Conference tackles issue of non medical prescribing

Over 90 delegates from healthcare from across the UK are attending a conference at The University of Northampton next week which explores issues around the practice of non medical prescribing, an area of nursing which has seen rapid development over the last decade.

From June 2006, appropriately educated and experienced nurses have been able to prescribe all licensed drugs and a range of controlled drugs from the British National Formulary following successful completion of the Nursing & Midwifery Council (NMC) approved Nurse Independent & Supplementary Prescribing (NISP) Course.

The NISP course offered by the School of Health at the University enjoys an established reputation for providing a quality programme for experienced nurse practitioners working in the Northamptonshire catchment area. Continuing Professional Development (CPD) is now very much high on the agenda in healthcare for continuing excellence in this area of practice.

The University will welcome some prestigious keynote speakers to Park Campus next Wednesday, 6 June, including Liz Plastow, Prescribing Lead from Nursing & Midwifery Council, Professor Molly Courtenay, RCN Joint Prescribing Adviser and Professor Matt Griffiths, Visiting Professor for The School of Health, RCN Prescribing Adviser. The conference will be jointly opened by Dr Sue Allen, Dean, School of Health and Louise Proctor, Managing Director of the Northamptonshire Primary Care Trust, as a partnership initiative.

Geoff White, Senior Lecturer and Course Leader, Teaching for Non- Medical Prescribing, School of Health, The University of Northampton, commented:

“Our NISP course is extremely challenging. On completion of this course nurses are qualified to prescribe medicines within their professional scope of practice to complement the care they deliver. The initial evidence suggests that nurses who successfully complete this course demonstrate improved nursing outcomes for the patients they serve, whilst gaining additional knowledge, skills and competencies as part of their personal and professional development.

“Non medical prescribing is very topical and we are pleased to host this conference in partnership with NTPCT aiming to support future continuing professional development here at The University of Northampton”.

Training for the NHS workforce

The Department of Health and the Department for Education and Skills today
announced arrangements for the management of NHS training budgets by Strategic
Health Authorities in England in 2007/8. Funding of £4.3 billion has been
allocated for the training and development of the NHS workforce. This
represents an increase of 3.6% over 2006/7 (excluding student grants).

A new service level agreement has been put in place between the Department of
Health and the SHAs, setting out the priorities for investment of training
funding. SHAs and Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) will be expected to
work in partnership to ensure investment is effectively planned and based
on long term workforce need.

Health Minister Lord Hunt said:

"This agreement represents a significant commitment to the training of our
next generation of healthcare professionals. It is important that the NHS
has the freedom to manage training so that workforce development reflects the
healthcare needs of the local population. However we expect this agreement to
put training plans on a much firmer footing so that the investment we have
made will enable Strategic Health Authorities and their local universities
to work together to produce a well-trained NHS workforce that can deliver
improved patient care.

"We now have an agreement which links funding of training much more
closely to workforce planning needs and gives greater long term security to
universities. We expect future changes in training commissions to be based
on an assessment of services required by patients and that SHAs will work
in partnership with their local universities to achieve this.

Bill Rammell, Minister for Further and Higher Education said:

"This agreement underlines the importance of close partnership working between
the NHS and HEIs. We know that some HEIs may still be feeling the effects of
the savings which had to be made last year. We will expect SHAs to consider
the impact of their decisions on the financial viability of HEIs, and to
work towards implementing the agreed benchmark prices for their contracts
with HEIs. In the longer term the service level agreement will lead to a
more stable funding position for HEIs.

"I believe we now have an agreement where SHAs and Higher Education
Institutions can work together to plan and provide high quality healthcare
education for the NHS of the future.

Careers Openings In Nursing And Midwifery

The wide variety of career opportunities in nursing and midwifery will
be the focus of an Open Day to be held in the Clinical Skill Centre,
Ninewells Hospital this Saturday (May 19th).

Those attending the event, hosted by the University of Dundee, School
of Nursing and Midwifery, will have a unique opportunity to get 'hands
on' experience using some of the specialised equipment utilised in the
nursing and midwifery education programmes on offer at the University.

Experienced lecturers and clinical staff will be available to give
advice on the various academic and career pathways open to those with an
interest in nursing or midwifery.

"The career opportunities for nurses and midwives are greater now than
ever before," said Heather Marr, Acting Dean of the School of Nursing
and Midwifery.

"Nursing is a very attractive option for people of all ages and appeals
to many seeking a change of career."

The School of Nursing and Midwifery has campuses in both Dundee and
Kirkcaldy and offers a wide variety of flexible programmes to assist
students in achieving their goal.

The Open Day takes place in the Clinical Skills Centre at Ninewells
Hospital on Saturday 19th May 2007 from 11 am to 3 pm. It is open to
anyone keen to find out about careers in nursing and midwifery.

Licensed Practical Nurses
Registered Nurses
Nursing Aides and Psychiatric Aides

FW: Muslim Community Pitches in for Matthew Hay Project

The local Muslim community is giving its support to an appeal to help make the new medical education and training centre being developed at Foresterhill the finest of its kind in the UK. A donation of £6,000 is being made to the Matthew Hay Project to equip the changing area for the team of 'pretend patients', who are a vital part of the training of the next generation of doctors and other health professionals. Simulated patients are volunteers from the community who role-play a variety of symptoms and conditions, as an important part of presenting the learner with a range of scenarios that they could encounter on a daily basis. Video is used to record the mock consultation for discussion and learning, and as part of professional exams. Trainers are looking not only for excellent practical and communication skills on the part of the health worker, but also that the patient understands the diagnosis and options for treatment, and is being involved as a partner in his or her own care. The current facilities in the Westburn Centre are far from ideal, and the donation will help create a comfortable, private changing area for entering 'patient mode', adjacent to a purpose-designed simulated ward. The new £16.5m building will provide state-of-the-art education and training for medical students, doctors, nurses, physiotherapists and a range of clinical staff, learning and practicing together as one team. The quality of the facility, its technology and teaching - plus the close proximity to real clinical areas - is expected to make this development the finest of its kind in the UK. Dr Abdul Sheikh, Consultant Anaesthetist with NHS Grampian, said: "Aberdeen has a substantial Muslim community, many of whom work in oil and health services. Islam encourages all Muslims to be charitable and help those in need, and there is a strong tradition of charitable giving by the Muslim community in Aberdeen. However this is the first local fundraising we have undertaken, and we hope that a proportion of all our activities will in future be for the benefit of the local community. "A second generation of Muslims born and raised in Aberdeen have been educated at the University of Aberdeen, and both the University and NHS Grampian are very supportive in providing facilities for us to practise our religion. We hope that this relationship will continue to grow and by helping with fundraising for this unique project not only Muslim but all students will benefit from the excellent teaching facilities this project will provide. We as Muslims are proud to help with this undertaking." Dr Rona Patey, Director of the Clinical Skills Centre at Foresterhill and Consultant Anaesthetist with NHS Grampian, said: "We are delighted to receive this support from our Muslim friends and colleagues, for what is a very important feature of this project. Our wonderful team of simulated patients add tremendous value to the learning experience, especially in practising communications skills which are a vital part of healthcare in our increasingly diverse community. We are always keen to hear from people who would be interested in joining this friendly group, which we hope will come to reflect the wonderful cultural mix of our North-east community." Anyone interested in finding out more about being a simulated patient should contact Dr Fiona Stewart on 01224 551166, email f.stewart@abdn.ac.uk or write to Dr Fiona Stewart, Clinical Skills Centre, Westburn Centre, Foresterhill, Aberdeen AB23 2XG Related Links University of Aberdeen Student News University News College News