Education for Health Logo

The Athenaeum
10 Church Street
Warwick
CV34 4AB
Email


Charity Reg No: 1048816
Company Reg No: 3090774

Chairman: Dr Jonathan Shapiro
MA (Cantab), MB, ChB, MRCGP

Press Releases & News

Press Releases & News at a glance:

 

Dr Jonathan Shapiro takes up the role of new Chairman at Education for Health - 24 June 2008

Across the globe, the number of people with one or more chronic illnesses is rapidly increasing. The leading educational charity Education for Health, which specialises in providing training for health professionals in the treatment and management of long term conditions, has underlined its commitment to improving the lives of millions of people throughout the world with the appointment of Dr Jonathan Shapiro as its new Chairman.

Dr Shapiro’s arrival highlights the Charity’s belief in the importance of long term illness to the future of world health and builds on its growing portfolio of disease education and the number of countries with which it works. Chief Executive Monica Fletcher said “Continuing professional development (CPD) is vital in improving sustainable service development and promoting evidence based care. Dr Shapiro’s management experience and academic reputation are a powerful addition to our ability to promote acceptance of the importance of health professionals’ education. High quality education develops confidence, competence and clinical credibility - it’s been shown to make a measurable difference to the lives of patients with long term health conditions”(1).

With a background that combines medicine with management Dr Shapiro’s interests centre on a whole systems approach to the analysis and improvement of healthcare. Of particular relevance is Dr Shapiro’s work on the organisational and professional boundaries that have historically obstructed the delivery of truly holistic care. This is an area in which Education for Health is investing heavily through further development of its ‘locally delivered learning’ programme and its international network of lecturer practitioners.

Dr Shapiro is joining Education for Health at an important time for its development. Having been traditionally involved in training for clinicians involved in the treatment of respiratory and cardiovascular diseases, its range of long term conditions continues to grow with recent developments in the areas of diabetes and stroke management, with the whole gamut of other long term conditions to follow. Moreover, as the expertise in their methods is being increasingly recognised, Education for Health are also working with more and more overseas organisations in countries including Scandinavia, Bangladesh, Syria and the United States.

On taking up his post Dr Shapiro commented: “I am delighted to be part of the work that Education for Health is doing. The 21st Century is fast becoming the century of long term conditions, and the more we can contribute to improving the lives of people with such illnesses, the more successful I will feel the charity to be. Health professionals will always need support and training. I see a growing and pivotal role for Education for Health in meeting those needs”.

Education for Health is keen to encourage those wishing to explore areas of mutual interest for collaboration to contact Dr Shapiro or Chief Executive, Monica Fletcher directly:

Dr Jonathan Shapiro: jsx@gmx.com   
Monica Fletcher: m.fletcher@educationforhealth.org.uk

- Ends -

Notes to Editors:

More information about Dr Jonathan Shapiro and our Board of Trustees can be found at:

http://www.educationforhealth.org.uk/pages/about_us/board_trust.asp

About Education for Health

Education for Health is the UK’s leading education Charity for health professionals working with patients with long term conditions. It aims to provide a consistent, comprehensive and innovative approach to professional health training across the fields of cardiovascular, respiratory and allergic diseases, with the ultimate objective of transforming lives worldwide. Educational programmes are run nationally and internationally and are accredited by the Open University.

References:

Sheikh A et.al. Standardized training for healthcare professionals and its impact on patients with perennial rhinitis: a multi-centre randomized controlled trial.  Clin Exp Allergy 2007; 37(1):90-99

For further information please contact:

Candy Perry - Head of Corporate Communications and External Affairs
Education for Health
Tel: 01926 836995
Email: c.perry@educationforhealth.org.uk

Sarah Wilson - Communications Assistant
Education for Health
Tel: 01926 838968
Email: s.wilson@educationforhealth.org.uk

First study to show that children who have hayfever symptoms while taking their GCSE exams are 40% more likely to drop a grade between their mocks and final exams - 27 May 2008

An awareness-raising campaign entitled 'Unblock your potential' has been launched this summer by Schering Plough and is being endorsed by Education for Health. The campaign is based on our study published last summer which showed that young people with hayfever symptoms on an exam day were 40% more likely to drop a grade between their mock and final exams - a figure which jumped to 70% if they were taking sedating antihistamines (which accounted for nearly a third of those taking hayfever medication).

