PDU Standard 5
Leaderhip and Staff Development
Click here for Edge Hill University 'Practice Development Unit' accreditation standards.
5.1 Staff development is planned, evaluated and fairly distributed within the PDU. All staff have access to developmental opportunities and appropriate support
All members of staff at Aintree (except Medical staff) are required to have yearly updates as part of the Trust's 'Compass' review system. This is a computerised development system where staff can review their own performances, strengths and weaknesses and this is then discussed with them by senior staff.
The medical / surgical / dental staff have their own appraisal programme which is maintained and monitored as part of the training programme by more senior colleagues in the unit.
5.2 The PDU develops and facilitates multi-professional staff development activity.
The Head and Neck Practice Development Unit holds a number of in-house staff development events which include:
(i) Medical staff induction day. All medical staff starting on the unit have an induction day to acclimattise them to the unit/
(ii) SHO / SpRegistrar teaching takes place every week .
(iii) The yearly Lunchtime Seminar programme has approximately one presentation per month. These presentations are selected for their links to PDU standards. The sessions are predominantly given by Aintree H&NPDU staff but are open to all Aintree staff. The sessions are evaluated by the attendees (Hard copies in PDU Resource room) and 1 CPD point accredited by BAOMS is available for each attendance as well as a signed certificate of attendance. Click here for the Lunchtime Seminar web-page.
5.3 The unit evaluates staff development activity and links this to the PDU Action Plan.
The Head and Neck PDU has devised a course evaluation form for members to fill out after attending training / study days / conferences. Click here for the evaluation form.
Clik on the links for examples of the evaluation forms being completed:
Form 1
Form 2
As this is a relatively new project by the PDU the plan is to hold the information returned in these forms on an evaluation spreadsheet.
An evaluation report detailing the development of new roles in the head and Neck Practice Development Unit can be found by clicking here.
5.4 The PDU fosters reflection upon practice and individual practitioners demonstrate critical reflection upon issues related to practice.
(i) The relatively new 'Compass Appraisal system' provides the staff member with a range of opportunities for self assessment / reflection as well as review and support from senior staff.
(ii)As a result of training sessions for senior staff a 'Sunshine Day' for staff has been developed allowing a time out session for improved morale and group support.
(iii) The Lunchtime Seminars provide a semi informal setting for staff to hear presentations and to discuss their implications with the presenter and senior staff.
5.5 New and rotating/locum staff members are inducted into the PDU.
(i)As the PDU accreditation submission is paperless - the PDU Home page on the website also provides the role of PDU induction for staff. The home page details all of the information about what a PDU is, the H&NPDU's philosophy, its structure and history. The home page also has links to other PDU events and successes.
(ii) Click on the front cover for a printable PDU Induction Pack.
(iii) All staff at the Trust receive an Trust induction day and a yearly update of essential topics in its mandatory training programme.
Click on the link for the Trust induction programme:
Click on the link for the mandatory training programme:
(iv)New staff receive an induction pack / induction training, when they start on the unit. Click on the link for evidence of this from:
Ward:
Clinic:
Audiology:
Medical/Surgical/Dentist:
AHP:
5.6 There is strong clinical leadership enabling the Unit to work collaboratively and cohesively.
(a)
(i) The Head and Neck Practice Development Unit's evolving 'Unit Development Action Plan' has evidence to show differing bands / grades involvement in PDU projects. The Action Plan's are available to see on the Steering Group web-page.
(a)(ii)(b)(i)Each PDU standard has its own group to direct how it wants to answer the questions set out in each standard. These groups are made up of multi-professionals from the unit. The Standard Plans and progress towards their realisation is then fed back to the Core and ultimately Steering Group meetings.
Standard 1. Standard 2. Standard 3. Standard 4. Standard 5. Standard 6. Standard 7.
(ii)
(c)
The H&NPDU has a large number of projects in progress and these projects are led by a wide range of professionals:
Click on the links for examples of these projects:
(1) Consultant Led:
Airways group
Patient Concerns Inventory
(2) Registrar Led:
Audit Projects
SHO teaching
Hot Topic Group
(3) Junior Doctor:
Audit examples
Click here for an audit on MRSA in the clinical area by an MFU SHO
Click here for an audit on NICE wisdom tooth guidelines by an MFU SHO
(4) AHP:
Staff Development Project
Trismus Research
Chemotherapy project
Deaf awareness project
Tinnitus 8 step plan
(5) Nurse:
Patient Information Group
*Click here for a planning meeting from the Head and Neck patient information group
*Click here for the patient information web-page.
