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General Practice Nursing Trainees Enjoy Unique Sessions and Guest Speakers
Bishop Grosseteste University (BGU) welcomed Gill Beardmore this week as she delivered a talk to our General Practice Nurse (GPN) trainees about their funded programme and the motivations behind developing a career as a GPN. Gill is RN & Queens Nurse and works for Health Education England as Primary Care Nurse Workforce Lead in the East Midlands. She was also involved in the development of the NHS 10 point plan to look at novel ways to better train General Practice nurses, of which BGU’s new Post Graduate Certificate in General Practice Nursing (PG Cert in GPN) is a part, and the overall proof of concept for the new GPN trainees. Joining our trainees, who are now a third of the way through their programme, Gill discussed the importance of their course and its potential impact on healthcare training across the UK. The PG Cert in GPN is a completely new model of training for General Practice Nursing covering wider skills and practices designed to futureproof the profession. While the BGU course is currently one of only two on offer across the UK, if it is successful the model will be rolled out nationwide. Following Gill’s presentation the trainees took part in a session exploring blood test interpretation. Led by Dr Graham Basten, Head of the School of Social Sciences at BGU, blood test interpretation is one of the new skills being covered by the course. General Practice nurses would not normally be trained in this area and its inclusion, in addition to being part of the evolution of the General Practice nursing role, is completely unique to BGU. The PG Cert In General Practice Nursing is a fantastic opportunity for health care professionals to up skill and provides a pathway into the developing course portfolio within the School of Social Science at BGU which reflects current and future needs of the health and social care sector. Other current courses include Master's in Health & Social Care Leadership and Primary & Community Care. To find out how these courses can help develop your healthcare skills visit our website or contact our Enquiries Team. -
Successful Students See Support Service Soar From Strength to Strength
Enterprising students Damian Taylor (MA Health & Social Care) and Neil Martin (BA History) are the latest success story to emerge from BG Futures Business and Enterprise Centre at Bishop Grosseteste University (BGU). Having joined the BGU Enterprise Club just a few months ago the duo have gone from strength to strength with their growing business EarlyBird Lifestyle Support and are already working from their own premises. EarlyBird Lifestyle Support is a friendly well-being service based in Lincoln and serves the city and surrounding areas helping people with tasks such as cooking, cleaning, collecting prescriptions and medication, food shopping, trips out, escorting individuals to appointments and more. Speaking to the BGU Futures Team, Damian discussed how the support from the Centre helped him, Neil and their team reach their goals: “Being able to become residents in the BG Futures Enterprise Room has allowed us the time and space to work productively whilst in the early stages of our business. One of the main benefits is that it has allowed us to present ourselves to local authorities and other community professionals as a legitimate and professional business. The guidance and advice we have received from Becky has been incredibly important for us and invaluable. The enterprise centre is a fantastic resource for new and upcoming businesses. You may have the misconception that you have to have it all figured out with a full business plan before you receive support, this is far from the truth, you can be at the very being stages of an idea! Mixing this support with my 10 years front line and management experience in the sector, along with the Health & Social care provision at BGU, has really enabled Neil and I to create a service that brings both health care and social care together which allows us to offer holistic and bespoke person centred support with a wider understanding of social injustices and the adult social care crisis. I would encourage anyone even thinking about going into business or anyone with a concept for self-employment to come in and speak to someone. I can guarantee you won’t regret it!” Becky Goodman, Enterprise Development Manager at BG Futures, was equally full of praise for the hard work of Damian and his team: “It has been great to work with Damian and Neil over the past few months, and I am excited to see how the business grows and develops over the coming months and years Damian first contacted us following a visit I made to his MA Health and Social Care course and after meeting with both Damian and Neil it became clear that the business needed the space to grow. The duo moved into the BGU Enterprise Club room in BG Futures, and from there we have watched them grow from strength to strength, from recruiting staff, to sourcing promotional products and hope that we have made a real impact to their start up journey, and continue to do so as they take up an office of their own with us in the centre.” The Careers, Employability and Enterprise team strive to support all students during their studies to research and plan their career, and to improve their employability. The BGU Enterprise Club hosted by BG Futures also provides students with Business Start-up support and guidance, in addition to free office space*, and the opportunity to pitch for start-up funding. If you have got a vision for your own business but aren’t sure where to begin then the BG Futures team are the perfect place to start. With facilities and expert support available in their incubation centre, they’ll be able to get you on the road to success. Visit our website or contact them today to see how you can start your own adventure. Support from EarlyBird is available to anyone in Lincolnshire and the surrounding area, to find out how they can help you visit their website, or get in contact via email at info@ebls.co.uk or on 01522424161. On the 31st of August EarlyBird will be running a charity fundraiser in aid of Alzheimer’s Society. Join them from 10am at Freshney Place, Grimsby, as they attempt a ‘Coast to Coast’ 168 mile cycle. Alternatively you can donate to their efforts here. *Competitive process applies. -
