Healthcare Science Noticeboard Summer 2010

Healthcare Science
Notice Board
Summer 2010 <1>
Welcome to the first edition of HCS Notice Board,
NHS Education for Scotland’s bulletin about Healthcare Science.
Contact Us:
Dr Robert Farley
NES Programme Director
Thistle House
Edinburgh
robert.farley@nes.scot.nhs.uk
Dr Amanda McKie
Research and Development
Officer
One Clifton Place
Glasgow
amanda.mckie@nes.scot.nhs.uk
Ali Hay
Administrator
Thistle House
Edinburgh
ali.hay@nes.scot.nhs.uk
Helen Sutton
Management Accountant
helen.sutton@nes.scot.nhs.uk
The aim of the publication is to
provide an up to date summary of
initiatives underway across NHS
Scotland to develop its HCS workforce.
We circulate HCS Notice Board
to healthcare science colleagues
working in NHS Scotland and other
stakeholders / partners who share a
common interest in ensuring that the
education and training of healthcare
science staff meet the needs of
patients and other users of healthcare
science services. HCS Notice Board
complements the NES Healthcare
science website,
http://www.nes.scot.nhs.uk/hcs
NHS Education for Scotland’s
healthcare science workstream
was established in 2008 with initial
support from the Scottish Government
Chief Health Professions Officer,
following publication of the 2007 Safe,
Accurate and Effective Action Plan for
Healthcare Science. NES Healthcare
Science provides an education and
training focus for nearly 5,500 HCS
staff working across some 50 subspecialties NHS Scotland. The NES
HCS programme has interests in the
three divisional strands of Healthcare
Science: life sciences, physiology and
physical science. Our website gives
more about the detail of the specialties
- they range from Andrology, Audiology,
Biochemistry and Clinical Engineering
to Radiotherapy Physics, Sleep
Physiology and Virology.
The NES Healthcare Science team is:
Dr Robert Farley, Programme Director
for Healthcare Science, Dr Amanda
McKie, Research and Development
Officer for Healthcare Science, Ali
Hay, Healthcare Science Administrator
and Helen Sutton, Management
Accountant.
In this edition of HCS Notice Board
you can learn more about:
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NES HCS Advisory Group
NES-supported Healthcare
Science Educational Development
Leads and Clinical Technologist
training co-ordinator;
NES HCS train the trainer and
assessor days;
NES funded Clinical Scientist
training scheme;
new NES support for Clinical
Physiology Trainees;
NES initiatives to develop
post-registration Biomedical
Scientist and Clinical Physiology
practitioners.
Leadership Development for HCS
There is also a feature on Modernising
Scientific Careers, the UK-level
initiative that addresses training and
career pathways for the groups that
make up the healthcare science
workforce.
We hope that you find this first edition
of HCS Notice Board informative, and
we welcome your comments on it;
please send these to our administrator
Ali.Hay@nes.scot.nhs.uk
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The NES HCS Advisory
Group
A healthcare science advisory group for NES has
been formed under the chairmanship of Professor
Phil Dyer, Consultant Clinical Scientist, Director
of SNBTS Histocompatibility & Immunogenetics
Services. Professor Dyer is based at the Royal
Infirmary of Edinburgh. The Advisory Group’s remit
is to provide NES with an important link with the
healthcare science community, and to provide a
sense-check on initiatives. Each of the three HCS
divisional strands is represented with members
from both service and education providers,
Workforce Planning, Scottish Government, the
Scottish Forum for Healthcare Science and the
NES Medical Directorate are also represented.
The group expects to meet twice annually.
Proceedings and membership can be downloaded
from the NES website http://www.nes.scot.nhs.uk/
hcs/advisory_group
West Region Training
co-ordinator for
Clinical Technologists
Clinical Technologists support NHS medical
equipment services, diagnostic imaging and
treatments. The training for this group involves
completing a work-based portfolio approved by
the professional body. In West Region, NES is
supporting a clinical technologist training coordinator post for two years to ensure consistency
of approach in education and training across the
various subspecialties of clinical technology. The
training co-ordinator for clinical technology is Paul
Britten, Paul can be contacted at:
paul.britten@nhs.net
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Healthcare Science
Educational Development
Leads (HCS EDLs)
In partnership with the Chief Health Professions
Officer of Scottish Government, NES is supporting
six sub-regional Healthcare Science Education
Development Leads. These appointments
will be for a fixed term in the first instance, as
secondments within the host NHS Boards. NES
will support the development of individual post
holders and foster their network.
Each HCS EDL post covers two NHS Boards:
the pairs are Glasgow–Golden Jubilee; TaysideFife; Lothian-Borders; Lanarkshire-Forth Valley;
Dumfries & Galloway-Ayrshire & Arran; GrampianHighland; SNBTS will covered by the HCS EDL in
each locality. Arrangements will be developed to
ensure coverage for the Island boards.
The purpose of the appointments is to identify all
current HCS training activity within an area, to
promote and share best practice in terms of training
support, contribute to workforce planning and to
develop HCS within the context of the strategic policy
vision for NHS Scotland's healthcare science. Key
roles for the new HCS EDLs will be to build links with
local workforce planners and existing training leads,
and to support local HCS committees. The posts
are analogous to AHP / nursing practice educator
roles, but individually covering a larger area for the
healthcare science groups.
The secondments are 0.7 whole-time-equivalent
with the post holder retaining a reduced role in
service for the duration of the pilot. HCS EDLs will
be employed by a host board and based in either the
host or partner board's area. Recruitment to these
posts is now underway. The following posts are now
filled: Glasgow/Golden Jubilee, Lanarkshire/Forth
Valley and Dumfries & Galloway/Ayrshire and Arran.
