara


Simulation and Patient Safety week

When you step onto an aircraft to go on holiday, you do so safe in theknowledge that the crew have undergone regular intensive simulationtraining. Imagine if patients entering our regions’ Hospitals could feel asconfident about their stay, as holiday makers do about their flight. Wellnow, they can.

In September 2013 The Centre for Simulation and Patient Safety NHSNorth West joined forces with Aintree Hospital NHS Trust and a numberof Higher Education Institutions including Clare Whitehead, SeniorLecturer in Adult Nursing from Edge Hill University, to develop a “FlightSimulator” for Nurses, Doctors, and Pharmacists. The exercise lasted forone week and included shifts to allow staff to develop a whole range ofskills. Edge Hill student Nurses were therefore at the forefront of the largest“in situ” healthcare simulation exercise the region has ever seen.

For one week Ward 61 at Aintree Hospital NHS Trust, became a simulatedward staffed by real health care teams representing the whole MultiDisciplinary Team. The only difference was the patients were a mixture ofrobotic simulators and volunteer ex patients. This allowed us to recreate avariety of clinical emergencies, allowing the participants to practice andrehearse in a safe environment. In addition we were able to recreate normalward life and carry out activities such as ward rounds, and handoverbetween shifts.

Highlights of the week included, a Medical Emergency Team call every dayinvolving the real team, allowing the students to experience real life medicalcrisis management. There were also a number of trips to Theatre andCritical care for some of the simulated patients. This allowed the studentsto practice the process of transfer and handover between departments.

In all, 150 staff took part and the feedback was excellent. It is hoped thatthese events will become a regular occurrence, which is great news forstudents and hospital staff and even better news for patients.

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Julie brings with her a wealth of experience having worked in a varietyof influential positions within both hospitals and universities. Fromqualifying as a state registered nurse in 1982 at the Royal LiverpoolHospital she went on to set up two primary care treatment centresbefore becoming Director and Manager for A&E, Cardiac and theIntensive Care Unit at Alder Hey Children’s Hospital in 1998.

Beginning her academic career at the University of Liverpool in 2000,she joins us from the University of Lincoln where she was the Directorof Nurse Education. Previously she worked at the University ofChester as Head of Department for the largest academic departmentin the Faculty; circa 1,400 students. During her time at Chester Juliealso completed a PHD in Educational Research at LancasterUniversity.

Julie is looking forward to working at Edge Hill University where herwelcome has been warm and friendly. She states that “settling intoworking life at Edge Hill has been one of the easiest things I have everdone”. Julie goes on to say that “everyone has said how wonderful theUniversity is to work in and all staff across the entire organisation goout of their way to make you feel extremely comfortable. Nothing istoo much trouble and I am excited about working with an amazingteam.”

She says “my job is very much a strategic role, which will incorporateliaising with the local health care providers, education commissionersand students themselves. But perhaps the most important part of myjob is to raise the profile or nursing education at Edge Hill Universitylocally, nationally and internationally. By maintaining an excellentstudent experience with high quality, high impact education we willbe creating the nurses of the future.”

New Director of Nurse Education

Edge Hill University’s Midwifery Department has successfullyachieved Baby Friendly Initiative University Accreditation fromUNICEF – the world’s leading organisation for children in over 190countries.

The Baby Friendly Initiative is a global programme from the WorldHealth Organisation and UNICEF. Baby Friendly awards are basedon a set of linked evidence-based standards for maternity, healthvisiting, neonatal and children’s centres services and are designed tosupport breastfeeding and parent infant relationships by working withpublic services to improve standards of care.

This full accreditation has taken five years to achieve, with each stageof the assessment externally verified by UNICEF UK. Award tablesare kept to let the public know how facilities are progressing. Havingsuccessfully completed each stage of the programme, Edge Hill is nowa fully UNICEF/BFI accredited University.

Edge Hill University trains high quality midwives to uphold the valuesand standards that have made UK midwives so well regarded acrossthe world. The University’s BSc (Hons) Pre-Registration Midwiferyprogramme is an approved Nursing and Midwifery Council educationprogramme and those who successfully complete the course will meetthe professional requirements for midwifery practice and be eligibleto join the register as a midwife.

Baby Friendly Initiative University Accreditation from UNICEF


The very real demands on healthcare and nursing in the modern day NHSrecognises that nursing is undertaken in increasingly varied and complexenvironments. This includes a growing need for flexibility and for multi-professional/multi-disciplinary working across traditional professionalboundaries. The development of new roles and an awareness of theincreasing complexity and application of new technology in the delivery ofcare are also paramount.