Two things you should be doing right now:

  1. Making sure that none of your patients with hayfever are taking sedating antihistamines
  2. Checking that all of your patients with hayfever (and where appropriate their parents or guardians) are using their nasal sprays or taking their tablets properly and know when and how to take them for optimal relief.

Dr Samantha Walker, who led the original study, also sits on the Standards of Care Committee which has developed the British Society of Allergy and Clinical Immunology (BSACI) guidelines for the management of allergic and non-allergic rhinitis. She hopes that the campaign will ensure that more healthcare professionals take hayfever seriously and said, "The new BSACI guidelines clearly recommend topical nasal corticosteroids as the treatment of choice for moderate to severe disease and state that treatment failure may be related to poor technique in the use of nasal sprays and drops. If successful, the 'Unblock your potential' campaign will mean that more health professionals will recognise hayfever symptoms more often, get more patients on more effective treatments and ensure that those patients understand how and when to take those treatments for optimal relief of their symptoms."

Click here for a summary of the original research, key facts about hayfever and links to our allergy training...

If you are interested to know more about the 'Unblock Your Potential' Campaign, which is aimed at school nurses and health professionals in primary care, a resource pack has been sent to school nurses and other primary healthcare professionals, including all of Education for Health's current membership.

If you would like to receive additional packs or posters, please email your requirements to: unblockyourpotential@hhealth.com

80-100% Sponsorship for respiratory training - book now - 27 May 2008

Nurses may be able to claim 85%-100% sponsorship for respiratory training this summer, following recent agreements in education funding arrangements between Education for Health and AstraZeneca.
AstraZeneca has provided a sponsorship grant for this independent programme.

Places will be allocated on a first come - first served basis. The 2008 courses available are listed in the table and dates can be downloaded from the newly updated Course Calendar:

Download the Course Programme for further details...(PDF)

Courses available (to be confirmed)
85% sponsorship 100% sponsorship (short courses only)
Asthma Deg L3 Asthma Update
COPD Deg L3 Essentials of COPD
Pulmonary Rehabilitation Deg L3 COPD Update
Respiratory Therapeutics Deg L3 Homecare and the COPD Patient
Asthma Dip L2 Paediatric Asthma
COPD Dip L2 Pulmonary Rehabilitation
Paediatric Asthma Dip L2 Spirometry
Paediatric Respiratory Disease Dip L2  
Spirometry for Practice Dip L2  

To reserve your place call Laura Edwards on 01926 836832 or Email Laura

Comment from leading education charity Education for Health regarding news of £77 million to be invested in implementing the national stroke strategy - 15 May 2008

The stroke strategy focuses on hospital care but we need to be thinking far more about prevention. We need to be educating the public about risk factors for stroke including hypertension, smoking, atrial fibrillation, diabetes and weight. Whilst £77 million will significantly help those who have suffered a stroke already we need to concentrate much more on the prevention and early detection of patients at risk of stroke. This makes it a primary care issue and needs to be incorporated into the government's current drive for health screening. It's vital that nurses are trained to recognise the risk factors associated with trans ischemic attacks and stroke. It's even more critical that nurses are able to communicate risk in ways which all patient groups can understand and which motivates them to act.

Chief Executive Monica Fletcher said "Stroke prevention is undoubtedly a role for primary care nurses. They will need guidance, support and training to enable them to impact on the figures of stroke sufferers by helping to prevent stroke in the first place. As the leading education charity which trains health professionals to make a difference to the lives of their patients with long term conditions, Education for Health is uniquely positioned to help the healthcare workforce embrace prevention. Our recently announced toolkit How to make your case for education and training, includes the case for stroke education. This toolkit is the first of its kind.  As Health Secretary Alan Johnson admitted last week, it's a nonsense that nurses are funding their own education. Perhaps some of the £77 million could be ring fenced for stroke prevention."  

