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KSS AHSN Newsletter – 27 May 2015

In this weeks’s edition…

News

Events

Opportunities


 News

NHS launches new collaboration to sustain and improve local hospitals

The NHS has invited expressions of interest from hospitals across England interested in developing new ways of delivering and improving their local acute services.

The aim is to enhance the viability of local hospitals through new formal shared working arrangements between clinical specialists at different hospitals, and to improve efficiency by sharing back office administration and management between different sites.

The new ‘vanguard’ sites, to be developed as part of implementing the Five Year Forward View, build on the proposals in the recent report from Sir David Dalton.

On the vanguards, NHS England Chief Executive Simon Stevens said: “Rather than automatically assuming that centralised, ‘bigger is better’ we want to test new ways of sustaining local NHS hospital services, with more sharing of medical expertise across sites, and more efficiency from shared back office administration.”

The main focus – led by Monitor, NHS Trust Development Authority and NHS England – will be to support providers of acute services to develop new arrangements that can be replicated across England at scale and for the new models to improve quality, productivity and efficiency.

Invitations are now being sought from all providers of acute services – including small hospitals.

Click here for more information.


Events

Seminar: The Basque Chronicity Strategy

Wednesday 3 June 2015
Sofitel Hotel, Gatwick Airport, RH6 0PH, UK
17:30 to 19:30

Our speakers

Dr. Rafael Bengoa
Minister of Health for the Basque government from 2009 – 2013 and creator of the strategy.
Dr. Josep Carbo
from Accenture, Spain, led the team that implemented the systems changes necessary for the strategy to be effective.

The main objectives of the strategy are to respond to the needs generated by the phenomena of long term conditions in all affected groups:
•    chronic patients: change from a reactive to a proactive system which offers better integrated care across the care continuum and in an approach better adapted to their needs,
•    health workers: focus on tasks where the professionals provide the maximum value,
•    citizens: more efficient use of public system resources, health promotion and prevention of long term conditions

This seminar links into the region wide Older People’s Programme which aims to maintain the independence and vitality of older people for longer.
Click here to register now.

 


 

SEHTA 2015 AGM and annual conference

Tuesday 16 June
Leatherhead Food Research, Leatherhead, Surrey
09:30 – 16:00

“Success for SMEs” – Pounds, Policies, Proposition and Procurement.

Click here to book your place.


Save the date: Paediatric Neurodisability Software Solutions

Thursday 18 June 2015
Holiday Inn, Gatwick
09:30 – 17:00

 A critical mass is being reached in software solutions for medical purposes. However paediatric neurodisability work is overshadowed digitally, mirroring NHS funding. Digital administrative tools and geriatric interventions dominate production. Applications for paediatric neurodisability are still in their infancy, with Randomised Controlled Trials currently lacking, and so systematic reviews of small scale projects take their place alongside case studies. The road from development to clinical rollout is lengthy so we aim to bring academics, clinicians and business interested in this area together to focus on applications for therapy and diagnostics. In the afternoon we will be running roundtable workshops to pull together industry, academia and NHS clinicians to collaborate to improve the lives of children with neurodisability.

For the agenda, click here and for more information contact SEHTA events team.

Click here to book your place.

 


 

Innovation summit and showcase

Living well for longer

Tuesday 23 June
Hilton Hotel, Gatwick
09:00 – 17:30

The conference will focus on living well for longer. That means developing sustainable solutions to maintain the independence and vitality of older people, and managing long-term conditions better to reduce avoidable emergency admissions.


Click here to register


 

Seminar: Buurtzorg

Wednesday 15 July
Sofitel Hotel, Gatwick
17:30 – 19:30

A new model of patient centred home care started in the Netherlands by a team of nurses dissatisfied with traditional services, with savings of around 40% to the Dutch homecare budget.