A favourable set of circumstances enhances and enables the provision ofinter-professional learning and working experiences for student nurses andstudent social workers. In the light of recent events and reports regardingthe safeguarding of children and adults in the UK, this is seen as a priority.Additionally, consideration of local service workforce needs and issues,such as forecasting future recruitment and retention, are key aspects thatshould be intrinsic to educational commissioning discussions as well as tothe provision and capacity of practice learning opportunities for allstudents. Critical to these debates are the development of strong trustingrelationships with Directors of Nursing, Workforce Development Managersand Service Users.

In order to prepare students for employment, undergraduate pre-registration nursing curricula needs to be designed to offer a graded andintegrated approach to career development throughout the three years,with a significant level of engagement with local and wider stakeholdercommunities. Our task at Edge Hill University is to work very closely withour partner organisations and commissioners throughout the North West,to ensure the education we provide serves the local health community, nowand in the future. Given the less than complementary media coverage inrecent times it will be important to raise the profile of nurse educationacross the county, and nationally, in order to reassure everyone that we willbe educating nurses to a very high standard so that they can join healthcareworkforces of the future.

The pre-registration BSc (Hons.) Nursing award of Edge Hill University isvery demanding but has the student experience at its very heart. It isdynamic and exciting, providing students with a wealth of experiences and

key transferable skills suited to the delivery of the complex health careservices of the future, any beyond. From its inception, this award hasfeatured a strong clinically orientated student focus at undergraduatedegree level that complements and helps meet the emerging needs of theprofession within the local health economy.

The programme ensures that it embraces diversity in order to developprofessionals who are able to provide the required services to the wholecommunity. It is without dispute that educational provision for nurses, nowand in the future, aims to prepare students for employment by developingpositive attributes and attitudes to work, enhancing and consolidatingpractice-based skills, building emotional intelligence and personalconfidence and defining individual professional responsibilities andboundaries.

The curriculum includes a focus on the central role of public andcommunity practice in improving health and life chances. Each constituentmodule within the programmes is vocational in nature and engages thelearner in terms of enhancing their practice while equipping them with thecapacity to critically reflect upon practice as part of their contribution toservice enhancement strategies.

The majority of the practice experiences offered to students reflect a broadbase of community, public health and acute care provision. The curriculumcombines a strong research element with practice focused modulesimproving the students’ knowledge and skills in both the ability toundertake research activity and individual understanding of how thisinforms the delivery of evidence-based practice in health and social careenvironments.

The creation and maintenance of meaningful partnerships between health,social and education service providers and educational institutions is keyto delivering effective education which in turn, is critical to the realisationof a future nursing workforce that is undeniably safe, competent andeffective. I believe our future nursing workforce is in very safe hands atEdge Hill University.

Dr Julie Williams on: Why education is the key to providing a competent and caring nursing workforce

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New initiative puts sustainable food at top of localagenda

The Faculty of Health and Social Care has helped to launch a newinitiative that aims to give people in the region plenty of food forthought when it comes to choosing local, sustainable produce.

Food Sustainability Lancashire was set up by Foodlink Northwest(Foodlink NW), an organisation that champions local food inCheshire, Cumbria, Lancashire, Liverpool and Manchester. The ideawas borne from a passionate desire to enrich lives in Lancashirethrough local food by linking local food and drink producers, shops,community projects, farmers, restaurants and local foodenthusiasts.

Due to the passion shown at Edge Hill about local food – as anexample, the university recently obtained the Food for LifePartnership Bronze medal for serving seasonal meals that are atleast 75 per cent freshly prepared by a well-trained cook – FoodlinkNW collaborated with the faculty to help launch the initiative.

A launch event, the organisation of which involved students on theBSc Nutrition and Health course, was held on campus and sawdelegates from public health organisations, food retailers andfarmers in attendance, as well as students from variousprogrammes.

“The purpose of the Food Sustainability event was to increaseawareness of food sustainability among health professionals in theregion,” says Kathleen Mooney, Senior Lecturer in Nutrition andHealth. “A working committee has now been established to takeFood Sustainability Lancashire forward, the aim of which is to putfood sustainability on the public health agenda.

“Food sustainability is inextricably linked to the field of nutrition,as it is important to determine if a healthy diet can also beenvironmentally sustainable. This is necessary to ensure that theUK population is provided with dietary advice that will achieve thedesired short- and long-term health outcomes. Consumerunderstanding of sustainable diets is often poor and a more effectivecombination of research and communication is needed to establishdietary recommendations that can fulfil both of these societal goals.Students studying nutrition need to know about how foodsustainability can impact upon dietary intake and therefore thenutrient intake of the UK population, and so our close involvementwith this initiative will ensure that Edge Hill students are wellplaced to do just that,” she adds.