For further information contact Candy Perry on Tel: +44 (0)1926 493313

How To Make Your Case For Education And Training - 15 April 2008

Unique Toolkit offers nurses a simple, effective way to produce business cases to successfully secure funds for their continuing professional development

‘How To Make Your Case For Education and Training’ is the name of the new toolkit launched today by leading education charity Education for Health. It contains evidence based, disease specific business proposals for nurses to use to establish their current levels of knowledge, understanding and experience, and plan development of their competencies within the framework of the health needs of their practice population in a way which is meaningful to the Quality and Outcomes Framework (QoF), the Knowledge and Skills Framework (KSF) and National Workforce Competencies.

The complete Toolkit can be viewed and downloaded here...

Free access to courses for health professionals working in the East Midlands and Yorkshire & Humber SHA areas - Apr 2008

Expanded education commissioning arrangements with East Midlands and Yorkshire and Humber Strategic Health Authorities means that nursing and allied health professionals can now freely access a whole range of short courses, modules and programmes at diploma, degree and Masters levels. You can even arrange for fee-free team training in your own area for groups of 10 or more.

Places are allocated on a first come, first served basis.

For the East Midlands area, the quickest way for you to find out more information is to contact
Nina Rawstrone:
Email Nina

List of courses available in the East Midlands region... (PDF)

Contact our preferred partner in Yorkshire and Humber area, Julie Catchpole of Rotherham Respiratory Group: Email Julie

List of courses available in the Yorks & Humber region... (PDF)

region_map

New Trainers offer more opportunities for locally delivered training - Apr 2008

Education for Health trainers offer vital links to evidence-based practice. They influence the way health professionals approach learning by guiding them through the different aspects of disease management. Their facilitation skills encourage colleagues and students to really engage with their subject and relate theory to practice. All of them are practicing clinicians and many become key opinion leaders.

We are delighted to welcome eight new Trainers to our team.

For more information on how to book training in your local area:
Email: Nina Rawstrone

To find out more about becoming a Trainer go to our Trainers Network area...

Name
Current role
 PCT Now training in
Pamela Adele Considerable experience in primary care with specific focus on respiratory diseases North Tees COPD
Amanda Crundall Heart Failure Nurse Specialist Doncaster East Heart Failure
Chris Doyle Advanced Nurse Practitioner, Asthma & Allergy Liverpool Paed Asthma
Sonia Foster Lead Development Nurse for LTC & Education Sheffield, Rotherham, Bucks Heart Failure
Erica Haines COPD Nurse Specialist Bucks Asthma/COPD
Catherine Hodge Nurse Manager/Nurse Practitioner Hartlepool COPD
Elaine Kelly Clinical Nurse Specialist, Children's Asthma RLC NHS Trust Paed Asthma
Nikki Rochnia Respiratory Nurse Specialist Kirklees, Wakefield COPD

2008 Course Programme - All courses can be 'locally delivered' - Apr 08

The new Course Programme contains the dates and locations of all courses which are enrolling now. It also acts as a check list of courses which can be delivered in your local area. This means that you can arrange for continuing professional development to be based around the wider needs of your practice, team or care pathway.

team_working_image
Team training can sometimes be the difference between whether or not learning is actually implemented post course. Whilst good quality education is key, a lack of shared understanding between health professionals in the same practice or locality can prevent knowledge taking root and undermine new found competence and confidence.

With more than 50 courses and programmes in respiratory, cardiovascular and allergic disease, including new courses in Diabetes, Stroke and CVD Risk assessment you can access one of the largest flexible distance learning programmes in the world, right on your doorstep.

New Patient Charter empowers patients and encourages partnership

Primary care nurses should display their certificates of accredited education in the consulting room and make sure that their education is detailed in practice leaflets and websites. This is just one of the key messages to come from our new Patient Charter for managing long-term conditions.

New Course in CVD Risk - Mar 2008

Have you considered that there might be other things you could discuss with your patients other than what they originally come to see you for? As impetus builds around health screening it's vital that the health care community appreciate that routine appointments might uncover a multitude of risk factors. Action and proper management now might prevent a future cardiovascular event. Our new CVD risk assessment course will equip you with skills and knowledge to recognise risk factors and use your consultation skills to uncover less obvious risk factors . It will give you the confidence to utilise time during a seemingly routine appointment to undertake a CVD risk assessment, enable you to establish your patient's level of risk and act on this information together right there and then.