Click here to register



 

Surrey Informatics Summer School 2015

How to use routine health data for quality improvement and research

Sunday 26 July – Friday 31 July 2015
Faculty of Business Economics and Law University of Surrey, Guildford, GU2 7XH
Price:
Non-commercial: (Academic/NHS) £450 Commercial: £750

The Department of Health Care Management & Policy will be hosting its fourth annual health informatics summer school from July 26th to 31st July 2015.

This full time 6 day intensive short course is for health care professionals, researchers and analysts wanting to work with routine health data to measure quality, research and improve outcomes.

A deep understanding of health informatics is increasingly recognised as essential for those seeking to advance their careers within the health sector. Informatics is one of the fastest growing specialisms within the health sector. At its core the insight gained from the analysis of relevant, reliable and timely information enables clinicians, researchers, managers and commissioners to make informed decisions that lead to improved outcomes.

Taught by highly regarded experts in the field the course will teach analytical techniques and tools on real world scenarios to generate practical insight and embed learning.

For more information and to book your place, Click here.


Save the date: Medical device regulations training course

21 October 2015
Leatherhead Food Research, Leatherhead, Surrey
09:30 – 16:30

SEHTA in partnership with Maetrics & Medilink UK is holding a training course on Medical Device Regulations on Wednesday 21st October in Leatherhead, Surrey.

Training Course Facilitator:

Peter is the Managing Director of Maetrics Ltd, the UK operation of the wider Maetrics organisation. Headquartered in Indianapolis USA, Maetrics is a leading global consulting firm specialising in performance improvement and compliance prevention and resolution for top tier medical device, pharmaceutical and biotech companies.

For the agenda, click here and for more information contact SEHTA events team.

Click here to book your place.


 

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Opportunities

MSc in Applied Health Research Scholarships

The Centre for Health Services Studies (CHSS), University of Kent are offering three scholarships for part-time study only for the MSc in Applied Health Research. The scholarships are open to all eligible students for part-time study (entry September 2015 over academic years 2015/16 and 2016/17) and will cover tuition fees at the amount of £2,625 per year. If you are a Home/EU applicant the above amount will cover the tuition fees over the two years for the programme; for international students it will cover partially the tuition fees over the two years.

Closing date: Monday 1 June 2015

Interview date: Tuesday 16 June 2015

 For more information please contact Kalli Glezakou.


Primary care and community health research in the south east

The Research Design Service South East wishes to form a network of primary and community health researchers across Kent, Surrey and Sussex.

We want to support researchers working in primary and community healthcare research.

We can provide advice with regards to funding opportunities, organise events and facilitate networking between researchers and research groups.

We’d greatly value your input. If you are involved in primary or community health research in the South East We would like to hear from you so that we can form a network and plan events to support primary care and community health researchers.

For more information please contact Dr Claire Roston, Senior Research Adviser.


 

Department of Health’s Advisory Committee on Borderline Substances (ACBS)

The ACBS is a Department of Health expert committee that advises the Secretary of State on the borderline substances (foodstuffs and cosmetic products) which are safe and suitable for NHS prescription in the community. It is responsible for advising approved prescribers on the prescribing of certain foodstuffs and cosmetic products that are specifically formulated for use as part of the clinical management of people in the community with specified medical conditions. ACBS advice takes the form of its ‘recommended list’ which is published as Part XV of the Drug Tariff.

The ACBS committee members include pharmacists, dieticians, paediatricians, GPs and dermatologists some of whom balance an academic career with their health professional role.

Click here for the full list of opportunities.

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KSS AHSN Newsletter – 19 May 2015

In this weeks’s edition…

Events

Opportunities


Living well longer: after dementia begins

Dementia awareness week runs from 17-23 May. Organised by the Alzheimer’s Society, this year’s theme is encouraging people to ‘do something new’. The aim is to show it’s not only possible for someone with dementia to hold onto their life and the things they love for longer, they can continue to try new things and have new experiences, too. Hash tags to show support or find out more are #DoSomethingNew and #DAW2015.

There are currently around 850,000 people with dementia in the UK and the number is steadily increasing. According to the Alzheimer’s Society, the financial cost of dementia to the UK is £26 billion per annum.

