The development of research capability and capacity for the Integrated Clinical Professions is an important priority.  To support this Health Education England (working across the North), with the support of NHS R&D North West,  has launched applications for the Health Education England North / NIHR BRIDGING SCHEME.
 
This Bridging Scheme offers the opportunities for Nurses, Midwifes, Allied Health Professionals, Pharmacist or Healthcare Scientists with a keen interest in pursuing a clinical research & academic career to apply for funding to support their development  with a particular focus in supporting their development and work towards a successful NIHR Fellowship application.   This scheme is particularly targeted at those clinical colleagues who have completed a Masters Level Degree and are looking to undertake a PhD or are seeking a Post-Doctoral Fellowship.
 
For full application details please visit Here.  Please note that applications for this high value development opportunity will close at 5pm Monday 17th September.

Details have been released by Health Education England (HEE) regarding the arrangements for funding additional clinical placements in nursing, midwifery and allied health pre-registration education.
Following a government announcement in which it committed to fund an additional 10,000 clinical placements by 2020, HEE has now written to higher education institutions with the detail of how the money will be allocated. 

The placements will give universities flexibility to deliver extra places for students across a range of roles and includes an additional 1,500 places for courses starting from 1 August 2017.
For more details about the announcement, please visit HEE

On 19 July, the Department for Work and Pensions published its review into the state pension age, proposing a new timetable for the rise to age 68. The government explains this is to maintain fairness between generations in line with continuing increases in life expectancy.

Under the proposed new timetable, the state pension age will increase to 68 between 2037 and 2039. This is earlier than the current legislation which sees a rise between 2044 and 2046. The change will affect everyone born between 6 April 1970 and 5 April 1978.

The report also recognises that:

• rises in state pension age must be part of a wider package that encourages people to plan for their retirement, enables people to work for longer where they can, and supports those who cannot work. 
• there is a need to provide certainty and transparency going forward. In addition to seeking to provide adequate notice for those affected by new changes to state pension age, there must be a clear strategy for communicating future changes to help with wider financial and later life employment planning. 

The timetable is in line with the recommendations put forward to the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions by John Cridland CBE in March 2017 following his independent review of state pension age. 

You can access the full report on the gov.uk website. 

*Credits NHS Employers

The Trust is committed to supporting the development of its staff. To ensure that staff have the right skills and expertise to deliver quality services, the Trust has a new (CPD) funding application process in place. All staff are required to follow this process and must not book training until prior funding has been approved, unless you are being funded through your departmental budget.

To find out how to apply, please check out the new process and training application form available on the Trust’s Education & Training website here

Many of you will be aware that we have been working to provide opportunities for more academic study of palliative and end of life care for those who are interest. When we surveyed the Trust earlier this year there was a good deal of interest and it seems to have taken a long time to get to the point we have reached. Edge Hill University and Queenscourt have formally gone into partnership to deliver this education and the first module has been validated and the faculty at the Terence Burgess Education Centre approved to teach it.

The module is for frontline clinical staff of all professions (medical, nursing, AHP) and will consider the application of theory and evidence to practice to support you in your daily work. Palliative and end of life care is crucial to those who have need of it, we have only one chance to get it right for patients and their families and we know that many staff are very keen to do their very best. This module will give them the knowledge, skills and confidence to do so.

The module will start in February and run for 15 weeks mainly on Thursday mornings for the face to face content, although there will be a two day block at the beginning to get everyone going. A small element will be delivered online where there will be resources and discussion for participants. The assignment at the end will be a very practical application of learning to everyday practice. The module can be self-funded or through CPD Apply funding.

Find out more on the Edge Hill website and for a discussion about what the module entails or to register interest please email karen.groves@nhs.net.

Read the flyer here

Health Education England has announced plans to distribute £8 million to support NHS maternity services. 
The maternity safety training fund will support NHS trusts in England to use multi-disciplinary training to improve their maternity capability, safety and outcomes. 
Trusts have been invited to apply for funding by 18 November and there will be at least £40,000 available for each trust.
This investment in training is part of a suite of new measures within the Department of Health’s Safer Maternity Care action plan, which was launched this week. The plan is part of a national ambition to halve rates of stillbirths, neonatal deaths, maternal deaths and brain injuries that occur during or shortly after birth, by 2030. It has a particular focus on fostering a culture of transparency and learning. 
As well as training incentives, the strategy encourages innovation and engagement with mothers and those supporting them to help them to understand how they can identify early warning signs and proactively contribute to better outcomes for their babies. 

Find out more and apply for funding via the Health Education England website. 

Find out about the wider action plan on the Department of Health website

In celebration of the RCN centenary, we are showcasing the very best of the profession, revealing nursing practice that often goes unobserved or is ‘under the radar’. We are asking nurses, midwives, support workers and students to share their ideas with us so that we can give them the attention and development they deserve. 
 
Read more here

The programme is open to all nurses who work with male clients of any age. Full guidance and the application form are on the QNI’s website, and nurses who wish to discuss their ideas in advance are encouraged to contact the QNI.
Anne Pearson, the QNI’s Director of Programmes commented, ‘The Men’s Health Forum states that On average, more than one in five men is still dying between the ages 16 and 65, and more than two in five before the age of 75 – with death rates amongst men in the poorest areas of the country being even worse. Key areas of concern are heart disease, obesity, cancer, suicide, diabetes and poor lifestyle choices (Men’s Health manifesto 2014).
‘This is an opportunity for all nurses working across specialities including School Nurses, District Nurses, General Practice Nurses, Health Visitors and many others to consider developing a new initiative to support male clients.’
The new funding programme is part of the QNI’s Fund for Innovation and Leadership programme, supported by the Burdett Trust for Nursing. Since 1990 the QNI has helped hundreds of nurses turn innovative ideas into reality, benefiting thousands of patients and improving nursing practice in diverse fields of healthcare.

The application guidance and application form can be seen at: http://www.qni.org.uk/for_nurses/project_funding/apply_for_funding_2017 

Dear All SAS Doctors,
 
We are offering development opportunities for all SAS doctors in the North West.
We have LIMITED PLACES available for this session as below and the remaining places are on a first come first serve basis. Please contact medical_education@thewaltoncentre.nsh.uk to secure your place.
 
Advanced Train the Trainer for SAS Doctors
 
Friday 14th OCTOBER 2016
09:00 – 17.00 pm
Lecture Hall,  Education Centre, Sid Watkins Building, The Walton Centre
 
This course will have CPD points attached and attendance may be used as evidence of CPD as an Educator (Domain 7 of the GMC Trainer Standards) and refreshments will be provided.
 
Applications should be made using the SAS course form