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RGU – Return to practice module

Please see below some key information on Robert Gordon University’s Return to Practice Module. This can also be found on their website by clicking the link  here

Study Days

There will be mandatory study days for this module provided virtually and/or  face-to-face and the relevant NHS Board will require your attendance at their specified induction days.

Module Theory

Most of the theory is provided in an online format; studied over 7 weeks, equivalent to 35 hours per week study time.

Placements

Placements are normally between 300 and 450 hours and will be determined at interview in discussion with the student, health board and RGU. Please note some placements may be longer or shorter depending on student need. Placement can be completed full-time or part-time (the least amount of hours per week whilst a student is normally 22.5 hours).

Module Route

You can undertake 1 of the following 2 routes:

  1. Apply directly to your local health board.  The application form will be made available on their vacancies website.  Please keep an eye on the relevant vacancies website on a regular basis as we may not be advised when the vacancies have been advertised*. Then also apply to RGU.

*please note that NHS Grampian applications are now open, please us Job ID NW027053 to locate the vacancies / NHSG Application form.

These collaborative model posts are where there are vacancies within the NHS Board.  In addition, you can apply for funds to pay for the module from NHS Education for Scotland (NES), please access their website for the terms and conditions: http://www.nes.scot.nhs.uk/ .  You only need to apply for funding once you commence the course.

  1. Apply directly to RGU only and self-fund (this may be the option for you if you cannot commit to the NES conditions of employment or if you are still on the register).

All 2 routes follow the same recruitment, selection and interview procedure.

RGU Application

Regardless of which one of the above 2 routes you opt to undertake, we are required to register you on the module with RGU.  Therefore, I would be grateful if you could complete the attached form and return it to the School of Nursing, Midwifery and Paramedic Practice by e-mail to [email protected].

Please ensure that you include the following with the application form:

  • Evidence of NMC PIN Number
  • Copy of Nursing qualification(s)
  • Proof of ID x2
  • 2 references – please give the attached template to 2 referees for completion and return to me.  The referees should preferably be 1 academic and 1 professional.

Requirements

You will be required to provide your previous/ current NMC PIN number and date of birth and successful applicants will be subject to occupational health and PVG clearance.

If English is not your first language, please also provide evidence of your English language, a minimum of IELTS 7 or equivalent is required.

If you are currently living overseas, please contact our International Office to check your eligibility to study this module before submitting an application.  They can be contacted at [email protected] .

Closing Date

There will be a closing date but this date is to be advised, however please do not hesitate to submit the RGU paperwork at any time until this date is announced.

If you would like to discuss the module in further detail, please contact  by email the Module Co-ordinators to arrange an informal chat  [email protected]  or Fiona Gibb  [email protected]

Application Form
Academic Reference Template
Non-academic Reference Template
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Active Age Activity DVD – The Fair Play Foundation

Funded by:

The charity, the Fair Play Foundation, have been working with funders throughout lockdown to produce an Active Age activity DVD. The DVD was created to maintain the physical and mental wellbeing of the residence and staff of care homes across Scotland during the unprecedented and hugely difficult time in lockdown. The DVD was sent out, free of charge, to 200 care homes across Scotland. The Active Age DVD has been specifically designed by a team of highly trained and qualified staff for low mobility residents, with all the activities being seated and low impact. The DVD consists of three activity videos, each lasting 20 minutes and is set against some popular music tracks to keep it upbeat and enjoyable. The DVD also includes a video contributing from the Wright Foundation, providing “top ten mental help tips” as we know through research the detrimental effect of poor mental health can have on individuals. We hope the Care Home residence and staff find the DVD useful and enjoyable. Any care homes that have received the DVD and have any feedback from their residents taking part would be greatly appreciated to provide to the funders as a thank you. Finally, if any Care Homes wish to receive an Active Age DVD that did not, or wish to find out more about the charity please don’t hesitate to get in touch.