‘Inspirational’ First Cohort Complete General Practice Nursing Qualification
Last week Bishop Grosseteste University (BGU) bid a fond farewell to the first cohort of students undertaking the PG Cert in General Practice Nursing. After nine months of blended learning in the classroom, in practice and using the Virtual Learning Environment, students are now able to work in General Practice with the range of skills a Nurse in this area is expected to have. Content covered over the course of the qualification included cervical smear taking, Immunisation and vaccines (including Travel Health), management of long-term conditions such as diabetes and asthma, Intermediate life support as well as mental health and support for carers. Speaking at an event to celebrate the students Nicki Walsh, Senior lecturer (and Programme Lead for Health and Social Care) at BGU, praised them for their commitment and example to future students: “The finishing students have been 100% committed to the programme and have not only developed in confidence but are a true inspiration for those who might consider General Practice Nursing as their preferred Career pathway. Students have had excellent support from their clinical environments throughout with clinical and academic supervisor supporting them in and around practice. Whilst sad to see these students finish at BGU, there are opportunities for further study on the MSc Primary and Community Care, as offering support future PGCert students. Further funding has been allocated to BGU by Health Education England for 10 places in March and the team at BGU look forward to welcoming next cohort of aspiring GPNs.” The PG Cert in General Practice Nursing is a specialised Master’s level programme which provides registered Healthcare Professionals, who are currently working in a Primary Care (General Practice) setting, with a learner-centred and practice focused programme of study, meeting their personal, professional and practice development needs all focused on local service demands. It produces high-calibre post graduates who are autonomous, reflexive, possessing of inquiring and analytical minds as part of their continued professional development required by their relevant Professional Regulatory body. The new PG Cert In General Practice Nursing joins the developing portfolio of courses at BGU which reflect current and future needs of the health and social care sector. Other current courses include Master's in Health & Social Care Leadership and Primary & Community Care. To find out how these courses can help develop your healthcare skills visit our website or contact our Enquiries Team. -
LORIC Legacy Project celebrates its first anniversary
July 1st marks one year since the end of the initial ERDF funded Lincolnshire Open Research and Innovation project, which saw the renovation of a Grade II listed building on Newport in Lincoln into a multipurpose hub for researchers and Greater Lincolnshire SMEs. The project also involved supporting small and medium sized enterprises to implement data driven innovation in their businesses, and helped them to bring new products and services to market. Since the ERDF funding ended, the LORIC project has been developed by Bishop Grosseteste University into a commercial enterprise, with data consultancy available for all organisations in Greater Lincolnshire and beyond. Contracts Over the last year, LORIC has worked with a number of locally based organisations, including the Greater Lincolnshire LEP, Lincolnshire County Council and the NHS Neighbourhood Teams in order to work on varied research projects and to provide expertise on the use of Open Data. The team has also been successful securing a bid to lead on a project as part of Defra’s Future Farming Resilience Fund, which is researching the impact of Farmer Support Networks on the mental and physical well being of farmers and land managers. This project is due to continue until October 2020. A successful bid to Research England’s Strategic Priorities fund allowed the team to provide support to enable collaboration between researchers and policy makers and to host workshops on subjects such as GDPR and bid writing. LORIC are also delighted to announce the renewal of their ongoing relationship with the The National Centre for Rural Health and Care for 2020/2021, with LORIC staff supporting the Centre with its research and membership co-ordination, and the building itself playing host to the registered office of the Centre. LORIC Retainer Scheme As well as larger contracts, LORIC also launched its “retainer” scheme, whereby organisations can sign up to receive 2 days of data support, and then enjoy reduced rates on further days’ support, and on our other services, such as digitisation. In line with the ethos of the LORIC project to make services as affordable as possible, a staged scheme of membership is in place, with rates varying depending on the size of organisation supported. Staffing Over the last year we have said goodbye to our initial LORIC project co-ordinator, Laura Spencer, who has moved on to work on a project with the University of Lincoln. We have also supported a Lincoln College student to complete her extended work placement with us as part of the Extended Industry Placement Programme. We have welcomed to the team Carole Tondeur, our new project administrator and receptionist, and Eleanor Mould, a part-time data analyst. The last year has also seen Katya Bozukova, the LORIC Open Research Fellow awarded her PhD for her work on the role of trust and risk in social media, and data analyst, Kay Purle, embark on an MSc in Mental Health, Resilience and Wellbeing here at Bishop Grosseteste University. If you would like to discuss how we may be able to support the data needs of your business, we’d love to hear from you loric@bishopg.ac.uk -