Improving dementia care is more about ‘care’ than ‘cure’ and with up to half a million fewer older and disabled people in receipt of state-funded social care than in 2009 (according to a London School of Economics report), there is a care gap to fill for communities and citizens.

With the right knowledge and support it is possible for someone with dementia to continue with many of the things they enjoy in life, such as socialising and hobbies, even as the disease progresses.

Dementia friendly

The right knowledge and support is becoming more widely available and easier to access. Nationally more than 60 communities have responded to the Prime Minister’s Challenge on Dementia and signed up to work towards becoming dementia friendly. The award winning Dementia Friendly Crawley is one of them and the KSS AHSN team in Crawley are showing their support with dementia awareness training lined up for June.

Collaborative action

Our next Kent, Surrey and Sussex-wide dementia collaborative takes place in the autumn. It will offer a chance to share existing best practice and identify new areas for collaboration.

The work of the collaborative aligns with the ambitions of the region-wide Older People’s Programme which aims to support the health and vitality of older people for longer.

Addressing the challenge of long term conditions

The Basque “chronicity” strategy has been widely recognised as innovative and forward thinking. It achieved a 38% reduction in hospitalisation of patients with complex needs and a 26% decrease in A&E attendance.

On Wednesday 3 June Dr Rafael Bengoa, former Minister of Health for the Basque region (2009-13), will share his experience and learning from leading the region’s long-term conditions strategy. He will be joined by Dr Josep Carbo who led the team that implemented the system changes needed for the strategy to work.

We will look at how to create similar momentum behind our own region’s aspirations to improve the health and well-being of older people, and others, with long-term conditions.

Click here to book your place

Living well for longer

Regional innovation summit and showcase: living well for longer – our regional conference – is on 23 June 2015. Working with new insight and data, together we will create momentum for accelerating sustainability in older people’s services.

Kind regards,
Guy Boersma
Managing Director
KSS AHSN


Events

Older people’s programme: Sussex engagement event, 21 May 2015

Independence and vitality for longer: improving care and the experience of care for older people in Kent, Surrey and Sussex.

The meeting aims to validate the case for change, an agreed vision of future sustainable care arrangements and the support programme of KSS AHSN activity to help you implement sustainable care services faster.

This is a morning event finishing at lunchtime at the Gatwick Hilton.

Please contact Ellie Wells to book a place.


KSS AHSN international seminar series: Buurtzorg and a new model of patient centred-care, 13 July 2015

Buurtzorg Nederland was founded in 2006 to create a new model of patient-centred care, focused on facilitating and maintaining independence for as long as possible. A report in 2010 documented savings of roughly 40% to the Dutch health care system.

On Wednesday 15 July Jos de Blok, the founder of Buurtzorg, is the speaker at our evening seminar. We will discuss how this model of patient-centred care might translate to Kent, Surrey and Sussex. How can we improve the quality of care at the same time as achieving significantly better value for money?

Click here to book your place


‘Change Management: Blueprint for Better’ Conference, London, 7 July 2015

The opportunity to learn from practitioners with knowledge and experience of leading innovative change initiatives at both local and national scale. Delegates will receive practical advice and inspiration from a range of real-life examples from public and private sector sources to help lead on change management and service improvement.

Click here to register


Dementia: muddling along? – Rochester Building, University of Kent, Medway Campus

Wednesday 10 June, 13:30 – 15:00

This seminar will explore the boundary between normal and abnormal cognition, the significance of subjective memory complaints, the assessment tools available to GPs, ways of providing psychosocial support and handling transitions, management of behavioural & psychological symptoms of dementia (BPSD), rules of thumb for end of life care and GP and specialist roles.

To book a place, please contact Helen Wooldridge.

