Sent on behalf of Katrina Mason, Associate Director of Nursing at HHFT

Good Afternoon

HHFT Student Appreciation Day 8th May 2024

We are excited to share an event taking place at HHFT on the 8^th May 2024 - we have organised a Student Nurse, Student Midwife & AHP Student Appreciation Day in recognition of the journey they are taking to become registered professionals.

On the day of the event we plan to visit clinical areas on all three sites to meet up with as many students as possible. We will have some trolley dashes, goodie bags for students, social media videos and posts, and quizzes, all happening across HHFT.

Ahead of this day, we will be asking our clinical area leads to nominate a student for a Student Appreciation Award, the winner will be chosen by our Chief Nurse. There are various categories that the clinical leads can nominate students for. Awards will be given out on this day.

Please can we ask you to share with your colleagues as you feel appropriate.

Kind regards,

Calling all pre-registration Nursing, Midwifery, AHP, and Healthcare Science students

Do you have practice placements within Hampshire & Isle of Wight?

We are recruiting pre-registration students and apprentices to join the Hampshire and Isle of Wight Integrated Care System (HIoW ICS) student council.

Applications are welcome between 15^th March, 2024 and 5pm on the 8^th April, 2024

To understand the role in more detail please read the full student council role description which is attached to this email.

Main duties of a council member

Student council members play an important role in ensuring that the student body is considered as an integral part of the workforce within Hampshire and the Isle of Wight (HIoW). Hearing directly from current pre-registration healthcare students and apprentices about what it is like to train within the HIoW Integrated Care System (ICS) and enabling the sharing of best practice and suggestions for improvement will contribute not only to ongoing work to improve attrition rates but will foster a sense of belonging for learners wider than their Higher Education Institute (HEI).

You will work alongside students and apprentices from other professions, staff from the Hampshire and Isle of Wight Integrated Care Board, HEIs and care provider organisations within the ICS. You may also have the opportunity to contribute to regional projects and meetings.

Please be aware that unless you have agreement from your HEI that you can claim some practice placement hours towards council activities, the expectation is that the role is to be carried out in your own time.

To apply click here: https://forms.office.com/e/mPDz7PXasf

For further information please contact katie.webb@hhft.nhs.uk or hiowstudentcouncil@gmail.com

Best wishes,

Katie

Dear all

Hope you are well and almost ready for the Easter break.  We are keen to remind you again about phone use while in practice placements and your responsibilities as a student health care professional.

Although you are not yet registered with your regulatory body,  the standards of professionalism are the same as those who are registered
The University has its own Fitness to Practice process which can have consequences for programme progression.

For student nurses and midwives, the NMC has a guide which states:
Nurses, midwives and nursing associates may put their registration at risk, and students may jeopardise their ability to join our register, if they act in any way that is unprofessional or unlawful on social media including (but not limited to): 

• sharing confidential information inappropriately
• posting pictures of patients and people receiving care without their consent
• posting inappropriate comments about patients
• bullying, intimidating or exploiting people
• building or pursuing relationships with patients or service users
• stealing personal information

The HCPC have similar standards and some case studies to read on their website

Phone use in clinical placement must be restricted only to looking up guidelines or approved apps such as the eBNF.

The above guidance also includes not taking photos of clinical procedures, equipment or clinical surroundings.

Please let me know if you have any queries about this and I hope you are looking forward to your placements when you are back in practice.
Kind regards, Lesley

Dear all,  please find attached an invite to a student forum meeting for all learners at UHS.  Please consider joining online to share your experiences with their education staff.  They would love to hear from you. Kind regards, Lesley

Link to poster

Dear all

As part of our continual efforts to improve the service to students and placement providers, we have an exciting update for you all in relation to ePAD.

Following a meeting with iSolutions, a new email address (epad@soton.ac.uk) has gone LIVE. This email should be used going forward by all parties (students, internal staff, placement providers) in the use of ePAD and any technical issues that you may experience.

Any emails to this address will be initially triaged by the Placements Team. If it is a technical/login issue, then these will be redirected to Serviceline to resolve. If it is another query more directly related to placements, then this will be actioned by the Health Sciences Placements Team (fels-healthplacements@soton.ac.uk). Placements Team and iSolutions are currently working together very closely on this to ensure a smooth transition.  