BGU Master's Students Plan Expansion for Social Care Business
As the world continues to grapple with the ongoing Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, it is reassuring to note that despite so much uncertainty and bad news some businesses are not only surviving, but thriving.EarlyBird Lifestyle Support (EBLS), an award winning, friendly well-being service, has found the pandemic presented the opportunity to expand their workforce and move into a larger office space within BG Futures Business and Enterprise Centre at Bishop Grosseteste University (BGU). Originally based in a smaller unit within the Centre, EBLS, created and run by BGU students Damian Taylor (MA Health and Social Care Leadership) and Neil Martin (MA Education with TESOL) prides itself on striving to empower the most vulnerable in society to lead the life of their choosing.Damian expands:“We support people throughout the city of Lincoln and surrounding areas with tasks such as cooking, cleaning, collecting prescriptions and medication, food shopping, trips out, escorting individuals to appointments and more.We work with many groups left most vulnerable due to COVID-19, primarily our older clients but also younger individuals suffering from mental health or other disability related problems.Ultimately our team works to promote independence for vulnerable people, allowing them to lead their choice of lifestyle. That choice can be so easily lost at times like this and I’m proud to think we’re helping them to keep some level of freedom.”Damian explains that the success of EBLS is owed to his dedicated team of support professionals:“I’d like to thank all our staff for their hard work during this time. Their enthusiasm and professionalism haven’t dropped once. They’re truly the backbone to the business, and we wouldn’t be where we are today without them.We are also delighted to announce the appointment of Alex Aslan, who has also completed the MA Health and Social Care Leadership, as our new Care and Services Manager who has a wealth of knowledge in this field. This means our service can grow even bigger and reach a larger demographic of people within Lincolnshire and also supports us to now enter the world of running regulated services.”On moving into a bigger office space, Damian hints at EBLS’s next venture: “A larger office will allow us to expand our workforce, provide more support in the community and presents the opportunity to increase revenue and to create stronger connections in the network. The larger space provides practical solutions to social distancing guidance, so we are able to hold inductions and training sessions in a safe environment to ensure our service runs safely.We are almost at the end of the registration period for the Care Quality Commission which means we will be able to include other vital services to our remit. We are currently recruiting for a new apprentice administrator and applications are still open for support worker roles.”Support from EarlyBird is available to anyone in Lincolnshire and the surrounding area, to find out how they can help you can visit their website, or get in contact via email or phone on 01522 424161.Damian added:“The team at the BG Futures Business & Enterprise Centre have been such a vital service & support network for us. They really did go above and beyond to help us in our start-up journey and the most exciting thing is that we have been able to support the centres vision by incorporating our business to widen the support to students. We have supported the BA Health and Social Care with work experience placements and offer voluntary opportunities to all students who would like to get involved, we are also happy to offer mentoring to students seeking an insight into business and would strongly welcome any students of the University to come and get involved in what we do. For example: be it students from drama who would like to put on a show for our vulnerable service users or those in the field of social sciences wanting to further understand mental health, disability or aged care, we really do welcome and encourage collaborative working”Damian and Neil are the one of the many success stories to emerge from the BG Futures Business and Enterprise Centre at Bishop Grosseteste University. If joining our community of start-up businesses appeals to you find out more on our website or contact the BG Futures team. -
Collaborative BGU Nursing Programme makes Finals at HSJ Awards
The Postgraduate Certificate in General Practice Nursing (GPN-ST), a collaborative project between Bishop Grosseteste University (BGU), HEE East Midlands, University of Northampton and Lincs Healthcare community has made it to the final of the 2020 Health Service Journal (HSJ) Value Awards. Although there will be no face to face event to announce the winners there will be an online HSJ Value Awards Day on 4th September. The online day is open to all and will begin at 9am and end at 4pm. It will be held on twitter, via @HSJ_Awards, and there is no need to register in advance. A 20-min slot will be dedicated to each category, in which the shortlist will be showcased and details surrounding the winner including their project synopses and judge’s commentary will be highlighted. The category for the GPN-ST, ‘System or Commissioner Led Service Redesign Initiative’ starts at 3pm. Addressing workforce shortfalls is a key priority for England’s Chief Nursing Officer. General Practice Nurse Specialty Training (GPN-ST) successfully creates a pipeline of new GPNs across STPs and resolves inter-practice poaching and recycling from the diminishing pool of experienced GPNs. GPN-ST offers nurses a way into an exciting and dynamic first destination GPN career, providing invaluable ‘on the job’ exposure, postgraduate education and supervision whilst also financially supporting practices to train. Showcased nationally as a model