Programme launched to support AHPs and healthcare scientists to return to practice

The Department of Health, in collaboration with Health Education England (HEE), has launched a new initiative to support allied health professionals (AHP) and healthcare scientists (HCS) return to practice.

 It supports AHPs and HCSs whose registration has lapsed or for those who have not registered for over five years since qualifying. Upon completion, this programme will allow them to return to the register.

2018 Healthcare Science Awards launched

Applications are now open for the 2018 Healthcare Science Awards. The awards recognise the contributions made by healthcare scientists in pushing boundaries to deliver transformational patient care.  There are nine categories that make up the awards.

• Healthcare Scientist of the Year Award
• Healthcare Science Rising Star
• CSO Shirley Fletcher Apprenticeship Award
• CSO Equality and Diversity Leadership Award
• Innovation in Healthcare Delivery Award
• Excellence in Health Research
• Excellence in Education Delivery
• Developing Partnerships to Improve Outcomes

Revised guidance on confidentiality published

The HCPC has relaunched its Guidance on confidentiality, which provides advice for registrants on how they should handle and share information about service users.

Advancing Healthcare Awards 2018

Entries are now open for the Advancing Healthcare Awards 2018.

In its 12th year the awards are open to allied health professionals, healthcare scientists and those who work alongside them in support roles, and aim to recognise and reward those projects and professionals that make a real difference to patients’ lives.

Nominations are welcomed from individuals, teams and patients, service users and carers. With four new awards, there are now 14 categories in total, with the overall winner announced at a ceremony held on 20 April 2018 in London.

The deadline for entries is 5pm on Friday 19 January 2018.

HCPC publishes Education annual report 2016

The Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC) has published its Education annual report covering the period of 1 September 2015 to 31 August 2016. This report provides statistical information and analysis and is designed to highlight key trends and what caused them, in particular important developments in the education sector.

NHS England’s Chief Scientific Officer’s Knowledge Transfer Partnership winners announced

NHS England, in partnership with the National Measurement System (NMS) has announced the winners of its first Chief Scientific Officer’s (CSO) Knowledge Transfer Partnership Programme.

The bespoke 12 month development programme gives clinical leaders in healthcare science the opportunity to create, test and implement innovative ideas to improve patient care and identify new approaches to measurement and outcomes.

The programme involves collaboration at a senior level with partner organisations across the UK’s National Measurement System (NMS) at leading centres of excellence in science and technology. It is designed to enable senior healthcare scientists to remain in clinical service whilst building long term partnerships between clinical, research and industry teams.

This collaboration and learning from other science led organisations is crucial to putting science and innovation at the heart of the NHS, delivering the next steps on the five year forward view and ensuring sustained improvements to scientific services for patient benefit.

HCPC - standards of education and training and guidance

The Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC) has released revised Standards of education and training (SETs) and guidance.

The SETs are the standards against which the HCPC assesses education and training programmes.

Key changes include:

• new standards requiring interprofessional education, learner involvement and supporting learners to raise concerns;
• strengthening the link between the SETs and the standards of conduct, performance and ethics; 
• making key terminology broader, inclusive and up to date with current terminology used in the sector.

Revised guidance on returning to practice published

THE HCPC has published revised guidance on returning to practice.

Specific changes
One of the main changes to the guidance is the inclusion of a flow chart that clearly depicts the returning to practice process and assists the reader in determining whether returning to practice requirements apply to them.

We have also provided clarity around what we mean by ‘practising your profession’ and the difference between the supervisor and counter-signatory roles. The guidance also now signposts to professional bodies for further guidance on profession-specific practice and periods of updating.

We would like to thank everyone that contributed to the review of the guidance.

Degree apprenticeship standard for healthcare science practitioner

The degree apprenticeship standard and end-point assessment for healthcare science practitioners is now available for delivery. Approved as a level 6 apprenticeship, the training will typically take a minimum of 36 months to complete and will lead to a BSc (Honours) degree in Healthcare Science. The standard, which sets out the skills, knowledge and behaviours required in the role, also outlines the competencies the apprentices will need to demonstrate.

NHS England calls for applications from female healthcare scientists to apply for fellowship scheme

Female healthcare scientists are invited to apply for NHS England’s prestigious fellowship scheme, aimed at providing career support for women working in this field.

Led by NHS England’s Chief Scientific Officer, the Woman in Science and Engineering Fellowship scheme aims to support four healthcare scientists over 12 months through a career development programme that includes mentoring alongside communication and leadership skills training. In addition, fellows will attend both the WISE and Chief Scientific Officer conferences.

Revised Guidance on health and character released

The Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC) has published revised guidance on health and character.

This revision includes several updates including the removal of any reference to ‘character reference’, updated terminology around the requirements on the declaration of cautions and convictions, and updates to legislative and legal language in general.

Advancing Healthcare Awards open for nominations

Nominations for the 2017 Advancing Healthcare Awards (AHA) are now open.

These awards are exclusively for healthcare scientists, allied health professionals – including podiatrists, dietitians, physiotherapists and radiographers - and those that work with them in support roles. This year NHS Employers is sponsoring a special award for apprentices, support workers and technicians.

The award for outstanding achievement aims to recognise the contribution these individuals make to providing high quality, creative care which enhances patients' quality of life. Nominations are welcome from the individual, their team, or by a patient, service user or carer.

The closing date for entries is Friday 13 January and the awards will take place on Friday 31 March 2017.

New consultant clinical scientist employer guidance

NHS Employers has published detailed guidance for the role of consultant clinical scientists.