Wendy Wigley Deputy Programme Leader Public Health Practice

Wendy Wigley: Deputy Programme Leader, Public Health. Practice Academic Co-ordinator: Community Child Health. Email ww 1@soton. ac. uk Practice Drivers • There is a need to enhance the knowledge and skills of practitioners expected to contribute to the new public and transforming health agenda (Darzi 2008) • Child branch graduates will be important to delivering this agenda as most children are cared for in a community setting • Previously child health students would receive little community experience as part of their training • On qualifying child branch students applying to work in community teams were considered to have a limited knowledge base of the complexities of working with individuals and communities by some Trust partners. Objective The students have 2 placements per year. The objective of the model is for students to have 1 placement each year based within a ‘hub’ children and families community team. From this ‘hub’ students receive ‘spoke’ experiences with the many services accessed by children and their families that are beyond ‘traditional’ NHS health care Process The learning and teaching alignment of ‘hub and spoke’ enables the student to develop confidence within a ‘team’ setting, gaining experience and knowledge in: Year 1: participating in service provision for the well child Year 2: initiating care for children with special needs Year 3: managing the care of children with complex needs HEI Drivers • Responsibility to ensure a workforce that is fit for purpose • Curriculum review in 2007/8 introduced a broader focus on Public Health • Placement capacity and a move to increasing community based experience • The need to ensure that students make best use of placement experiences • Development of the Practice Development Co-ordinator role within the School of Health Sciences to support student learning in practice Outcome • The model enables the student to ‘grow’ within the context of a familiar community team • The team are able to ‘grow their own’ student and potential future staff member • The model enhances skill mix and employability at band 5 by ensuring continuity in practice and a meaningful progressive experience of the complexities of working with individuals, groups and communities “Hub and Spoke”: A community model for child branch students