So far in 2023…

By Maggi Bradley, Clinical Nurse Lead, Sefton Training Hub

Placements

We relish having people join us to gain experience and were delighted when Poppy reached out to gain some time in Primary Care before qualifying as a Registered Adult Nurse. We are thrilled to have her join us at Ainsdale Medical Centre, for what I’m sure will be a fantastic three weeks, working with team members across the Practice Team.

A big thanks goes to our wonderful GPN Steph O’Connor, for supporting our future nurses.

Learning Disability Student Nurse Placements

Our Protected Learning Time (PLT) event in November 2022, was a Supervisor and Assessor Annual Update. Edge Hill University Lecturers updated us on the latest NMC Standards and the PAD document. We also shared the project we’d been undertaking; engaging student nurses to come on Placement with us and helping us to do our Annual Learning Disability (LD) health checks.

With our project progressing, we were able to introduce 4 LD third year student nurses to Southport and Formby PCN. They have worked across four practices: St Marks, The Grange, Norwood Surgery and Chapel Lane in Formby.

Through working across multiple practices, they have gained a breadth of experience of Primary Care, as well as working semi independently to assist with our annual LD health checks.

First day at the Training Hub. We welcome from left to right, Michael Mcarthy, Kim Wareing, Megan Cushnaghan and Katie Cottam.

Many thanks to Nicky Hitchmough and her colleagues Rachel Jones and Catherine Briscow for their support at Norwood surgery.

 

Great to see Norwood and The Grange making the students feel like part of the team!

We have been able to run shared learning sessions every week at our Training Hub. Our students were joined by medical students, F1 and F2 doctors from Ainsdale Village Surgery. These sessions included case studies, presentations, informal discussions, and shared learning. This helped the students meet some of the proficiencies that they may have struggled to meet in practice.

Thursdays  joined education sessions. Many thanks to Dr Lindsay McClelland for bringing her F1 and F2 doctors who learned lots from our students.

We have had some really positive feedback from our students  and the Practice Managers involved. So much so that they have all agreed to take further students when they come out in May 2023.

Over the following weeks, we will be making a resource pack of their work that the practices can use and the next cohort of students can continue to develop.

If you would like to be involved in taking a student, please contact me. This doesn’t need to be a full-time commitment; we can share students across practices as we did in this case.

 

Our final day. Many thanks to our excellent LD students and Kim Wareing our newly qualified LD nurse working across Southport and Formby PCN.

Kim was able to support the students in practice throughout the placement. Thank you Kim!

From left to right, Katie Cottam, Rhys Hallett, Megan Cushagham, Kim Wareing and Michael Mcarthy at the back

 

Moving Forward

South Sefton will also see some Mental Health students out with them from April. Again, we will see four students across the PCN. Many thanks to the nurses from Concept House, Eastview Surgery, Bridge Rd  Glovers Lane and Ainsdale Village surgery, for making this possible. I will share pictures and evaluation on this project in the next blog!

CPD

The Wirral Training Hub is now coordinating CPD across Cheshire and Merseyside. Training can be accessed via the  CPD section on the Cheshire and Mersey Training Hub website.  Don’t forget we have all just over £300 per year to be spent on CPD. Make sure you all spend it!!!!!! Any queries with accessing courses or training, please contact me or Wirral Training Hub directly. They have all the information you need!

Finally…

We hope the information provided has demonstrated the rewarding experience that can come with welcoming a student nurse on placement.

While we appreciate that everyone is incredibly busy, it can be highly beneficial for both the student and the experienced nurse, to grow and develop new skills.

Remember – you too were a student once – please consider sharing your experience with someone who is just starting out on this wonderful career.

Click here to view a case study about the fantastic work carried out by one of our previous student nurses.

Please reach out to Maggi to find out more.

March 2023