Nurses

Vaccinations and Immunisations Training – Tues 15 Sept – Part 2

This two-part series is designed for Nurses and HCAs. In this session we will:

– Describe the requirements for vaccine ordering, storage and handling
– Discuss the use of PGDs and be aware of recent updates
– Discuss vaccine related problems encountered in practice

Speaker: Ashleigh Bradley, Lead Clinical Commissioning Pharmacist, NHS West Sussex CCG.

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Vaccinations and Immunisations Training – Tues 15 Sept – Part 1

This two-part series is designed for Nurses and HCAs. In this session we will:

– Recognise the importance of immunisation in the prevention of vaccine preventable diseases
– Discuss recent local outbreak of vaccine preventable diseases
– Describe the current routine immunisation programme in the UK
– Discuss vaccine recommendations for the 2020/21 flu season

Speaker: Ashleigh Bradley, Lead Clinical Commissioning Pharmacist, NHS West Sussex CCG.

Download Slides

Advanced care practitioner training

Each year Health Education England look to provide fully funded places at local universities on the advanced care practice course.

The course runs over two years, commencing in September and has approximately 40 days attendance at University (depending on which modules you choose). You need to be in practice for a minimum of 15 hrs a week. Additionally, an educational grant fund is available to practices so that they can release the learner to attend the course and undertake any other development opportunities required for the course. This has been approximately £15K.

You will need to apply to the designated university, as well as submit a funding request form to the Training Hub.

Advanced Clinical Practice application process

Assistant Practitioner role

BMJ Learning

Mostly free to subscribers but there are some free modules for all. For Practice Nurses courses include:

Clinical Nursing Procedures – Royal Marsden Online Manual

The Royal Marsden Hospital Manual of Clinical Nursing Procedures is an online tool to enable nurses to access the latest research relevant to practice quickly and easily from a source they can trust. For many nurses it has become a defining text – http://www.rmmonline.co.uk/

Contraception Training Pathway for Clinicians:

Recommencement of cervical smear service in general practice

We have been asked to share this advice on completing cervical smear request forms with you.

Diabetic Foot Screening:

Diabetic Foot Screening Interactive Assessment now live – A new e-learning tool aims to improve practices in footcare for patients with diabetes.

The Diabetic Foot Screening Interactive Assessment has been designed to be used by health and social care professionals who care for people with diabetes and who already have a knowledge of the procedures and skills involved. A complementary e-learning programme is now available.

Given the variation in diabetes footcare across the country, the assessment tool aims to improve screening practices and increase prompt and appropriate referrals to the diabetes specialist foot services.

The assessment will take approximately 30 minutes to complete and was developed in partnership between Health Education England e-Learning for Healthcare (HEE e-LfH) and Sussex and East Surrey Sustainability and Transformation Partnership (STP). The tool is also supported by the South East Clinical Network, the College of Podiatry and The British Association of Prosthetists and Orthotists (BAPO). It will be rolled out as part of a National Diabetes Treatment and Care Programme across the Sussex and East Surrey STP and beyond.

For more information about the e-learning assessment and for details of how to access it visit: https://www.e-lfh.org.uk/programmes/diabetic-foot-screening-interactive-assessment/

The e-learning assessment is available via the e-LfH Hub and the Electronic Staff Record (ESR).

An AICC link is also now available.  If you want to link to the assessment then you’ll find the details on the AICC report – https://portal.e-lfh.org.uk/home/aiccreport

Immunisations resources:

Immunisations FAQ’s

Do I need to have a face to face update every year?

Ideally updates should be carried out face to face but if someone is not able to attend the session for various reasons there is an opportunity to do this via e-learning. We would not however recommend this approach. Practice managers should be aware of this and agree the e-learning update.  Below is some information from Health Education England about IMMS updates.

The national immunisation programme is subject to continual evaluation and review by the JCVI in response to new and emerging evidence, resulting in regular changes to vaccine policy. In recent years the national programme has undergone significant expansion and the schedule has become more complex. In order to ensure the ongoing National Minimum Standards and Core Curriculum for Immunisation Training 16 delivery of a high quality, safe and effective national immunisation programme, practitioners who have completed their foundation immunisation training require access to regular and ongoing, high quality update training. Updates should also provide an opportunity for immunisers to identify any gaps in their knowledge and competence and address any queries or challenging issues that have arisen in the course of their practice.

It is therefore recommended that annual updates should be provided for all immunisers. These updates should include the areas listed below and cover any recommended changes to practice and the most up to date policies and guidelines. 

Topics to include in immunisation updates training: 

1. Current issues in immunisation

2. Recent epidemiology of vaccine preventable disease

3. Any changes to vaccine recommendations or national policy 

4. Update on vaccine ordering, storage and administration 

5. Any changes to legislation relevant to vaccination

6. Review of current practice, recent vaccine incidents and identification of areas for improvement

7. Q&A session for problems encountered in practice

Specific training in Basic Life Support and anaphylaxis recognition and management should also be undertaken annually or as per employer’s stipulations. Where major changes are made to existing programmes or new vaccines are introduced, additional training sessions should be organised and these should be attended by the relevant immunisers e.g. sessions for a new vaccine for school age children should be attended by school nurses. General Practice and team meetings also provide an ideal opportunity for immunisation update sessions.