Opportunities

MSc in Applied Health Research Scholarships

The Centre for Health Services Studies (CHSS), University of Kent are offering three scholarships for part-time study only for the MSc in Applied Health Research. The scholarships are open to all eligible students for part-time study (entry September 2015 over academic years 2015/16 and 2016/17) and will cover tuition fees at the amount of £2,625 per year. If you are a Home/EU applicant the above amount will cover the tuition fees over the two years for the programme; for international students it will cover partially the tuition fees over the two years.

Interviews date: Tuesday 16th June 2015

.

For further information on the application process please contact Kalli Glezakou or for academic enquiries please contact Dr Ferhana Hashem.

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KSS AHSN Newsletter – 13 May 2015

In this weeks’s edition…

Integrating data for integrated care

There is already extensive data about older people’s health currently being collected both nationally and in Kent, Surrey and Sussex. It tends to be collated and analysed at an organisational level rather than looking at a health and social care system as a whole.

There’s untapped potential to use this data for better health and wellbeing, better care and better value across and within localities. Developing a set of indicators giving overview at locality and regional level can help identify where progress is being made fastest and practice worth spreading can be found.

Commitment
To demonstrate progress and encourage the adoption of practice worth spreading in maintaining the independence and vitality of older people in Kent, Surrey and Sussex, we are coordinating the efforts of our health systems’ thinkers to collate the best existing measures and indicators in a single new tool. It will provide a strategic overview of the achievements and further improvement opportunities available from integrated care. By using existing data wherever possible, we are seeking to minimise collection burdens.

We are bringing together the insight and expertise of the many professionals across the region whose focus is on the needs of older people and integrated care. Collaboration helps us all to achieve more, more quickly. We have already established a reference group and are particularly grateful for the leadership input provided by:

  • Jenny Billings, Reader in Applied Health Research, University of Kent
  • Abraham George, Consultant in Public Health, Kent County Council
  • Judith Wright, Joint Director of Public Health, West Sussex.

New models of care
To assess the impact of improvements and new models of care for older people, data across a number of areas is needed, including:

  • Health and wellbeing (including mental wellbeing, social connectivity and mobility)
  • Care closer to home
  • Support and living independently, and
  • Hospital care.

Integrating data across these areas helps organisations across the region to realize their strategic objectives for integrated care which are all too vulnerable to coming second to urgent operational priorities.

Living well for longer: book now
You’ll be about to find out more and get involved in this work at our Regional innovation summit and showcase: living well for longer on 23 June 2015.

It will bring together and build on work over the last two years to address our region’s most pressing challenges. Working with new insight and data, together we will create momentum for accelerating sustainability in older people’s services.

This event offers the chance to network with senior figures from health and social care, industry, academia and the third sector and to hear from speakers including:

  • Christina Wanscher, Special Adviser – International Coordinator Health Innovation Centre of Southern Denmark
  • Professor Pat Schofield, University of Greenwich
  • Jo-Anna Holmes, Head of Integrated Care, Age UK
  • Dr Dan Lasserson, Clinical Lead, Oxford AHSN out-of-hospital care network.

Click here to book a place

The Basque long term conditions strategy

The Basque “chronicity” strategy has been widely recognised as innovative and forward thinking. It achieved a 38% reduction in hospitalisation of patients with complex needs and a 26% decrease in A&E attendance.

On Wednesday 3 June Dr Rafael Bengoa, former Minister of Health for the Basque region (2009-13) will share his experience and learning from leading the region’s long-term conditions strategy. He will be joined by Dr Josep Carbo who led the team that implemented the system changes needed for the strategy to work.

Click here to book your place which includes entry to the seminar and networking opportunities over refreshments before and after. Please note this seminar starts at 17:00.

Kind regards,

Guy Boersma
Managing Director
KSS AHSN


Events

Older people’s programme: Sussex engagement event, 21 May 2015

Independence and vitality for longer: improving care and the experience of care for older people in Kent, Surrey and Sussex.

The meeting aims to validate the case for change, an agreed vision of future sustainable care arrangements and the support programme of KSS AHSN activity to help you implement sustainable care services faster.

