July 2016 - elearning for healthcare
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Archive for July, 2016

Perinatal Mental Health

Posted on: July 26th, 2016 by Andy Dowden No Comments

Dr Carrie Ladd – @LaddCar

Royal College of General Practitioners Clinical Fellow in Perinatal Mental Health and GP in Oxfordshire

Although society has instilled a deep expectation that women will make a seamless transition to motherhood, there is much potential for ill health – both physical and psychological. Women may experience mental health problems similar to other times of life such as depression or anorexia but also conditions specific to the perinatal period such as postpartum psychosis. 1 in 5 women suffer mental health problems during this time but unfortunately only 50% of cases are diagnosed and even less receive the recommended specialist perinatal mental health care, meaning many women slip through the net.

There are many reasons for this under detection including the under reporting from women of symptoms for fear of failure, judgement, stigma or the involvement of social services leading to the separation from their baby. During a woman’s perinatal journey, health professionals have numerous opportunities to ask about mental health symptoms and to pick up a problem when there is one. Competing priorities, time pressures and a presumption someone else has asked are all reasons why health professionals may not ask a woman about their mental health and so miss a crucial diagnosis.

The consequences of untreated maternal mental health problems are immense. As well as the emotional, physical and psychological effects on the woman, her child may be affected too both in the short and long term. It is estimated the economic burden of maternal mental health problems is £8.1 billion for every one-year cohort of births and approximately 75% of this is for impact on the child in education and social care amongst other areas. However, in the absence of other adverse factors, early recognition and prompt treatment can mitigate this risk leading to better outcomes for all involved.

So how can those of us who work with women during the perinatal time improve this situation?

An excellent place to start is the five module elearning series on perinatal mental health available on the Health Education England elearning for healthcare (HEE elfh) platform, produced in conjunction with the Royal College of General Practitioners (RCGP) and available via open access to all. These are aimed at all healthcare professionals who may be involved in the care of women during the perinatal time. They have been written by five different authors including a consultant psychiatrist, obstetrician, health visitor, midwife and myself each giving a different perspective.

http://www.e-lfh.org.uk/programmes/perinatal-mental-health

As well, the RCGP in conjunction with NHS England has produced a toolkit of resources for health professionals to help women with perinatal mental health problems. This is a diverse collection of clinical guidance, waiting room posters, teaching material, third sector organisations, video links, website links and lots of useful patient information leaflets. It is not intended as a comprehensive text book but it is hoped to complement and support the current provision of advice, treatment and support for women & their families experiencing mental health problems during this time. The toolkit is available now with open access on the RCGP website.

References:

  1. Bauer A, Parsonage M, Knapp M et al. The costs of perinatal mental health problems. 2014; London: Centre for Mental Health
  2. Khan L. Falling through the gaps: perinatal mental health and general practice. 2015; London: Royal College of General Practitioners and Centre for Mental Health.

New Content and Learning Paths for Overseas Visitors NHS Cost Recovery Course!

Posted on: July 26th, 2016 by Frankie No Comments

This elearning package is intended for all staff involved in the cost recovery from overseas visitors and migrants. There are modules that are targeted for specific audiences, including Overseas Visitor Managers, frontline staff and clinicians, and the content now includes sessions for those involved in handing financial aspects.

A new learning path designed for use by Overseas Visitor Managers (OVMs) based in Trusts has also been added. Further learning paths for clinicians and administrative staff will be available soon.

Improved acute NIV delivery

Posted on: July 25th, 2016 by Frankie No Comments

A new elearning programme has been developed to help improve the delivery of acute non-invasive ventilation (NIV).

In addition to improving the delivery of acute NIV care the programme, which elfh has developed in partnership with Kent Surrey Sussex Academic Health Science Network, also aims to reduce mortality and promote patient safety by encouraging better adherence to guidelines. The elearning standardises and improves the competencies of healthcare professionals involved in the provision of acute NIV care by creating new NIV training material and establishing and monitoring its delivery.

The elearning programme also includes a guidance document on practical acute NIV which details the competency assessment for the practical session, a guide to completion of the practical session and case studies and supplementing documentation.

To access the elearning programme visit: http://www.e-lfh.org.uk/programmes/acute-niv/

Making Every Contact Count is now live!

Posted on: July 25th, 2016 by Frankie No Comments

This four module elearning package is intended for anyone who has contact with people to make every contact count and develop public health knowledge. The package is part of a two phase learning approach and has been developed to ensure learners gain understanding and practical skill.

The elearning can be accessed through the elfh portal for those in the NHS and also on the project website for those from other organisations who are unable to register for elfh.

Seen and Heard: e-learning for Child Sexual Abuse Awareness.

Posted on: July 20th, 2016 by Frankie No Comments

Sadly, too often the signs that children and young people are being sexually abused or exploited are being missed because healthcare professionals don’t know what to look for. That’s why the Department of Health and leading national charity The Children’s Society have worked together to develop a new, interactive eLearning course designed to help healthcare staff spot the signs of child sexual abuse and exploitation. One hour of your time could make a vital difference to a child’s whole life. The online course was developed with children and young people and based on their experiences and features powerful drama about a young boy called Tyler.