More information from Clinical lecturer Eileen Pearson:
Email Eileen

New collaborative arrangement enables FREE access to eGuidelines for our e-Newsletter readers - Jan 08

Education for Health and Medendium Group Publishing (MGP) Ltd are collaborating on some exciting new projects in 2008. An early benefit for readers of the Education for Health e-Newsletter Taking Action is free registration to eGuidelines.co.uk. The normal rate for an annual subscription is £60 + VAT.

The eGuidelines site offers full access to all the guideline summaries from the Guideline handbook, and every article from the 'Guidelines in Practice' monthly journal.

Liz Bryant, Clinical Lecturer in Long-Term Conditions and Head of Student Support says, "The eGuidelines website offers quick, easy and reliable access to national guidelines. Free access is a real bonus to everyone interested in evidence-based practice."

You can register free for our e-Newsletter and receive details about free access to eGuidelines...

Download a FREE template for use on your computer to help you detect which of your asthma patients also have allergic rhinitis - Dec 2007

Over half of patients with asthma may also have allergic rhinitis.

Download a FREE computer template to help you detect which of your patients have this comorbidity and update relevant patient READ codes.

It has recently been reported that over 50% of patients with asthma have allergic rhinitis in developed countries (Gaugris et.al. 2006).

Current guidelines recommend that patients with asthma should be appropriately evaluated for rhinitis (ARIA At-A-Glance Pocket Reference, 2007).

This page gives a free link to a template produced by Dr D Shepherd of the Leicestershire Primary Care Audit Group supporting asthma review using the 6-Point Asthma and Allergic Rhinitis Status Measure developed by GPIAG and Allergy UK.    

If you would like to download this FREE template to help you detect allergic rhinitis in patients with asthma please click on the following link:
Download FREE Template

Over half a million UK patients with respiratory disease may be getting the wrong diagnosis and care; Download FREE Toolkits - 1 October 2007

New survey finds many practice nurses are assuming clinical roles for which they have not been properly trained.
As many as 4,498 nurses working with patients with respiratory disease may not be providing appropriate care or treatment for their patients with asthma or COPD.

638,000 people with long term respiratory health conditions could be receiving their diagnosis, treatment and ongoing care from practice nurses who have not been adequately trained for that role according to the findings of a national survey conducted by the Charity Education for Health.

Download FREE Toolkits - How to present and win your case for education
The survey highlights the need to invest in nurse education and to support this we have launched some FREE downloadable toolkits called ‘How to present and win your case for education’. We will be featuring a series of these toolkits for long term conditions over the coming months:

The complete Toolkit can be viewed and downloaded here...

Patient Charter
To help more patients have the confidence to ask the right questions we launched a Patient Charter at the House of Lords on 10th October at an event which celebrates our 20th Anniversary of improving the lives of patients with long term conditions through training the health professionals who care for them.

Nine out of Ten at risk from heart disease, stroke and kidney failure - 20 August 2007

Up to ninety per cent of Britons can expect to suffer from high blood pressure putting them at risk from heart disease, stroke and kidney failure if current rates continue, according to a recent editorial in The Lancet medical journal. Hypertension is now so widespread it is even being diagnosed in adolescents and children.  Over the next 20 years, it is predicted the number of sufferers worldwide will soar past the billion mark leading to a global epidemic.

High blood pressure is a ticking time bomb.  People are often unaware they have high blood pressure until it is identified during a routine assessment.  There are often no symptoms and, unfortunately in some people, it is not diagnosed until a heart attack or stroke occurs with sometimes devastating consequences.

The main causes of hypertension are obesity, high cholesterol and diabetes.  In addition, modern lifestyles with poor diet and lack of exercise are suggested as further contributory factors leading to a dramatic rise in cases of hypertension.  However, this is preventable if people of all ages start reviewing and addressing their lifestyles to reduce their risk. Education for Health has courses available for health professionals in both Hypertension and Cardiovascular Risk Assessment.  Both of these courses will help you in identifying, screening and supporting patients whilst delivering evidence based care.