This is a morning event finishing at lunchtime at the Gatwick Hilton.

Please contact Ellie Wells to book a place.

PPRS/MO roadshow

This event on 19 May (hosted by KSS AHSN in partnership with ABPI and NHS England) is now fully booked. We will let you know of future events and activity relating to PPRS or medicines optimisation through this newsletter.

‘Change Management: Blueprint for Better’
Conference, London, 7 July 2015

The opportunity to learn from practitioners with knowledge and experience of leading innovative change initiatives at both local and national scale. Delegates will receive practical advice and inspiration from a range of real-life examples from public and private sector sources to help lead on change management and service improvement.

Click here to register

SEHTA AGM and “Success for SMEs”
Pounds, Policies, Proposition & Procurement

16 June 2015, 09:30 – 14:00, Leatherhead, Surrey

To be a successful small health technology company – you need cash, you need to understand the market drivers (policy), you need to have an excellent value proposition, and of course you will inevitably have to encounter the procurement process if you want to sell to the NHS.

The SEHTA annual conference will attempt to help you with all the 4 ‘P’s – Pounds, Policies, Proposition and Procurement.

To register please click here.

Save the Date: Paediatric Neurodisability Software Solutions

18 June 2015, 09:30 – 17:00, Holiday Inn, Gatwick

SEHTA, in partnership with NIHR CRN and sponsored by Kent Surrey Sussex AHSN, is pleased to announce a seminar on Paediatric Neurodisability Software Solutions on the 18th June at the Holiday Inn Gatwick.

The road from development to clinical rollout is lengthy. This event will bring academics, clinicians and business interested in this area together to focus on applications for therapy and diagnostics. In the afternoon there will be roundtable workshops to pull together industry, academia and NHS clinicians to collaborate to improve the lives of children with neurodisability.

For more information click here.


Opportunities

Programme Director: Older People’s Programme

We are seeking someone with an excellent understanding of the issues faced by older people and who is able to work inclusively and collaboratively with a range of partner organisations across Kent, Surrey and Sussex, building consensus and driving change.

For more information click here.

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KSS Leadership News – May 2015

Welcome to issue 10 of KSS Leadership News. This month has been all about planning for the year ahead for us here at the Collaborative. We also held our most recent round of Elizabeth Garrett Anderson Assessment Centres, thank you to all those who were involved! Earlier this month, we received details of our 2015 intake GMTS Trainees and have now been able to allocate them to suitable placements. Read on to find out more about our recent events and upcoming opportunities.


  • Apply to be part of the next cohort of the Director Programme
  • Find out more about the new Edward Jenner Programme launching soon!
  • Read the NHS Leadership publication on the importance of trust for effective and inclusive leadership

Attention all KSS Coaches – Coaching Supervision Available!

All active coaches should engage in two supervisions a year. This is being offered as a mixture of 1:1 and group supervision to allow some flexibility in the system.

KSS Leadership Collaborative have commissioned Robin Shohet to provide four sessions of Group Coaching Supervision to support activity. This will take place at Crawley Hospital, West Sussex. Click here for details of the group sessions available. 1:1 Supervision will be facilitated by Denise Harris and Jane Hubble. Please feel free to contact them at jhubble@kssleadership.nhs.uk and denise.harris2@nhs.net should you wish to engage in 1:1 supervision now.


Healthcare Leadership Model Update

The Healthcare Leadership Model 360 Feedback Facilitator training in Tunbridge Wells on 6th May was a success and a further 6 colleagues from across the patch qualified as feedback facilitator’s. The next opportunity to train as a HLM 360 feedback facilitator is on 7th August 2015 in West Sussex. We are also offering a half-day training conversion in July (date and venue tbc) to enable facilitators currently trained in the old model to convert to the new HLM 360. If you are interest in either of these training opportunities please contact gzelent@kssleadership.nhs.uk