Face to face updates are likely to be of particular value to those who give or advise on a diverse range of immunisations e.g. Practice Nurses. They provide an excellent opportunity to interact with other immunisers, work through scenarios and discuss any clinical issues that are arising in practice.

However, it is recognised that for some immunisers in some areas of practice, face-to face updates may not be feasible, updating may be best undertaken through self National Minimum Standards and Core Curriculum for Immunisation Training 17 directed learning, and providers should give practitioners time to do this. Methods for this may include undertaking the assessment modules of an immunisation e-learning programme and doing/re-doing the necessary modules to refresh knowledge. Practitioners could also read through the “Information for healthcare practitioner” documents on the PHE website, listen to any available webcasts and read recently published articles on immunisation relevant to their area of practice. Country specific guidance is also available for Wales and Northern Ireland. They should also take the opportunity to work through the competency assessment tool again, either on their own or with a supervisor or colleague to ensure they still feel they can confidently meet all areas. 

Immunisation PGD

Click here to view current PGD as well as links to useful information and resources.

Introduction to General Practice – Training for new nurses

There is an introduction to general practice nursing course at Brighton and Surrey University for all new nurses. It’s funded by Health Education England so free of charge to join. It has been hugely successful, be it newly qualified nurses or from acute into Primary care. The 6 day module runs over a year.

Not only has it helped in attracting and retaining new staff but also assures managers that there is a formalised structure in place to support safe practice.

There is also an accompanying clinical skills programme that covers core clinical skills (2 day immunisation, spirometry, wound care, chronic disease management (diabetes, COPD, asthma)) required by new nurses entering general practice. The course and accompanying clinical skills programme are fully funded.

If you are interested in the course please contact the Training Hub via the following email address hsccg.mid-downs-cepn@nhs.net

MRES Clinical Research course:

Non-Medical Prescribing course for Nurses, Midwives & Allied Health Professionals (not Pharmacists)

For information on Independent Prescribing Courses for pharmacists across London and the South East please visit – https://www.lasepharmacy.hee.nhs.uk/

A fact sheet is available on this link – https://allianceforbettercare.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/NMP-Fact-Sheet-HEE-KSS-2019-2020-v1.pdf

Information for employers can be found here – https://allianceforbettercare.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/NMP-information-for-Employers-2019-v1-pdf.pdf

Practice Nurses – Useful links:

Reflective Practice

Being a reflective practitioner benefits people using health and care services by:

  • Supporting individual professionals in multi-disciplinary team work.
  • Fostering improvements in practice and services.
  • Assuring the public that health and care professionals are continuously learning and seeking to improve.

Please follow this link to a statement from our regulatory bodies on the benefits of being a reflective practitioner on both a personal, professional and patient population level.

Return to Practice Nursing

Screening resources:

All screening and Immunisation queries: phe.screening-immsssat@nhs.net 

To contact the Screening and Immunisation team by phone please dial: 011 3824 8986

Website: https://www.surreyi.gov.uk/jsna/screening-and-immunisations/

PCSE/Capita Call/Recall Queries: lasca.screening@nhs.net or 01772 221 388

General screening information – https://www.surreyi.gov.uk/jsna/screening-and-immunisations/

Initial Training:

*e-learning updates:

For smear taker number guidance, please see the following documents

End of Life

Please follow this link for the HEE KSS End of Life Directory – June 2019

Clinical Skills Training for new nurses

This training is for those nurses new to practice nursing, looking to develop core skills required in practice.

Click here for details of the courses on offer and how to book your place.

Queen’s Nursing Institute

Community nursing charity the Queen’s Nursing Institute (QNI) has launched a website for general practice nurses, which is described as an online repository of educational and clinical resources. The website can be accessed here.

Core Capabilities Framework for Advanced Clinical Practice (Nurses) Working in General Practice/Primary Care in England

In 2017 Health Education England published the Multi-professional Framework for Advanced Clinical Practice in England. Skills for Health have recently published the new Core Capabilities Framework for Advanced Clinical Practice (Nurses) Working in General Practice/Primary Care in England.

This new framework sets a standard regarding the academic knowledge, skills and behaviours required to enable the highest standards of practice within primary care and general practice, providing clarity around the core capabilities required by nurses working in these areas.  Nurses and their employers can use the framework to agree the scope and content of their role within multi-professional healthcare teams and it will support nurses working at an advanced level to demonstrate and evidence their capabilities to service commissioners, employers, people utilising health care and the public.

Click here to download a copy of the Framework.

‘Royal College of Nursing’ Careers Resource for Registered Nurses

To access the ‘Royal College of Nursing’ careers resource which aims to help you to understand the wide variety of opportunities within health and care, and to plan your career effectively, click here.