MyKnowledgeMap (MKM – ePAD supplier) have been asked to update any correspondence/contact emails that come from ePAD with this new email address.

Any queries regarding this development, please do not hesitate to contact us via epad@soton.ac.uk

Dear all,  please consider this exciting opportunity available to all pre-registration students.

We have a Schwartz Round planned for Wednesday 28th Feb. The theme is ‘An experience I will never forget’. The theme is intentionally ambiguous allowing for different types of story (positive/negative/challenging etc.) that capture the range of different emotions that we can experience working as a healthcare professional . 

Timings are 12.30pm for sandwiches, with the Round from 1-2pm in Portacabin A, behind building 67

We are keen to encourage students to sign up as attendees.
Information about the purpose, structure and benefits of Schwartz Rounds and how to sign up in the Schwartz Round folder of the general Nursing and Midwifery BlackBoard sites

 We also need two more story-tellers. If you are interested in this then please email  schwartz@soton.ac.uk 

 Being a story-teller

Story-telling is at the heart of a Schwartz Round. Each Round begins with three story-tellers each taking 5-minutes to tell their story (uninterupted) on a pre-arranged theme. This could be anything from 'A patient I'll never forget' to 'In at the deep end'. The audience are then invited to share their reflections on the stories they've heard and perhaps share something about their own experiences. The Rounds are shaped and contained by two members of the Schwartz Round facilitation team (Megan Bonner-Janes, Emer Kelly, Jo Kileff, Sharon Plowright, Rob Shannon). This ensures that the environmnet is both safe and supportive and that the intended benefits of the Round are achieved (processing challenging experiences, feeling supported by others, recognising you're not alone etc.) 

To reassure you, the Rounds are not about criticising, blaming, judging or problem solving. Rather they are an opportunity for all (story-tellers and the audience alike) to refect on the inevitable challenges of working in healthcare and delivering compssionate care.

Prior to the Round, any student who is interested in becoming a story-teller is encouraged to get in contact with the Schwartz Round Team by email (schwartz@soton.ac.uk). One of the team can then arrange to talk in person about being a story-teller at one of the Rounds (confidentially and without any pressure to take on the role). 

Story tellers receive fantastic support before, during and after the Round. This is to ensure they are fully briefed, that they feel confident going into the Round and to maximise the benefit that can be realised from sharing these type of stories.

Need more convincing? Watch this short video that captures the experiences of some of our students from our first Round. Mary and Charlie feature in it and were two of the story tellers (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wMRzrFmZwBg  Note the video was filmed on an iPhone and edited by me so it’s not a Spielberg production - though the students are great and are a credit to the School :-) 

Dear Students

Hope you are all well?  We know that finalist students will be considering applying for jobs and are keen to know about recruitment locally.  Some students had been worried by emails sent to UHS staff about a pause in recruitment but I am writing to reassure you that jobs will certainly be available there.  The Trust have asked me to pass on this important message.

I am writing to reassure you and your students, that UHS will be recruiting Newly Qualified Nurses and Midwives in 2024 (as well as other professional groups) and that there is currently a dedicated advert on NHS Jobs for students to apply through.

We have however, needed to consider our management and timing of the recruitment process and to this end we currently have a closing date of the 31^st March 2024.

Rosemary Chable, Head of Nursing for Education, Practice and Staffing

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Please can I also remind you about an Open day coming up and hope you will consider attending

UHS Virtual Career Event – 20^th February 2024

We're delighted to invite your nursing students to our exclusive New Qualified Nurse (NQN) Career Event! This virtual event, held on February 20th 2024, from 9am to 1pm, is designed to help soon-to-be and newly qualified nurses kickstart their careers in a vibrant healthcare setting.

Why attend?

• Gain valuable insights: Hear from leading industry speakers about current trends, specialisations, and career paths in nursing.
• Discover opportunities at UHS: Explore our diverse range of roles within a supportive and dynamic teaching trust.
• Get expert advice: Ask questions, build connections, and learn from dedicated recruitment specialists like myself.
• Enjoy virtual convenience: Join from the comfort of your own home or university – no travel required!

Open to all your students:

Whether graduating this year, next year, or simply curious about a future in nursing, we warmly welcome all your nursing students!