For study details including aims and learning outcomes plus who to contact for further details, view the following links:

Managing Long Term Conditions - New prospectus launches today - 28 June 2007

New short courses - new modules - new prospectus

We are pleased to announce the launch of our new Managing Long Term Conditions prospectus, marking the first of Education for Health’s new range of prospectuses, designed according to areas of special interest. 

Now available to download from our website (also available to be posted as hard copies on request), it features up to date information and prices regarding the courses currently on offer.

Our comprehensive range of Open University validated and accredited cardiovascular, diabetes and respiratory courses are all detailed in the prospectus, including clear learning outcomes and breakdown summaries of each of the individual short courses and modules:

Following the recent validation of our new Cardiovascular Diploma Programme earlier this year, students can now read up-to-date information on this, as well as our other, more established Diploma, Degree and Masters’ Programmes.  Detailed market research and inclusive customer research projects carried out in collaboration with our newly established Market Research team, have also prompted development of a number of new modules including Diabetes, CVD Risk and Atrial Fibrillation.  This strategic move means that along with our well established and popular respiratory courses, Education for Health’s offer of evidence based education for improving the care and management of people with long term conditions is hard to beat.

The increasingly popular Partners in Care and recently launched 5 day course Essentials of Primary Care Nursing are more new additions to the body of education available which supports delivery of the long term conditions agenda. It seems more and more people are realising the importance of undertaking such courses in the ever-changing world that is primary care.  Open to any health professional, from any background, these flexible short courses are beneficial to everyone who works in, or is interested in learning the latest techniques for supporting patients in shared decision making, or really getting to grips with the principles of managing co morbidities in primary care.

The launch of this, the new Managing Long Term Conditions prospectus, marks the first of Education for Health’s new range of prospectuses which are being designed according to areas of special interest.  A move precipitated by consultation with health professionals and education commissioners.

Managing Long Term Conditions Prospectus 07/08...

Additional prospectuses for Respiratory Disease, Allergic Disease and Cardiovascular disease will be launching over the coming months so watch this space.

For further details visit our course pages and to book your place:

Call us directly on +44 (0)1926 493313
Email Enquiries

New Study finds link between Hayfever and Exam Performance - 13 June 2007

We are pleased to announce today the publication of our paper on the impact of hayfever on exam performance in school children.  The paper, published online in the Journal of Allergy & Clinical Immunology, is the first study to show that children who have hayfever symptoms while taking their GCSE exams are 40% more likely to drop a grade between their mocks and final exams.  This figure rises to 70% if they are taking sedating anti-histamines.

"It is vital for young people that health professionals know about hayfever, are familiar with effective treatments and are doing everything they can to ensure that sufferers take them regularly during the pollen season," commented Dr Samantha Walker, study lead and Director of Education, Research & Development at Education for Health.

Key facts:

  • Allergic rhinitis (nasal allergy) is estimated to affect 15 million people in the UK
  • Its incidence has tripled over the last 20 years
  • 36% of sufferers report a moderate to severe impact on their daily activities

View the full Press Release below:

For further information please contact:

Dr Samantha Walker
Tel: +44 (0)1926 493313

Allergy-trained health professionals improve patients’ health-related quality of life – it’s official!

We are delighted to finally see the publication of our research looking at whether allergy training for health professionals led to improved quality of life for patients with rhinitis.   In a large community-based randomised controlled trial in 20 health professionals and 200 patients, we showed that patients who received care from allergy-trained (Education for Health’s allergy module) doctors or nurses had significantly improved health-related quality of life compared to patients who continued with their usual care (1).   Our findings showed not only that patients’ quality of life was improved, but that the nurses and doctors were more confident and competent in delivering allergy care. 

This research is important on two counts; firstly, it supports the NHS agenda of improving primary care allergy services by showing that allergy training is feasible and deliverable in primary care, and secondly, that patients benefit as a result of health professional education.  If you have completed our allergy module and are seeing patients with allergy, you can take pride in the fact that you will be improving patients quality of life as a result; if you haven’t, then here is the perfect justification for registering for our allergy module today!