To find out more about Foodlink NW, visit www.foodlinknw.org


New online diabetes tool should help get to the foot of the problem

Approximately three million people in the UK are diagnosed with diabetes,which costs the NHS over £600 million per year to treat diabetic patientswith foot ulcerations and amputations.

As a result, the work undertaken by the Merseyside Diabetes Network toeducate health care professionals about diabetes and foot problems has ledto a partnership with the faculty’s Enhanced Learning Department and thedevelopment of a bespoke online health tool for desktop and mobiledevices.

“Within the package, the health practitioner is presented with key evidence-based information for identifying and treating people with diabetes whomight be at risk of developing foot problems,” says Brian Smith, Head ofTechnology Enhanced Learning. “Imagery, audio-visual and narrativecomponents are sequenced to increase the depth of awareness on theimportance of diabetes foot care, while videos of foot examinationsdemonstrate how to detect potential risks. Challenging learning activitiesare also inserted into the package to provide a place for user reflection andstimulate further reading.”

The package is primarily aimed at health care professionals and the high-quality imagery contained within the tool can be used as apractitioner–patient teaching tool, to help illustrate the importance of earlyself-detection of foot problems. Another advantage is that, thanks to theonline nature of the package, practitioners can access it at any time.

The faculty has helped a leading local care trust to develop a new toolthat will help health care professionals develop their adult andchildren safeguarding skills.

A new online Safeguarding Level 2 training package has been createdby the Technology Enhanced Learning department in conjunctionwith Mersey Care NHS Trust, and will be used by staff at the trust tofocus on the safeguarding of both adults and children.

Learning Technology Development Officer, Alan Seatwo worked withMersey Care over five months to ensure all relevant information wascaptured to develop an interactive, user friendly training package. Theonline learning materials consist of key information and scenario-driven activities, which incorporate a range of multimedia and anassessment. After completing the online course and passing theassessment the learners then receive an online certificate.

“Learners can quickly and easily gain access to key information andguidance at any time to suit their busy schedules, which they can thenutilise within the care setting,” says Tracy Blackett, Faculty BusinessOperations Officer – TEL and Enterprise.

“We will continue to work with Mersey Care to identify newdevelopments and direct learners and other potential healthcareorganisations that may benefit towards this package. There are veryfew organisations that address safeguarding for children and adultswithin one package, and so this could prove to be a most usefulresource.”

New combined online safeguardingmodule for Mersey Care...and beyond

Faculty of Health and Social Care 2014 Events

International Day of the Midwife Celebrations 2nd May 2014Communication: the Key to Success – Autism Conference 20th June 2014WellChild Complex Care Conference 9th July 2014

Faculty of Health and Social Care Public Lecture Series 2014/15An annual series of evening guest lectures which are free of charge to attend and open to all, specifically to thoseinterested in health and social care, education, and social sciences.Dr Fred Pender: 30th Oct 2014 Life is a Minestrone Dr Maggie Atkinson (Children’s Commissioner): 27th Nov 2014 Reflection on the Children and Families ActAnnie Coppell 29th Jan 2015 NICE Setting the standards for health, public health and social careProfessor John Ashton CBE: 26th Feb 2015 Title TBCProfessor Richard Whittington 26th March 2015Toxic Hospitals: from institutional abuse to compassionate care, and beyond in Mental Health Services Dr Ravi Jayaram: 30th April 2015MMR and Autism: The anatomy of a public health disaster

Further details and dates will be published online over the summer at: edgehill.ac.uk/health/events

Open Events

University Open Days at the Ormskirk CampusSaturday 11 October 2014, 10am to 3pmSaturday 15 November 2014, 10am to 3pmSaturday 20 June 2014, 10am to 3pmAttend an open day to find about the undergraduate and postgraduate courses in health and social care thatEdge Hill offers. You can tour the impressive Ormskirk campus and the Faculty of Health and Social CareClinical Skills and Simulation Centre. Staff will also be on hand to advise about the application process,accommodation, understanding fees and finance and planning for your future career. Further details: Further details: edgehill.ac.uk/undergraduate/events

Paramedic Practice Open Event at the Manchester CampusFriday 10th October 2014Operating Department Practice Open Afternoons at the Manchester CampusThursday 20th November 2014, 2pm to 5.30pmAttend a Paramedic Practice or ODP open event at Armstrong House, our Manchester city centre campus, andyou will get the chance to chat to tutors and current students about the course and view the clinical skills centre.Further details: Further details: edgehill.ac.uk/health/odp

Pulse Issue 5

Documents

Transcript of Pulse Issue 5