Registration is free and easy:

Simply share this link with your students: https://uhscareers.vfairs.com/

Here is the direct link for the registration: https://uhscareers.vfairs.com/en/registration

Good afternoon,  Hope you are all well?  You may have seen this poster if you are working at UHS or other Trusts 
Measles Poster.pdf
 

We wanted to reassure you that there is a process in place for students and this information has come from the Occupational Health Department today.

Most students will be vaccinated during childhood so it should only be a small number who are not vaccinated on starting the course.

When students first join, they are all seen in Occupational Health for a vaccine review and there we strongly advise those who do not have evidence to commence a course of the MMR and attend their second appointment.  They will likely be fully vaccinated by the time they attend placement.  If students decline the vaccine, we will check their serology to see if they already have immunity.

Occupational Health clearance forms are now provided to each student indicating what they are immune to and ask that a risk assessment is done for each placement to ensure that the correct controls are in place during their time with the team.

The local team will do a risk assessment to ensure that the students and the patients are not put at risk unnecessarily. We hope that this would prompt conversations with the students and that they could be encouraged to make or attend appointments to obtain the outstanding vaccines. 

If it is felt that a students immunity status is not appropriate for the patient group they are allocated to, despite the controls indicated by the risk assessment, we may consider reallocating them to an alternative area.

When we see students and they have outstanding vaccines, we always book them follow up appointments to ensure that they are not missed, if they miss these appointments, we notify the University to follow this up.  

Hope this information helps you.  The main message is to please keep any occupational health appointments to ensure you are fully vaccinated.  If you have any queries the occupational health team can be contacted on occupationalhealth@uhs.nhs.uk

Thank you for helping us to keep you and your patients safe.

Kind regards, Lesley

MASK WEARING IS REQUIRED IN ALL CLINICAL AREAS OF THIS HOSPITAL

In response to the rising numbers of patients with infections including flu, COVID-19 and norovirus, UHS have reintroduced masks in all clinical areas of their hospitals. This includes outpatient and waiting areas.

Southampton Children's Hospital and maternity service areas are exempt.

Masks will be made available at entrances to the hospital, as well as wards and clinical areas.
If you are exempt from wearing a mask, please observe other infection prevention measures like keeping your distance wherever possible and adopting good hand hygiene.

Dear Students

Hope you are all well and enjoying your academic and practice experiences.  Just to remind you that we have a team of staff who are involved in planning your placements, supporting you while you are there, and liaising closely with our practice partners to ensure you have the best experience possible.  

We would like to hear more about your experiences and there are mechanisms to do this, such as tutor group contact, end of placement evaluations and the NETs survey.  If you have any concerns about your placement environment or your learning/assessment we urge you to raise these at the time so we can offer support and guidance.

I am delighted to let you know that we have 4 new videos under the 'Raising a concern in practice (videos)' tab on this Blackboard site.  Please watch them as soon as possible as they are vital for your programmes.  Please use this established process, as it is the best way of making a positive change if you notice something that worries you.

These videos outline the process and provide reassurance from ourselves, our practice partners and other students that this process is thorough and it has been co-designed with students. You can highlight where improvements would help without the fear of negative consequences.  There is an accompanying written document and your PATs will be familiar with this.  

We welcome your feedback so we can work together to improve your experience and your suggestions provide valuable insight for our partners.  We use your feedback in our quality monitoring processes and this can help to attract additional resources to placement areas as part of quality improvement.

On another note, please make the most of your valuable learning opportunities on placement, and recognise the enormous contribution you are making every day to the lives of people in our community.  We are very proud of you and love hearing all about your achievements and reading about your progress.

Have you had a placement in social care - either in a nursing, residential or care home or with a domicillary care organisation?

If you enjoyed your placement and would like an opportunity to share your learning at a special event to celebrate the growth and value of placements for learners in social care, we would love to hear from you. We are looking for a small group of students who would be interested in attending the event and talking about their experiences. If you are unable to attend, but would like to be included, please contact me or send me a short 'quote' so we can tell your story for you.

By attending the event you will have the opportunity to hear Deborah Sturdy, Chief Nurse for social care in the UK speak, and meet staff from different organisations in the region including HCC, NHS Trusts, Skills for Care, private providers and Universitities.

If you are interested, and would like to hear more, please contact me, Helen Bryon, h.bryon@soton.ac.uk by Friday 9th February. 