(1) Sheikh A, Khan-Wasti S, Price D, Smeeth L, Fletcher M, Walker S. Standardised training for healthcare professionals and its impact on patients with perennial rhinitis: a multi-centre randomised controlled trial. Clin Exp Allergy 2007; 37:90-99.

For more information on this piece of research and a copy of the paper, please contact Samantha Walker - Research Director: Email Samantha

Information on our research directorate and other ongoing research projects

Or contact Jane Upton - Research Project Manager: Email Jane

Education with a Future - film now showing - 22 January 2007

This short film, Education with a future, was created because the NHS Alliance wanted to highlight how an innovative attitude and pioneering approach can be harnessed to meet the challenges of caring for 18 million people who have long term conditions.

Our mission and achievement is to be at the forefront of professional clinical excellence in cardiovascular disease, diabetes, respiratory and allergic disease. To continue to set and promote standards of best practice and to continue to establish practice nursing as the profession and recognised career choice for providing front line care which makes a real difference to patients’ lives.

At a time when the NHS is facing challenge and crisis, our story and reputation seems to consistently cut through and offer real and relevant ways for health professionals and managers to move forward. Last year alone more than 4200 health professionals across thousands of practices, wards and communities chose distance learning with Education for Health to help them deliver their part of the long term conditions agenda.

This year we celebrate 20 years of pioneering education in primary care. We were proud to be asked to showcase our story, and are delighted to be able to share it with you here.

View film now showing...

Please note: Film uses MS Media Player V11. To avoid downloading time we have streamed the film so there is a good balance between download speed and quality. The minimum connection that you need to view the video is 512kb (slowest broadband connection).

Special highlights from the film…..

 

Fiona Shally - Practice Nurse
"Having four children and having to work full time, it’s important to be able to get the work-life balance right by being able to do distance learning which allows me to do that.”

Bryan Stoten - PCT Chairman
"I think Education for Health is going to deliver the White Paper.
If we’re serious on getting domiciliary care and community nursing care right, we’ll have to invest in training.  I think the future for this sort of training particularly distance learning training is very strong indeed.”

David Colin Thome - Director of Primary Care, Department of Health
"Education and training is fundamental to developing better care for  patients and since primary care is taking on a  whole range of new responsibilities and extending services we need to have the skills and competencies in place amongst all primary care professionals."

Sue Cross - Working in Partnership Programme (WiPP)
“The nurses very much work alongside the GPs and have their own caseloads and can prescribe and so they need this high level of education and training to improve their competencies."

For further information:

Education for Health achieves Employer of Choice Award - December 2006

 

The organisation which received a "highly recommended" commendation in 2004, has grown from 30 to 50 staff and the award was granted in December 2006.

Education for Health achieved the Warwickshire Employer of Choice Award 2006 for a medium sized employer. This award was granted following a visit by the selection panel to interview 6 members of staff from across the organisation.

 employer_of_choice_logo

Gill Parks, Director of Operations, said "We are delighted that the work we have done to support our employees with work-life balance issues has been recognised locally. We believe that fostering sound working relationships with our staff is key to our success and this can be measured through our sickness levels, staff retention and staff motivation. Everyone who comes to work has a sense of purpose and takes a personal pride that the work we do here really makes a difference to patients with long term conditions".

The selection panel summarised as follows:
The winner in this group offers flexibility and choice to encourage people, with the right skills, to stay with the organisation, regardless of job role. This is clearly demonstrated at director level and, on the company visit, gave the judging panel the single best example of work-life balance in a senior role. An employee at director level who decided to put family first and only works a few hours per week, on annualised hours, while still feeling part of the organisation and being involved in directors meetings and decision making. This is a win win situation for the organisation which has retained a skilled, committed, member of staff and the employee who feels privileged to have a challenging job and still look after her children. Clearly this demonstrates that with creative thinking it is possible to offer flexibility and choice at any level!

employer_of_choice_awards2006

For current opportunities within Education for Health view our Job Vacancies page.