KSSLC are committed to supporting our facilitators remain qualified by co-ordinating feedback requests from our partner organisations and providing facilitators with the opportunity to participate in 2 feedback sessions per annum. Organisations are encouraged to contact the Collaborative if considering the HLM 360 so we can advise appropriately. We have recently agreed to connect our network of facilitators with the London Leadership Academy to offer greater access to facilitators across both geographies. Further collaborative planning includes shared networking and learning events. There is currently an open invitation to join us in London for an HLM Networking Event on 8th June 2015. If you have not yet registered your interest in attending please do so asap by contacting gzelent@kssleadership.nhs.uk


Join us for our next KSS OD Network Meeting, 16 June 2015

Our next OD workshop will take place on the 16th June from 12.45pm in the Crawley area. This session will focus on how to create and embed coaching and mentoring into your Culture/ System. The session will cover numerous OD aspects, such as how to build coaching into every day conversations and performance management systems. Additionally, the presenter intends to spend time on what impact effective coaching conversations can have on the patient experience linking the session to “Every contact counts” and health coaching.

If you are interested in finding out more or would like to register your interest in attending, please email us.


E-Learning Module In Depth: Delivering Effective Feedback Using Emotional Intelligence

We offer a suite of free-to-access leadership and management development e-learning modules available to staff who work in organisations which provide or support NHS healthcare across Kent, Surrey & Sussex. We look in depth at each of these modules over the coming months. This month we will look at the Delivering Effective Feedback Using Emotional Intelligence.

Feedback at work happens all the time, whether through a formal feedback session, a training course, or a chat over a cup of coffee. Feedback is not a ‘one-way sGrovet’, it is very much a two way process – one person giving feedback and one person receiving it – where the focus should be on a positive end-result.

As a manager, giving and receiving feedback is an investment in ensuring that everyone is performing to their strengths.

This module allows you to identify the key skills of giving and receiving feedback.

By the end of this e-learning module, you will be able to:

  • Identify the key skills of giving and receiving feedback
  • Understand the key communication skills required to use feedback
  • Identify how Emotional Intelligence plays a crucial role in the feedback process

Understand how feedback impacts on individual and team dynamics To complete this module and find out what else is available, click here.


View the complete newsletter

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KSS AHSN Newsletter – 27 April 2015

In this weeks’s edition…

Destination sustainability – making change the norm

Speaking at the latest in our seminar series, former supply chain director at Walmart Andy Ellis described how the improvement of supply chain logistics can drive profitability in the retail sector – and sustainability in health and social care organisations.

Health and retail parallels
Andy used his experience, as a former supply chain and improvement director at Asda and Walmart Canada, to draw clear parallels between the challenges facing a complex retail business and the challenges we face in health and care. For us, these include transforming services to both improve patient care and remain sustainable in a challenging financial environment.

Hidden parts of the process
The improvements described by Andy, while using recognised methodology, addressed areas that in the main usually remain unseen by the retail customer or the system user.

That’s a useful consideration for improving sustainability in health and care services. Often it’s the patient care component of the service that is examined for efficiency savings, when perhaps change management could be looking more closely at ‘hidden’ parts of the people and process chain.

Key learning
Andy identified a number of key areas of learning from the retail approach. They include:

  • analysing everything including staff use of time
  • ensuring that the staff involved at each stage are consulted and are part of the solution
  • ensuring that problems solved are solved permanently and that improvement is permanent, and
  • change is the normal way of conducting business.

The Basque experience

Our next seminar focuses on the Basque long-term conditions strategy. Key components of the strategy include the change to a more proactive approach to the care of patients with long-term conditions, focusing staff time on tasks providing maximum value and more efficient use of public system resources. We’ll be looking at how, during the global financial downturn, the Basque region successfully improved health and wellbeing of older people.

You can book here to secure your place.

Kind regards,
Guy Boersma
Managing Director, KSS AHSN


KSS AHSN innovation summit and showcase: living well for longer, 23 June 2015

Join us for our annual innovation summit and showcase on 23 June 2015. It will bring together and build on work over the last two years to address our region’s most pressing challenges.