Many thanks and I look forward to hearing from you.

Helen, UPC for Primary Care, Community and PVI.

Hello All

There is a routine update due for the whole of ePAD on Thursday 18th January 2024-  08:00hrs to 12:00hrs. Please DO NOT use ePAD during this time as anything completed at that time wll not save. 

Please contact Amanda Smith if you have any questions regarding this update -    A.L.Smith@soton.ac.uk

Kind regards,

Amnada Smith

National Education and Training Survey 2023

The National Education and Training Survey (NETS) is the voice of the healthcare workforce.  The results drive forward improvements in the clinical learning environment

The survey takes just 10 minutes to complete and your feedback is vital in ensuring that all learning environments are safe, inclusive and support healthcare professionals to work together to deliver the highest standards of care.  

The link to complete the survey is here: 

Introduction : National Education and Training Survey 2023 (hee.nhs.uk)

The survey closes at the end of this week and we have had the following responses from our university students so far
Midwifery 40, Nursing 37, AHP 9

Please spend a few moments completing this important survey so your voice and views are heard.

Dear all

Please find below a video we have created on how to raise concerns during a practice placement.  It accompanies written guidance on this which you can find on this Blackbaord site.  Please can you familiarise yourself with this process even if you dont need to use it and are enjoying your placements.

We aim to support you in raising any worries that you have at the time.  I hope you find this video helpful and enable you to discuss it with your PAT who will be your first contact at the University.  Kind regards, Lesley

Raising concerns related to student supervision guidelines.mp4

Please consider completing this survey on your placement experiences 

https://poll.hee.nhs.uk/s/nets23/

The more responses we get, the better the data we receive, the more we can help improve the placement experience for current and future learners.

The NETS is open to responses from all undergraduate and postgraduate students and trainees undertaking a practice placement  in healthcare, as part of their education or training programme.

The survey takes 10 minutes to complete and will be open for 8 weeks until Tuesday 28 November.

The NETS is quick and simple to complete online, it includes

A core questionnaire covering Induction, Clinical Supervision, Facilities, Learning Opportunities and Teamwork to understand your experience of education and training in the clinical learning environment.

Health and wellbeing and equality, diversity and inclusion questions to ensure you are training and learning in a safe and inclusive environment.

A small series of questions specific to your profession.

The ability to provide feedback on what you think is working well and what could be improved.  

Many thanks in advance
Your practice team and tutors

Dear students,

We are writing to confirm new policies for the 2023/24 academic year which have now been published by NHS Business Services Authority Learning Support Fund here.

Please note that key changes have been made to TDAE rates for NHS LSF claims for placements commencing on or after 1 September 2023.

The rates have been increased, bringing new allowances to:

•             a rise from 28p to 42p per mile for petrol

•             a rise from 20p to 30p per mile for pedal cycle

•             a commercial accommodation rise from £55 to £82.50 per night

•             a non-commercial accommodation rise from £25 to £37.50 per night

Please note that as students on our healthcare programmes, you may be entitled to apply for the Learning Support Fund, NOT the NHS Bursary pathway. NHS Bursary is available only for medical and dental students so please ensure you apply for the correct element of NHS LSF.

Should you have any queries, please do not hesitate to contact the Placements Team via fels-healthplacements@soton.ac.uk

Addendum:  Placements that commenced in the 2022 to 2023 academic year will be reimbursed at the old rates (this is new information and was published following the initial press release)

Good afternoon,  I have been asked to pass on this message to you all.  Kind regards, Lesley

Post placement student evaluations

At HHFT our CARE values are detailed below and we hope that this is reflected in your placement experiences that have taken place / will be taking place at HHFT.

Compassion caring about our patients and our staff

Accountable and responsible, always improving
Respect for all colleagues, patients and their families

Encouragin & challenging each other to always do our best

At HHFT we strive to have a ‘culture that places people at the heart of all we do, where we belong, and where learning, improvement and excellence thrive’.

We appreciate you taking the time to complete an evaluation at the end of your placement and value comments made.

Please be reassured that on receipt of the post placement anonymised evaluations we receive from your universities these are sent to the clinical matron / practice educator for that specific clinical area. The feedback is very useful as it is used to support change in the Trust and promotes a culture of honesty and transparency. 