For further information contact us directly by tel: +44 (0) 1926 493313 or Email Enquiries

Education for Health - a dynamic new force in professional health training - 26th September 2005

Education for Health logo

Education for Health is a powerful merger of two of the UK 's leading education institutions for health professionals: the National Respiratory Training Centre (NRTC) and Heartsave. It aims to provide a consistent, comprehensive and innovative approach to professional health training across the fields of cardiovascular disease and respiratory health, with the ultimate objective of transforming lives worldwide.

Monica Fletcher, Chief Executive of the NRTC, explains the rationale behind the merger: "There is a natural fit between the NRTC and Heartsave. We both have a strong track record of providing quality professional training for healthcare professionals in the different but related areas of respiratory and cardiovascular disease and we share a common approach in terms of our ethos and core values. Being part of this dynamic partnership will add a new dimension to the way in which we operate, allowing us to offer a more comprehensive, cohesive and innovative approach to professional health training."

The partners in Education for Health have each earned a reputation for excellence in their respective areas of expertise. They will continue to provide its current range of professional education services, but increasingly, the two partners in Education for Health will collaborate to provide a comprehensive service encompassing both respiratory health and CVD.

The integration has been rapid and seamless. The two organisations now share administrative offices in Warwick and have established a new training centre, Westgate House Conference and Training Venue, allowing students from both organisations to benefit from excellent facilities and a superb learning environment. Jo int collaboration has already proved to be highly successful: in 2004, NRTC and Heartsave worked closely together alongside Diabetes Care as members of the Education Alliance to launch the popular new Diploma in Chronic Disease Management Programme.

Sue Weston , Director of Heartsave, looks to the future with relish: "We have ambitious plans for Education for Health and we believe that the organisation will make a significant impact. By pooling our resources and sharing best practice, we will be able to further improve the quality and breadth of our services. Healthcare customers will now be able to commission training in two key areas from one source, allowing greater consistency and more efficient use of resources."

In the UK there are more than 17 million people with long-term conditions such as asthma, COPD or cardiovascular disease and the numbers are rising. (1)

The foundation of Education for Health has been welcomed by David Colin-Thome, National Clinical Director for Primary Care and clinical lead for long-term conditions management at the Department of Health, who comments: "We welcome any initiative which helps to improve the standard of training for primary care health professionals working in the two key areas of cardiovascular disease and respiratory health. This approach complements the Department of Health's strategic direction with regard to the management of Long-Term Conditions and has the potential to contribute to better standards of care and improved outcomes for patients."

Heartsave is an independent charity established in 1998 to improve the care and health of patients with Cardiovascular Disease by supporting the professional development of practice nurses and other healthcare professionals through provision of high quality evidence-based training. More than 5,000 health professionals from a range of disciplines have participated in the National CVD Training Programme, which includes short courses and validated modules.

The NRTC is an independent education and research institution for health professionals, which aims to improve the care of patients with respiratory disease. Since 1987, it has trained more than 32,000 health professionals. It currently offers 16 Open University validated modules and five respiratory programmes including diploma, degree, postgraduate certificate, postgraduate diploma and MSc in Respiratory Care, as well as a range of one day short courses.

Education for Health is located at: The Athenaeum, 10 Church Street, Warwick, CV34 4AB.

Tel: +44 (0)1926 493313
Email Enquiries

- Ends -

Reference:

  1. http://www.17millionreasons.org/Viewed on 1 September 2005.


National Respiratory Training Centre wins National Training Award

National Training Awards 2004 logo

The National Training Awards are the UK’s number one accolade for businesses, organisations and individuals who have achieved lasting excellence and success through training and learning. Their aim is to recognise and celebrate the people and the organisations who create success through training and personal development.

Of the many thousands of nominees and applicants, only a few are selected as finalists. Of these, some are highly commended, some receive a regional award and some a prestigious National Training Award. The National Respiratory Training Centre (NRTC) in Warwick has achieved this highest category of award.


"Winning a National Training Award is a tremendous achievement for everyone involved in the provision of our education programmes at the National Respiratory Training Centre. The Award recognises the quality of our programmes and demonstrates not only good team development, but also the outstanding results gained by putting what has been learned into practice," said Sue Rivers, NRTC Director of Education.

NRTC Case Study (pdf)