Placement Overview
| Placement Title | Bury Health Visiting Service – BUPCTP 16 |
| Trust | Northern Care Alliance NHS Foundation Trust |
| Your Placement Contact | Emma Smith (Team Leader), Abbie Knowles (Placement PEL) – Send Email |
| Placement Contact’s Role | Experience working in a community setting with children and their families from pre-birth (28 weeks gestation) until they start school. Health promotion and safeguarding children is the focus of this placement which includes collaborative working with other agencies where spoke placements are available. |
| Placement Address | Ramsbottom Health Centre, Carr Street, Ramsbottom, Bury, BL0 9DD |
| Placement City/Town: | Bury |
| Placement Phone/Website: | 0161 206 2300 / www.pat.nhs.uk / Health Visiting :: Northern Care Alliance |
| Your University Contact: | Angela Lee – Send Email |
About this placement
What is organised for students on commencement of placement?
The placement strives to provide an overview of the health visiting service. This will incorporate exposure to both the universal service offered and also targeted health visiting work. The main focus of the placement is to develop a working knowledge of health visiting in relation to public health. On a student’s first day, we have a student welcome pack and an introduction to the placement area will be undertaken. Time will be set aside to provide an outline of trust policies and also health visiting polices to enable students to set specific learning outcomes in particular areas of interest. We also look at safeguarding awareness and begin discussions regarding building resilience and also the importance of reflective practice in relation to both adult and child safeguarding practice.
What are the arrangements for mentors/assessors?
Students are allocated an assessor and supervisor upon commencing their placement with us. The team strives to support students on placement by offering a team approach and students will work with all team members to maximise the placement experience. All staff will ensure that all students gain the most out of their placement with us.
What shift patterns are students allocated for learning?
Students will work core service hours. This is 09:00 – 17:00, Monday to Friday. Please ensure you arrive in full uniform, adhering to the Trust’s uniform policy.
What patient care situations are available in this placement?
Students will have exposure to home visits and also clinic contact. There will also be opportunities to develop an understanding of the role of the duty health visitor. Within patient home there may be exposure to animals, pets and other potential hazards. Prior to home visits, students will be briefed on the lone worker policy and will not be expected to visit on their own. If there are any potential health issues in relation to home visiting, please contact the placement PEL as soon as possible
What nursing model is used for planning care?
The placement utilises the common assessment framework of child developmental needs, parenting capacity and family & environmental factors. This model will facilitate opportunities for students to consider the determinants of health. The placement also utilises a number of tools to promote public health work and the identification of family’s these include the graded care profile, Solihull approach, motivational interviewing and ASQ developmental questionnaires.
What core clinical skills can be learnt?
Over the placement students will have exposure to generic health visiting and the core offer. This will facilitate consideration of and exposure to the high impact areas of health visiting and the public health agenda namely:
Transition to parenthood
Parental Mental Health
The Healthy Child Programme
Infant Feeding including a breast feeding support group and opportunity to spend time with the Specialist Infant Feeding Health Visitor
Healthy Weight and Nutrition
Managing Minor Illness
Reducing the risk of Accidents
Development of children at age 8-12 months and 2- 2.5 years
Improving Life Styles
Maximising Learning and Achievement
Supporting children Complex and Additional Needs with the opportunity to spend time with the Specialist SEND and Enhanced Health Visiting Teams.
Seamless Transition to School
Dental Health
Safe Sleep and ICON
Exposure and increased understanding of local services including voluntary where children and their families can be referred or signposted to.
The above areas will provide a wealth of opportunities for students to develop an overview of the high impact areas but to also facilitate deeper learning in any key area for the student.
What additional clinical skills can be learnt?
Students may have the opportunity to spend time shadowing the SEND and Enhanced Health Visiting Teams and also the Infant Feeding Health Visitor.
What resources are available to help students learning?
All students will have access to the Northern Care Alliance intranet for policies, procedures and trust-based resources. Within the placement area, there is a designated student board with information and details on SPOKE placements available. The biggest resource will come from observation and participating in home visits and clinic contacts. There is a strong emphasis on reflective practice in the placement area.
What research and practice development activities are being undertaken?
As above within the team there are key work streams in relation to infant feeding and also nutrition. Trust wide the health visiting service is utilising on line resources such as face book, Essential Parenting and Early Years apps and/or websites. There is a continual cycle of review of such services and would provide specific opportunities to consider the impact of technology on public health information dissemination.
Spoke Placements
Within the student placement book there is a list of all relevant spoke placements. All of the spoke areas have been selected due to their public health remit and to enhance a student’s learning in relation to community profiling, understanding the Child Health Profile and key performance indicators for Health Visiting.
Students would be expected to be proactive and arrange their own spoke placements where possible.
Additional Information
Please note:- if you have a child in the catchment area of this Health Visiting or School Nursing team you may not be able to attend due to a conflict of interests, please email your university contact -Angela Lee to clarify asap.