We hope that you all enjoy your placements at HHFT but would like to remind you that if you have any concerns or queries during your time with us we would really encourage you to raise these at the time of them occurring. This allows the placement area the opportunity to manage and respond in ‘real-time’. Your concerns are taken seriously and will not have a detrimental impact on your placement. Ideally these conversations should be between you and your practice assessor or clinical matron / practice educator. However, we appreciate that this can sometimes be difficult and if this is the case, please reach out to the Learning Environment Team. We do ward walkabouts on a weekly basis but appreciate we won’t see you all during these visits so can be contacted on LearningEnvironment@hhft.nhs.uk . We also work very closely with our University link tutors.  Other services available to you whilst on placement include the Freedom to Speak Up Guardians.

Kind regards,

Dear all

Further to Lesley's announcement last regarding new guidance on raising concerns. This explains the process of how you raise a concern related to your placement experience.  The full guidance can be found in the link below.

Raising Concerns Relating to Student Supervision, Support and Assessment in a Practice Setting: guidelines for students.

It tells you what to do if you feel your learning is being compromised while on placement.

As you read through the document you will see that there is a process for escalating issues higher and receiving support via different mechanisms.  One of the people who can help is the University Practice Co-ordinator or UPC.  Please follow this link to a video which I compiled to explain how the UPC can assist you. 

Kind regards,
Annabel Smoker
UPC Nursing (adult acute placements)

Re-enrolling

Please can I remind you to re-enrol tomorrow when your invitation should come out.  This is essential and can be done quickly on any device.  This will ensure our placements team can continue to use their systems to plan future placements and also essential if you are currently in practice.

Many thanks, Lesley

Dear all

I am pleased to let you know that some new guidance has been approved.  This explains the process of how you raise a concern related to your placement experience.  The full guidance can be found in the link below.

Raising Concerns Relating to Student Supervision, Support and Assessment in a Practice Setting: guidelines for students.

It tells you what to do if you feel your learning is being compromised while on placement.

This is a different process from raising concerns about the quality of patient care which is also incredibly important, and outlined in a separate document.

In the first instance do raise any worries with the staff who are supervising you, as they value the opportunity to act on your feedback.  Please refer to this document in discussions with your PAT as they have a key role in supporting you and will also be keen to know how best to help you.

As you read through the document you will see that there is a process for escalating issues higher and receiving support via different mechanisms.

This guidance has been co-produced with students and we hope it helps you feel reassured that we take all placement quality concerns seriously.  We need you to be courageous and provide feedback in real time, so that your placement experience is the best it possibly can be.

Kind regards,
Lesley Turner
Head of Practice Learning (nursing and midwifery)

Dear all

Please can I highlight that as soon as you receive an invitation to re-enrol then please can you do so immediately.  This can be done quickly on any device.  You will recieve an invitation to re-enrol on the 2nd August and we would like you to action this within 24 hours, which is why I am giving you advance notice.

If your account becomes inactive (as a result of not re-enrolling) then it means you can no longer attend placements and our placements team are unable to allocate any further placements to you which is a major disruption to their activities.

If your programme requires attendance (on placement or in theory) after 2nd August you must re-enrol even if you are not completing a whole academic year and will be finishing in Sept/Oct.

I will be sending out weekly reminders to ensure this is seen as a high priority for all students.

Many thanks in advance for your action on this.  Kind regards, Lesley

Head of Practice Education (Nursing & Midwifery)
L.y.turner@soton.ac.uk

Dear all

As the sun is shining I wanted to remind you that we do have some nursing placement capacity available on the Isle of Wight which is beautiful destination in all seasons.  We would like to offer placements there and this could be an exciting opportunity for a small group of nursing students to go over together and experience a new placement experience and a change of scenery.  There is lots of information on this blackboard site about private IOW accommodation .We feel this opportunity would especially suit those with family or close friends on the island, and of course IOW residents themselves. Our AHP students have had some fanstastic placements there and successfully managed accommodation and travel.

Please let me know if you could see yourself doing this.  You can email me directly on L.Y.Turner@soton.ac.uk

We also have new placements coming onstream such as those in prison and custody centres.  Please also let me know if this is something you are interested in.  Some placements may be more suitable for students with some experience but we can discuss details if you express an interest.