The Fair Play Foundation would also love your feedback on this DVD, please email [email protected] or [email protected] with your comments.

Contact Information:

The Fair Play Foundation

New Alderston House

3 Dove Wynd

Strathclyde Business Park

ML4 3FB

Charity No: SC048552

Email: [email protected]

Telephone: 0141 319 8927

Web: www.thefairplayfoundation.org

Twitter: @FairPlayFound

Facebook: @FairPlayFoundation

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Digital Safety Huddle Webinar – 27 August

Scottish Care is organising a follow-up webinar on the Digital Safety Huddle Tool. 

This will take place on Thursday 27th August at 12:15 PM. Derek Barron (Erskine) and the NES Digital Team will be available to do a demonstration on this tool and answer any questions you may have.

Care Home providers should have received an email from NES with invite to use the Safety Huddle Tool, if you haven’t received this email, please contact:

[email protected]

Please email with your name, role, email and the name of care home/group you are in or responsible for.

For online help and guidance please follow this link:https://learn.nes.nhs.scot/34427/turas-care-management-user-guides

This webinar is open to all care providers. Registration to this webinar is required. Please register here:

https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_5JZfgIdJQUmrfGtzSIatNQ

After you register, you will receive an email with details to join the webinar (subject to approval).

 

 

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Scottish Care’s statement on hospital transfers to care homes

In the early days of the pandemic the wider societal and political concern was the risk that the NHS acute sector would not be able to deal with a massive increase in patients requiring treatment for COVID19. It was at this time that there as a focus on creating capacity within NHS hospitals by ceasing routine non-essential treatments, by maximising the availability of respirators etc. At the same time there was a push to discharge individuals who were fit for discharge either to their own homes or to care homes.

In ordinary circumstances an individual is discharged when they are clinically fit. Before Covid-19 this was often a process which was delayed as a result of the non-availability of care home beds. This was not because the beds were not available but because the funding from public authorities was not sufficient to enable these transfers to take place. Yet even before Covid-19 there were circumstances where at best the eagerness of hospital discharge had led to a breakdown in relationships with the care home sector. The most commonly cited instance was where a clinician considered someone to be able to be supported in residential care, they were then discharged and within hours it was clear they required nursing not residential care. So, looking back from this position we have to be clear that the process of clinical discharge into care homes before Covid19 was one which was not always smooth and frequently problematic. As a result, there was often a local distrust in the system.

This level of challenge was reflected in the Clinical Guidance issued by the Scottish Government on the 13thMarch which stated:

‘Transitions from hospital.

There are situations where long term care facilities have expressed concern about the risk of admissions from a hospital setting. In the early stages where the priority is maximising hospital capacity, steps should be taken to ensure that patients are screened clinically to ensure that people at risk are not transferred inappropriately but also that flows out from acute hospital are not hindered and where appropriate are expedited.’ (page 4)

Because individuals were not routinely tested at the point of discharge at this stage of the pandemic, despite the requests of the care home sector at the time, there was a real concern that people who entered care homes might be infectious.

Scottish Care’s CEO, Dr Donald Macaskill held a meeting on the 18th March with the Cabinet Secretary for Health and Sport and highlighted that care home providers were expressing concern over discharge and that some were refusing to admit new residents. During the meeting he stated that the previous relationships between the acute and care home sector had sometimes not been as good as it might have been. As a positive result of the meeting the Clinical guidance was revised and re-issued on the 26th March.

This Guidance made the process of admission much clearer.

It states:

‘4.2 Admissions/transfer from hospital to care home facilities

HPS updated guidance states that if the individual is deemed clinically well and suitable for discharge from hospital, they can be admitted to the facility after:

  • appropriate clinical plan.
  • risk assessment of their facility environment and provision of advice about self-
  • isolation as appropriate (See NHS Inform for details). (page 4)
  • there are arrangements in place to get return them to the facility

Decisions about any follow-up will be on a case by case basis.