of good practice and a forerunner of the Long Term Plan’s ‘GPN Fellowships’, GPN-ST is delivering a viable solution to the GPN workforce crisis. Kirsty is a General Practice Nurse in Market Rasen and completed the course earlier this year. She shared her experiences and what the course could offer her career: “I had always wanted to work within General Practice right from my placements as a student nurse. After working in secondary care for 2 years from qualifying I got a job in General Practice but with no real experience I applied for the PG Cert in General Practice Nursing. Completing the course has given me the skills and underpinning knowledge to provide great care to patients and it has helped me understand the role of a practice nurse and enabled me to fulfil the role. I love my job as a practice nurse and the course really helped me achieve where I wanted to be.” The PG Cert In General Practice Nursing is a fantastic opportunity for health care professionals to up skill and provides a pathway into the developing course portfolio within the School of Social Science at BGU which reflects current and future needs of the health and social care sector. Other current courses include Master's in Health & Social Care Leadership and Primary & Community Care. To find out how these courses can help develop your healthcare skills visit our website or contact our Enquiries Team. -
How Research is Driving Innovation in Health Care at BGU
At Bishop Grosseteste University (BGU) we’re proud to offer a diverse range of health care related courses designed to train and upskill at all levels, be they budding professionals or seasoned practitioners. Innovation is the driving force of these courses, particularly the MA Health and Social Care Leadership along with the MSc Primary and Community Care, which look to explore opportunities to take the health care profession to a new level. -
Remembering 2020 at BGU - January: Amazing Carers Initiative Earns Well Deserved Award
While 2020 has been a far from normal year at BGU, we’ve still been able to celebrate a wide range of successes and achievements from across our learning community. To mark the end of the year we’re picking out our favourite stories from each month to share with you. -
‘Fantastic work’ sees Carers Award Re-Accredited for Second Year
At the start of 2020 Bishop Grosseteste University (BGU) was delighted to be a awarded a Carers Quality Award by Every-One, the carers’ charity. Just over a year on from that achievement, the “fantastic work” of those involved in carers support at BGU has seen the award re-accredited for a second year. The teams driving carers awareness and support have been working on a number of innovative initiatives over the last year including: Carers passportsPull up carers bannerCarers pin badgesCarers newsletter (which has a number of opportunities for staff and students to get involved)Carers videos have also been produced with staff and students highlighting the support offered by the carer’s community at BGU The goal of all of these initiatives has been to promote a Carers community where inclusivity of staff and student carers is a priority as Leanne McHugh, Senior Lecturer in Health and Social Care at BGU, who leads the overall project, explains: “Having a robust system in place where annually the 5 standards of the Carers Quality Award are reviewed ensures the sustainability and longevity of the projects. This was the first year we have been through the re-assessment process where evidence was required against each area of the standards criteria. As the carer’s initiatives have grown from strength to strength, we welcomed this opportunity. Being offered this platform to share our developments and new initiatives since our first recognition enabled best practice to be shared with others, building network of Carers support across Lincolnshire.” And the group’s efforts, in addition to achieving re-accreditation, also received high praise from Julie Goy, Quality Development Lead Every-one.org.uk: “What fantastic work you continue to do to support Carers at BGU, just amazing” To find out how you can get involved with the ongoing Carers projects at BGU, contact Leanne McHugh at Leanne.mchugh@bishopg.ac.uk To find out how you can create your own successes in our collaborative learning community, visit our website, speak to a member of our Enquiries Team or join us on one of our Open Days. -
Lecturer Shares Expertise and personal experience at County Council Care and Community Staff Training Event
Leanne McHugh, Lecturer in Health & Social Care at Bishop Grosseteste University (BGU), was invited to be a guest speaker at the “carers and our statutory responsibilities towards them” training event delivered to Lincolnshire County Council Adult Care and Community staff. In addition to her academic expertise, Leanne is also a carer herself, and was able to share her personal expertise as part of the training.: “My contribution was to share my personal lived experience as my husband’s carer. It was also a great opportunity to promote the carers community at BGU. I discussed our ongoing work including designing and implementing a platform to share the Carers Passports, our Carers Café’s, the procedures that HR have been developing along with the services of our Student Advice team and their role in supporting carers. As I have previously been with a different organisation, I was able to compare and contrast how the measures in place at BGU had ensured that my career was progressing alongside my carer’s role. It was fantastic to be able to share our efforts with partner agencies, marking us out as a role model, showcasing what good support for carers looks like through our carer’s community.” The training event also included contributions from Carers First, Young Carers Services and Every-one. To create your own successes in our collaborative learning community, visit our website, speak to a member of our Enquiries Team or join us on one of our Open Days.
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