Kind regards
Lesley

Head of Practice Education (Nursing & Midwifery)
Senior Teaching Fellow in Midwifery

Tickets available to staff or students (apologies for the short notice but these are additional tickets)
Friday 28th April

The aim of the day is to bring people together to talk about how we can improve the learning environment for multiprofessional learners by sharing good practice.  We are inviting student cohorts, academic teams / link lectures / practice facilitators, practice educators / assessors / supervisors, educational teams, network leads as well as stakeholders in the ICB / NHSE.   The event is on Friday 28^th April, at Southern House near Winchester.

 We are happy to support CDP evidence i.e. certificate and/or reflective practice for all students who wish to attend the event as part of their professional portfolio.

The presentations will include:

              - reflection on the outcomes from the HIOW ICB nursing and midwifery workforce summit

              - update from the student council and their current projects

              - discuss how we develop and prepare practice assessors / supervisors and update the group re. the recent publication of educator strategies / NHSE projects

              - promotion of an inclusive learning environment

              - innovation in placement provision for nutrition and dietetic students

              - reflections from RePAIR fellow and cost of living impact

              - update from primary care and placement provision

The breakout groups (afternoon) will have a focus on the following:

• Student: Current practice to seek student feedback ‘what good looks like’
• Educator: How do we prepare clinicians with an educational role
• System work: How are training / educational opportunities shared across organisations.
• Workforce:  How do we promote / prepare students for qualification and how do we influence student choice to remain within the Wessex footprint post qualifying.

We will link across to new strategies or current pieces of work and would welcome any updates on local projects which will inform the breakout groups.  We will provide ‘next steps’ and an update following the event.

Tickets can be booked via the following link on a first come basis

https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/wessex-learning-environment-sharing-of-good-practice-event-tickets-584972006017

Dear all

Apologies in the delay in communicating the strike plan from Southern Health NHS Trust.  It has just come through to me this morning.  This relates to the period 8pm 30th April to 8pm 2nd May 2023.

I am emailing regarding the upcoming RCN strike days. I have sought advice from our Director of nursing to ensure that we have a clear course of action for students on placement at this time. We are aiming for minimum disruption to students regarding their placement hours but need to ensure the correct level of supervision is in place for them.

We advise that students have a discussion with their practice assessors within their placement areas so that the decision is made locally. Some students will be able to continue to work their rostered/planned shifts during this time period with no disruption, whereas others may need to rearrange their shifts. Please can I ask you to encourage students to do this as soon as possible.

I will contact all placement areas to ensure that they discuss the strike days with any students who are rostered onto shifts across those dates so the students are clear as to whether they should still attend, and to support them to change shifts where necessary if they cannot be sure of the appropriate supervision and support available.

Please let me know if you wish to discuss this further,  
Learning Lead Southern Health

Please note that this notice relates to Southern Health placements only

Dear all

Welcome back after Easter, hope you are all well and feeling refreshed.  This notice is for nursing students but will also affect student midwives working in the neonatal unit and gynaecology wards. 
Our AHPs will not be affected.

As you are aware the Royal College of Nursing have organised another strike from 8pm on 30th April to 8pm on 2nd May.  During this period we have students out from BSc and MN Part 2 Placement 2 and PGDip MSc Part 1 placement 1.

The instruction from our providers in the past is for students to rearrange their shifts so they are not on duty during the strike period.  The reason for this is that the NHS Trusts are not aware of who will be striking until the day and they cannot guarentee that you will be given appropriate support and supvervision.  This will mean adjusting rostered shifts so that you are not working a night on the 30th April, anytime on 1st May or a day shift on 2nd May.    You can work other shifts that week (including the weekend) or pick up additional shifts the following week to reduce any shortfall.  We are really sorry for the inconvenience of this and appreciate it may cause some anxiety.

The strikes will affect the following Trusts :

Sussex Community NHS Foundation Trust

Sussex Partnership NHS Foundation Trust

University Hospitals Sussex NHS Foundation Trust

Solent NHS Trust

Southern Health NHS Foundation Trust

University Hospital Southampton NHS Foundation Trust

University Hospitals Dorset NHS Foundation Trust

Salisbury NHS Foundation Trust

Portsmouth Hospitals NHS Trust

Other Trusts such as HHFT are not listed as striking so please attend as usual there and in other placement areas not listed above (such as private providers).