If a patient being discharged from hospital is known to have had contact with other COVID-19 cases and is not displaying symptoms, secondary care staff must inform the receiving facility of the exposure and the receiving facility should ensure the exposed individual is isolated for 14 days following exposure to minimise the risk of a subsequent outbreak within the receiving facility.

Individuals being discharged from hospital do not routinely need confirmation of a negative COVID test. Facilities will be advised of recommended infection prevention and control measures on discharge. It is recommended that this includes a documented clinical risk assessment for COVID-19.’ (pages 4-5)

We recognise that from the 21st April it became a requirement for all patients being transferred from hospital to receive a negative test.                                                             

Dr Donald Macaskill, the CEO of Scottish Care states:

“It is important to state that amongst those who were Covid positive and who entered care homes in March and April there would be some who were no longer infectious because of the length of stay in hospital. In addition, there would be others who were returning ‘home’  because they could no longer benefit from acute sector care and who were on a palliative and end of life care trajectory. For those individuals it was important that they were able to die in familiar and supportive surroundings. In all cases of knowingly accepting a Covid positive patient as a resident the care home would have instigated robust care and support to ensure the protection of staff and other residents.”

 

 

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Update on death in service indemnity cover – students on supernumerary placement

We have been made aware of an update relating to students on supernumerary placement in health and care settings.

In order to provide students and their families peace of mind at this time, the Scottish Government has confirmed that it will provide a temporary COVID-19 related death in service scheme to students of Higher Education Institutes on clinical placements in health and social care settings. This provides a single lump sum payment of £60,000 to the next of kin of any student of a higher education institute, should the worst happen.

The cover is now in place and further detail on the scheme will be circulated next week. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to get in touch via the CNOD Education mailbox: [email protected]

 

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Forthcoming UK IPC guidance for the remobilisation of health and care services

Please see letter below from Scotland’s CNO, CMO and National Clinical Director regarding the UK IPC guidance for the remobilisation of health and care services which is due to be published. The letter provides an overview of the key messages and outlines the Scottish Government’s expectations in terms of implementation.

CNO CMO NCD Letter_IPC remobilisation guidance COVID-19_14 August
Download
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Launch of Turas Care Management Tool

Identifying care home risks earlier

Better information recording for residents and staff.

A new web-based tool, commissioned by the Scottish Government, will allow care homes to monitor coronavirus (COVID-19) trends and identify risks quicker.

The Turas Care Management tool will launch on Friday (14 August) and will allow all private and public sector care homes across the country to record in one place information including COVID-19 infection rates, demand on services and staff testing.

This will mean care home managers, health and social care organisations and the Scottish Government can monitor trends, identify risks and take early action both during the current pandemic and in the future.

The care management tool, developed by the Scottish Government in collaboration with the Care Inspectorate, Scottish Care and NHS Education Scotland (NES), will provide:

  • a clearer national picture of conditions in care homes
  • earlier warning of emerging trends and issues, allowing earlier interventions
  • easier reporting to free up care home resources

The tool is for care home management use and only identified staff will be able to access the information.

Health Secretary Jeane Freeman said:

“The health, safety and wellbeing of care home residents both during the current pandemic and in the future is critically important.

“This new web-based tool allows care homes to store information in one central place, whereas before they were required to report in different formats and through many channels, which tied up resources and made trend-spotting more difficult.

“Importantly, this means care home managers, health and social care organisations and the government will now be able to identify risks earlier and quickly take action during the current pandemic and in the future.”

Care Inspectorate Chief Executive Peter Macleod said:

“The care sector has worked tirelessly under the most challenging circumstances to care for some of the most vulnerable people in Scotland during the pandemic.

“This new approach to gathering data and information will help us to better understand what support the sector needs to ensure that people experiencing care are supported in the best possible way in the future.”

For more information and guidance for care homes, please follow this link: https://learn.nes.nhs.scot/34427/turas-care-management-user-guides