The course will give you the skills to know what to look for when you come into contact with a child or young person.

For more information or to take the course, enrol on the elfh Hub or visit www.seenandheard.org.uk.

e-Learning launched for NHS staff about raising concerns

Posted on: July 19th, 2016 by Frankie No Comments

Health Education England’s elearning for healthcare (HEE elfh) team has developed an elearning session to equip healthcare staff with the knowledge and confidence to raise concerns.

In response to concerns about culture in the NHS, the Secretary of State for Health commissioned Sir Robert Francis to carry out an independent review.  The review recommended that every NHS organisation should provide training on the value of speaking up which complies with national standards.

This elearning session will act as a helpful resource to current and future healthcare staff by promoting all relevant policies, procedures, best practice and available support in relation to raising concerns. It teaches NHS staff the value of speaking up and highlights what support is available. Speaking up about wrongdoing at the earliest opportunity can save lives, prevent harm and protect organisational reputation.

In addition two education and training films have been developed – “Raising Concerns” and “Responding to Concerns.”  The films, which complement the elearning, support healthcare professionals to feel empowered to raise and respond to concerns.

To access the elearning session visit: http://www.e-lfh.org.uk/programmes/freedom-to-speak-up/

To view the films visit: http://www.e-lfh.org.uk/programmes/freedom-to-speak-up/additional-resources/

e-Learning launched to encourage healthcare professionals to “Think Sepsis”

Posted on: July 15th, 2016 by Frankie No Comments

We are pleased to confirm that Health Education England elearning for healthcare (HEE elfh), in partnership with the Royal College of General Practitioners, has launched an elearning programme for healthcare professionals about sepsis.

“Think Sepsis” aims to improve the diagnosis and early management of sepsis in primary care.  The elearning includes five sessions:

  • Session 1 – Overview of Sepsis
  • Session 2 – Adult Sepsis
  • Session 3 – Childhood Sepsis
  • Session 4 – Complex Sepsis Issues and Future Development
  • Session 5 – Sepsis, Care Homes and the Frail Elderly.

Every year 123,000 cases of sepsis occur in England and there are approximately 37,000 deaths.   Prompt recognition of sepsis and rapid intervention will help reduce the number of deaths occurring annually.

The elearning programme has been developed for GPs and healthcare professionals working in primary care including nurses, health visitors, midwives, pharmacists and paramedics. “Think Sepsis” follows the recommendations of the new NICE guideline on sepsis recognition, diagnosis and early management which were launched this week.

To complement the elearning programme a film has also been developed.  The short film features the story of Jason Watkins and Clara Francis who tragically lost their daughter Maude aged just three to undiagnosed sepsis in 2011. The film highlights the key signs that healthcare workers should be looking out for and asks them to think: ‘could this be sepsis?’ when assessing and diagnosing patients.

To view the film and access the elearning visit the elfh website: www.e-lfh.org.uk/programmes/sepsis

National Registration Authority (RA) and Smartcard Policy

Posted on: July 14th, 2016 by Frankie No Comments

A new elearning resource on the National Registration Authority (RA) and Smartcard Policy is now available.

The Health and Social Care Information Centre (HSCIC) designed this interactive elearning resource to help newly appointed RA Managers and their RA staff gain the appropriate level of understanding around the key areas of National RA Policy.

It also provides important information about verifying a healthcare professionals identity to the required standards, reaffirms the importance of compliance with local and national RA policy, the use and issuance of Smartcards and highlights any major changes as a result of the new guidelines and implementation of the new Care Identity Service (CIS), which was launched in February 2015 also by HSCIC.

CIS brings new Authentication, Directory and Smartcard Identity Registration services for secure access to health and social care data and is the system used by RA staff across England to register health professionals with a digital identity and an appropriate level of access on a ‘passcode protected’ Smartcard, which they will use to access patient data held on clinical and non-clinical Smartcard enabled systems.

Currently there are 1.1 million Smartcard holders/healthcare professionals across England and RAs are responsible for delivering a high quality RA service to these individuals.

To help RA staff deliver a good quality RA service it is recommended they complete this interactive elearning to gain the appropriate level of knowledge around the following areas:

  • Understand their responsibility as an RA Manager, RA Agent Advanced, RA Agent or RA Agent (ID Checker), RA Sponsor and Local Smartcard Administrator (LSA)
  • The importance of a Digital Identity and the ID checking/verification
  • What are the Acceptable Forms and Combinations of ID documentation to accept from anyone requesting a Smartcard
  • The importance of ensuring local RA Policy is in line with National RA Policy
  • Key information about the use, issuance and maintenance of Smartcards

It will take approximately 25 minutes to complete, including the 5 minute assessment at the end, which requires a score of 100% to gain the certificate that can be used as evidence for the National IG Toolkit.

Please note: The appointed RA Manager is responsible for delivering RA training to newly appointed RA staff and this elearning resource is designed to help them with that task and should be used as an enhancement to any locally delivered training rather than as a replacement.

For more information, visit: National Registration Authority (RA) and Smartcard Policy

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