I have been in touch with the Learning Leads for the Trusts where I beleive we have students placed during the strike period.  

So far I have heard that students placed at UHS must not attend shifts in the strike period and I suspect that will remain the situation in the other Trusts but will pass on news as I get it.  I am waiting for confirmation from Solent and Southern NHS Trusts and dont believe we have students in the other Trusts at this time.

Portsmouth Hospitals feel that they are able to support you and you can attend as rostered.  If you do work in this period in Portsmouth then we would appreciate any feedback on your experience, either via your PAT or direct to myself.

Please contact me if you have any further queries or concerns.  
Kind regards

Lesley Turner
Head of Practice Education
L.Y.Turner@soton.ac.uk

I just wanted to welcome all of you joining us for the 2022/23 Academic year, whether as new students or those continuing your studies.

This site is a generic Blackboard resource for Practice Learning and contains core information related to practice related policies, information about placement providers and profession specific information amongst other topics.

A lot of the information on here is provided by our practice partners, and whilst we aim to update anything we are aware of, if you discover something is missing such as a specific placement profile, please let us know and we will endeavour to get hold of a copy to upload.

Finally, the information on this site is designed to work with other Blackboard sites related to specific placement modules. These contain information about assessment requirements and deadlines, so you will need to look at both side by side. Hopefully we don't have too much repetition.  

All that is left to say is enjoy your year, and please do not hesitate to ask if you have placement related questions. 

Best wishes

Michelle Cowen

Director of Learning in Practice

Dear all

Some of you have asked questions about both Covid boosters and Flu vaccines. As a healthcare student you are entitled to these and can either obtain one through your clinical placement (if you are out in practice) or by booking an appointment using the link below:

How to get a booster dose of the coronavirus (COVID-19) vaccine Find out how to get a booster dose of the coronavirus (COVID-19) vaccine. nhs.uk

It tells you how to book an appointment at a vaccination centre, or how to find a walk in centre where you don't need to book. 

You will be asked for proof of healthcare worker staus so please use you Student ID badge. You can also use your enrolment letter- which you can print off by following the link to the student hub knowledge base Knowledge Base and find the "proof of enrolment letter". This letter has your course and year of study. 

Best wishes

Michelle Cowen

As we get into the new academic year I wanted to remind you all of the process for sharing any practice based adjustments that have been agreed by the university. 

When we receive suggested adjustments from either the Disability & Inclusivity team or Occupational Health they are reviewed by your Programme Lead to ensure that they are something that we can accomodate on a professional programme. Once agreed they are entered onto InPlace which provides the official confirmation that they have been agreed by the University.

At the beginning of your placement please discuss them with your Practice Educator/Assessor/Supervisor and show them the entry on InPlace.

If at any time you feel that the adjustments are not being put in place, or no longer meet your needs please talk to your Personal Academic Tutor. It may be that we need to get your needs reviewed, or just liaise with the placement to make sure they are followed, but your PAT can initiate this.

Best wishes

Michelle Cowen

Apologies for the cross posting but this message is for all Nursing students using ePAD. 

It is particularly important for 2019 BSc and 2018 MN students who have just completed your programme. 

As you are aware you access ePAD through your student IT account as a 'single sign on' . At some point, once you have completed, your account will convert to an alumni account and you will not be able to access ePAD. 

Instructions as to how to download a selection of forms and a 'front sheet' for your portfolio have been added to the resources under the Electronic Practice Assessment Document (ePAD) tab on the left. 

These are the forms that future employers are likely to ask to see at interview, so please download them asap.

Continuining students may wish to do this as you go through your programme, its your choice.

Thank you 

Best wishes Michelle

Dear all

I have just been contacted again by a practice partner to inform me that students are being observed travelling in uniform - often completely uncovered. This goes against the uniform policy and some Trusts have said they would send students home if they saw this happening. 

For nursing students one of the Values that you have to pass on each placement states "The student’s personal presentation and dress code is in accordance with the local policy" and you are at risk of being failed on that criteria if you do not follow the policy.

AHP students - I am less aware of the details of your assessment but you may have something similar.

You can only travel in uniform if it is totally covered, which means a longer length jacket which does not show uniform below it.