Nasendoscope Spray project
The Lunchtime Seminars (as per 5.2) are one of the main identifiers of the PDU in the Head and Neck field as well as in the Trust.
* Click here for the Lunchtime Seminars web-page
Head and Neck Cancer Awareness is a yearly national health promotion event developed and organised by nursing staff but very much a collaborative project involving nursing staff medical / surgical / dental staff, health promotion staff, clinical nurse specialists and community dental staff.
Click here to see a report on our efforts in the Cancer Research UK Newsletter(page 2)
Click here to see an item on Aintree's 'Head and Neck Cancer Awareness on North West Tonight'.
Click here to see a programme from the evening (professionals) seminar on Head and Neck Cancer Awareness
One of the communication vehicles for PDU events / achievements is the Newsletter.Which is put together by the PDU Facilitators. Click here for the newsletter web-page.
(d)
(i) The H&NPDU as set out in the evolving 'Unit Development Action Plan' plans staff development for all bands of staff to assist in the furtherance of their career.
http://www.headandneckcancer.co.uk/File.ashx?id=9367
(ii) Nursing staff at Aintree have recently been attending Band 6&7 -management training days where change and practical realisation of change have been the theme.
Click on the link for evidence of this:
5.7 The PDU fosters a spirit of innovation, creativity and enquiry.
The Head and Neck PDU manages to achieve this through discussion and encouragement and ideas at meetings such as
(i) Ward Meetings
(ii) The Head and Neck Airways group. This group was set up as a response to an incident in another hospital. It has measured itself against the incidents outcomes as well as involvement in the creation of tracheostiomy guidelines and subsequent changes in practice on the ward. Click here for the Airways web-page. Click here for a presentation given at a Head and Neck Audit meeting.regarding the Airways group.
(iii)Audit Meetings All new developments are discussed at the Head and Neck Audit meetings. Click here for a copy of the Audit meeting where the Airways Group changes in practice were discussed.
(iv) PDU Meetings
Among many other things discussed at the PDU meetings- one example of encouraging and supporting changes in practice is the PDU submission evidence change to a paperless approach.
Click here for evidence of meetings discussing paper-free submission. (Long term goals section).
(v)The academic resource pages of the website have been generated by the PDU with staff from the Edge Hill University Library Information Resource Centre. The rationale is for staff to have a useful portal where they can access Academic resources as well as register for and access databases. The Hot Topics page allows staff to access a weekly hot topic in head and neck research as well as access ready made pubmed searches.
Click here for a newsletter where the Academic resource has been discussed.
Click here for the Academic Resource Page:
Click here for the Hot Topics Page
(vi)Informal discussions - Much of the supportive encouragement given to staff is done through informal discussions with their peers, senior colleagues or PDU Facilitators
(vii)The Deaf Awareness project has come about after a fatality in another hospital partly attributable to the patients auditory status. This project has been led by Audiology with representatives from the wider Trust as well as the H&NPDU
Click here for the minutes of Octobers Core Group meeting for an example of its discussion within the PDU:
(viii)The Audiology department have a regular Audit Club - click here for minutes from one of their meetings.
5.8 The PDU acts as a role model developing a supportive environment.
The unit has mentors for student nurses, preceptor for new staff and clinical supervision for practicing staff. There is a trust database with the names of the nurses who provide clinical supervision but nursing staff must access this themselves. This data base is for nurses only at this present time. The unit fully supports career breaks and secondments and the PDU MFU ENT Audiology re-configuration has meant extra support and training to assist in the smooth transition.
As a result of training sessions for senior staff a 'Sunshine Day' for staff has been developed allowing a time out session for improved morale and group support.
5.9 The PDU leads changes in practice through piloting new developments.
(i) The H&N PDU has recently seen a massive change in the way that its acute care provision is supplied. Two wards - one for ENT care and the other for MFU have become integrated and now are two wards with rotating staff - one overall team, one ward looking after predominantly day case surgery and or shorter stay and the other ward providing acute care inpatient services for the longer more Oncology based care. This change in care provision was nominated for a Trust award in which it was successful.
Click on the link for evidence of this project:
(ii)
(iii)