Working with new insight and data, together we will create momentum for accelerating sustainability in older people’s services.

Click here to book your place.


Older people’s programme: engagement events – April to May 2015

Independence and vitality for longer: improving care and the experience of care for older people in Kent, Surrey and Sussex.

Through these meetings we will validate with you: the case for change, an agreed vision of future sustainable care

arrangements and the support programme of KSS AHSN activity to help you implement sustainable care services faster.

  • Kent: 30 April 2015, Holiday Inn, Maidstone
  • Surrey: 6 May 2015, Mandolay Hotel, Guildford
  • Sussex: 21 May 2015, Holiday Inn, Gatwick.

These are all morning events finishing at lunchtime.

Please contact Ellie Wells to book a place.


Pharmaceutical Price Regulation Scheme and medicines optimisation roadshow, 19 May 2015

This free event is part of a series of 15 events across the NHS in England. It is being hosted by KSS AHSN and has been developed in partnership with NHS England and the Association of the British Pharmaceutical Industry.

We will use three key themes to explore the medicines optimisation opportunities for our region:

  • COPD (including inhalers)
  • Polypharmacy, and
  • Stroke and atrial fibrillation.

It takes place at the Holiday Inn, Gatwick on 19 May and runs from 10:00 to 16:00.

Contact Vivienne Gray to book a place.

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New foundation year announced for Sept 2015

Medway School of Pharmacy is proud to announce the launch of a new Bachelor of Science degree BSc (Hons) Pharmacology and Physiology with Integrated Foundation Year. The new programme includes an integrated foundation year leading to the existing BSc in Pharmacology and Physiology and opens entry to students from a wide range of educational backgrounds.

The Foundation Year

  • Is the introductory component of the undergraduate programme BSc in Pharmacology and Physiology
  • Includes a taught course which is work related
  • Offers an opportunity to develop and embed key academic and employability skills
  • Is divided into sections. Students who complete sections will be awarded academic credits for the work done
  • Takes into consideration prior learning, for which academic credit can also be given
  • Provides a route into a number of honours degree programmes
  • Involves employers in their design and review.

The Foundation Year equips students with the appropriate knowledge and experience to allow them to enter the accredited BSc in Pharmacology and Physiology undergraduate degree programme (without appropriate entry qualifications) directly into year one.

Students will be accepted from a wide range of educational backgrounds and each application will be considered individually.

For enquires please contact the Programme Leader, Dr Vladimir Gubala (e-mail v.gubala@kent.ac.uk; tel +44 (0)1634 202 952)

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Intellectual Disability Forum 26th May 2015

Diversity and disabilities: improving health outcomes for young people and adults with intellectual disabilities from black and minority ethnic communtities.

The Intellectual Disability Forum will be hosting this event at the Royal Society of Medicine on the 26th May 2015.

This meeting aims to:

  • Improve the cultural sensitivity of all health and social care professionals working with patients with Intellectual disabilities from black and minority ethnic communities
  • Improve the accessibility of United Kingdom health services for black and minority ethnic young people and adults with intellectual disabilities
  • Share good practice models for mental health interventions for people from black and minority ethnic communities with intellectual disabilities

For registration and full details:   www.rsm.ac.uk/events/idf02

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Effects of bilingualism on brain structure and cognition

Congratulations to Dr Christos Pliatsikas, who has been awarded a Franklin Research grant of $5,000 by the American Philosophical Society. This will support his research visit to Michael Ullman’s lab in Georgetown University, Washington DC, to kick start a collaboration on the following project: “Bilingualism: Its effects on brain structure and cognition”.

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Humour production in adolescents with autism

Congratulations to David Williams, who is a co-investigator on a grant with Shaun May (PI) and Oliver Double (Co-I) from Drama and Theatre Studies in the School of Arts who have been awarded £7,849 by The British Academy for a project entitled “Comedy on the spectrum: exploring humour production in adolescents with autism”.

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