Further details are available from:
http://www.nes.scot.nhs.uk/hcs/regional_
development
Do you work in
Healthcare Science?
Are you interested in
supporting learning,
training and assessment
in the workplace?
NES is offering all HCS staff the opportunity to
participate in Healthcare Science (HCS) common
core train the trainer and assessor days, which
commenced in June 2010.
The aim of the NES HCS train the trainer and
assessor day is to raise participants’ awareness of
key areas and principles appropriate to learning,
training and assessment; to use as a foundation
for developing training and assessment practice in
Healthcare Science within the NHS.
Intended learning outcomes:
By the end of the day you should be able to:
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Identify the qualities of an effective trainer and
assessor
List the principles of creating a conducive
learning environment
Identify your own learning style
Apply methods of effective communication with
trainees and colleagues
State key areas for consideration when
planning training
Write an aim and learning outcomes for a
learning / training encounter
List the purposes, types and principles of
assessment
List the principles of, and practice giving,
constructive feedback
Differentiate between formative and summative
evaluation
This day is open to any member of staff working in
Healthcare Science within NHS Scotland
If you are interested in attending this day you can:
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Email: ali.hay@nes.scot.nhs.uk
Telephone: 0131 313 8006
or write to: Ali Hay, NHS Education for
Scotland, 4th floor, Thistle House, 91
Haymarket Terrace, EDINBURGH, EH12 5HD
We look forward to hearing from you.
NES Funded Clinical
Scientist Training
Scheme
The first of two rounds of recruitment for the 2010
non-medical Clinical Scientist supernumerary preregistration trainees was completed in February.
These posts, funded by NES, are operated by
partner NHS Boards, for example NHS Tayside
administers Clinical Scientist training scheme in
biochemistry, and NHS Grampian the scheme for
Medical Physics and Bioengineering. There are
also established national schemes for Microbiology
and Genetics. NES currently funds approximately
70 clinical scientists over the four-year cycle.
NES has introduced Clinical Scientist training
schemes in haematology, in histo-compatibility
& immunogenetics, in immunology and in cell
sciences - Molecular Pathology. NES has also
unified the recruitment advertisement for the
various schemes to give an improved identity to
this NHS Scotland training programme. Details:
http://www.nes.scot.nhs.uk/hcs/staff/Clinical_
Scientists/
NES has established two mechanisms to support
clinical scientists undertake higher specialist
training (HST). For example, certain senior clinical
science staff are eligible to sit exams leading
to Fellow of the Royal College of Pathologists,
and HST is intended to facilitate this. In the life
sciences, supernumerary support is being given,
on a pilot basis, to HST staff from microbiology and
biochemistry. For all clinical scientists there is also
a ‘Training Sabbatical’ route. Details: http://www.
nes.scot.nhs.uk/hcs/staff/Clinical_Scientists/hst
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NES support for
pre-registration
Clinical Physiology
Trainees
In 2009, NES began co-funding with NHS Boards
a cohort of 24 clinical physiology trainees across
Scotland, some of who are enrolled on a new
work-based Clinical Physiology programme at
Glasgow Caledonian University. In 2010 NES
offered some support to NHS trainees; bids closed
at the end of June and 12 trainees have been
supported.
Support for postregistration Biomedical
Science and Clinical
Physiology practitioners
In 2010, NES established a pilot fund to NHS
Boards to assist the above NHS Scotland
practitioner-level staff undertake post-registration
training. This may be for M-level academic awards
or to obtain further qualifications in a related
branch of clinical physiology to improve individual
and service flexibility. Bids closed at the end of
July with 42 requests for support.
Modernising Scientific
Careers (MSC)
In February 2010 the four UK health departments
published a ‘UK Way Forward’ document that maps
out a framework for education, training and career
pathways for the healthcare science workforce.
Detail: http://www.nes.scot.nhs.uk/hcs/MSC/
The MSC framework seeks to unify the approach
to training and classification of healthcare science
staff, including proposals to rebalance the point at
which statutory regulation occurs. The framework
comprises HCS assistants and support staff,
Healthcare Science Practitioners (graduate level),
Healthcare Scientists (post-graduate level), and
Higher Specialist Healthcare Scientists.
NES is participating in UK discussions on the
proposals, outlined in the MSC framework
document. A key strand relates to a proposed
Healthcare Science Education and Training
Board that would unify the completion of training
certification prior to HPC registration.
NES, the Scottish Government Chief Health
Professions Officer and the Scottish Forum for
Healthcare Science arranged a stakeholder
engagement on 15th April 2010 on the implications
in Scotland for MSC. Colleagues in Scotland have
a particular interest in the fit between existing
training programmes in Scotland and MSC.
Invitees included colleagues from the other 3 UK
Health administrations and the Health Professions
Council. NES has collated the findings from
this event, a summary is available and can be
accessed via the HCS website.
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Further stakeholder / partner engagements are
envisaged.
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Leadership for HCS
NES Healthcare Science is exploring the possibility
of a systematic approach to leadership development
of early career HCS staff. It is expected to offer a
two year - four phase programme from 2011. The
programme is similar to an approach underway
for medical trainees. For established staff NES
is developing 'peer-review' days in conjunction
with colleagues from other NHS boards. Further
information is available from the NES HCS website.
© NHS Education for Scotland 2010. You can copy or reproduce the information in this document for use within NHSScotland
and for non-commercial educational purposes. Use of this document for commercial purposes is permitted. only with the
written permission of NES.