August 2023
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Hello all, and welcome to our August edition of the Healthcare Science Bulletin.
Last month we celebrated 75 years of our fantastic NHS. Founded in 1948, the NHS was the first universal health system to be available to all, free at the point of delivery; the NHS’s founding principles remain as relevant today as they were then, and the NHS continues to innovate and adapt to meet the needs of the patients and populations.
The NHS has made a number of significant shifts in how it has delivered care in the past 75 years – tackling infectious disease in the 1950s, closing asylums in the 1980s and radically expanding treatments in the 2000s.
This is a time to celebrate our 55,000 healthcare science staff across over 50 specialisms who support our NHS by addressing the greatest challenges in healthcare, shaping and implementing scientific and technological advances – from diagnostic services to specialist treatment services that predict, diagnose and treat illness. All of this could not be achieved without our dedicated workforce, so I’d like to take this opportunity to say thank you for your hard work and commitment that keeps our NHS running day-to-day.
On workforce, NHS England also published the first ever NHS Long Term Workforce Plan, which committed to supporting staff welfare, embedding the right culture and supporting recruitment and retention. This work is important in ensuring a sustainable workforce, and I’m delighted to see the introduction of more apprenticeship training posts so more young people can pursue a career in healthcare science.
Finally, I’d like to take this opportunity to look to the future. The Healthcare science workforce will be vital to shaping our future scientifically and digitally enabled NHS, so I look forward to working with you as we make this happen.
Best wishes,
Professor Dame Sue Hill, Chief Scientific Officer, NHS England
A spotlight on...
Announcement: Victoria Chalker appointed Deputy Chief Scientific Officer, NHS England
As many of you may know, Angela Douglas MBE, our Deputy Chief Scientific Officer is retiring at the end of October 2023. Angela has been a huge part of our programme, and we thank her for all her work and dedication over the years. She has made many different contributions to healthcare, and we are all grateful for the legacy that she will leave.
Vicki Chalker will be taking up the post from September. Vicki has worked in healthcare science for more than 20 years working with infectious diseases. She is an experienced Clinical Scientist, registered with the Healthcare Professions Council, has worked for the NHE England Office of the Chief Scientific Officer as the first female Scientific Fellow and was the first Chief Scientific Officer for NHS Blood and Transplant with published works in healthcare research. Vicki will be joining NHS England in September 2023 as the Deputy Chief Scientific Officer and will continue to support NHS Blood and Transplant.
Dr Vicki Chalker said “I am honoured to be joining NHS England and continuing to work with NHSBT and look forward to helping even more patients, colleagues and the thousands of Healthcare Scientists working day and night to support care with high quality, innovative and essential science.”
Nata Zaman, Clinical Engineer
“I joined NHS in 1999 and have worked for NHS since. I am currently working as a specialist adviser on equipping for the New Hospital Programme. As an adviser my role is to engage with a host of different stakeholders as the subject matter expert looking at all aspects of equipping for a new hospital. This will ensure that local equipment strategies are in line with national strategy and are implemented in the most effective way.
I completed my Nye Bevan course at NHS Leadership academy which equipped me to move from an operational role to strategical role. The most rewarding aspect of my job is knowing that we are involved in one of the most transformational projects for the NHS, building more than 40 new hospitals to the highest standard and latest technology.
What I enjoy most is working closely with other healthcare professionals, such as clinicians, nurses, construction specialists, and researchers, to develop and implement best practices and improve patient care.
Working for the NHS can be a fulfilling job for healthcare professionals who are passionate about making a difference in people’s lives. Providing opportunity to continuously learn and develop new skills, to work in a supportive multidisciplinary team, encouraging autonomy, and providing mentorship are just some of the ways to retain our talent within the NHS.”
Latest updates
Support an application for National Honours in Healthcare Science
The Office of the Chief Scientific Officer of NHS England is encouraging nominations from the healthcare science workforce that merit state recognition.
Nominations can cover specific activities or a lifetime achievement - we’re looking for nominees who have had a positive impact in healthcare science for a sustained period.
To apply and receive a written citation in support of your application from Prof Dame Sue Hill, Chief Scientific Officer for England, please complete this Honours form, using this guidance provided by the Department of Health and Social Care.
Please send a copy of your proposed nomination to england.cso@nhs.net by 16th August. Nominations received after this date will be considered at future rounds.
Knowledge Transfer Partnership event
The Chief Scientific Officer's Knowledge Transfer Partnership (CSO KTP) Programme Wrap-up Event (pictured below) was hosted at the National Physical Laboratory (NPL) on 19th July. The Programme, an NHS England initiative aiming to speed up the identification and dissemination of high value new approaches to improve patient outcomes, offers a unique opportunity to NHS scientists to collaborate at a senior level and build long term scientific collaborations with the KTP partners - NPL, the National Accreditation Body for the United Kingdom (UKAS), the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) and the National Measurement Laboratory at LGC (NML at LGC).
Angela Douglas, Deputy Scientific Officer at NHS England, chaired the meeting where the current KTP Associates, David Hall, Sarah Misson-Yates, Mary Alikian, Stuart Scott and Ian Butler, presented on the outcomes and achievements of their projects over the past 18 months, along with the value of collaborating with the National Measurement System (NMS) and UKAS in supporting diagnostics and therapeutics, as well as emphasizing the importance of metrology within our healthcare system to underpin patient care.
More information on the NHS KTP Projects and the Programme is available in the NHS KTP Website.
NHS Clinical Entrepreneur Programme opens applications from October 2nd
The NHS Clinical Entrepreneur programme will be open and welcoming applications from the 2nd – 29th October 2023, with cohort 8 starting in March 2024. The Programme, delivered by Anglia Ruskin University (ARU), and part of the Accelerated Access Collaborative, is the biggest entrepreneurial workforce development programme of its kind and is open to both clinical and non-clinical NHS staff and has supported over 1000 innovators to develop their ideas to date.
For more information and resources visit www.nhscep.com/apply-now. You will also be able to access the application form using this link from 2nd October.
We're committed to equality, diversity and inclusion (EDI)
Over the course of 12 months, the focus of the CSO's Equality, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) programme is to develop a comprehensive strategy and toolkit specifically designed for healthcare science colleagues in the NHS. The programme's objectives encompass raising awareness of EDI, establishing a dedicated EDI strategy and delivery framework in alignment with the NHS People Plan, and the EDI Improvement Plan, and equipping frontline staff and managers with practical resources. Ultimately, the goal is to foster inclusive practices within the healthcare science community, ensuring that all individuals are aware of their rights and responsibilities concerning EDI.
If you are passionate about making our workplace more diverse, equitable, and inclusive, please do join us as a contributor using this link: https://forms.office.com/e/2pNGU2BxYc
Meet Basit Abdul, Clinical Fellow
Leading the EDI workstream is Fellow, Basit Abdul (pictured), an esteemed Healthcare Scientist specialising in Clinical Engineering. With a robust governance and steering process in mind, Basit has already established an EDI Oversight Committee to oversee the programme's progress and a stakeholder engagement process has been initiated, collaborating closely with professional bodies and EDI stakeholders to ensure a holistic approach to EDI implementation.
Resources and news from NHS England and partners
Recommendations for digital blood pressure monitoring in maternity services now available
This publication provides evidence to support using correctly calibrated and validated digital blood pressure monitors for pregnancy in maternity services, a priority which strengthens our existing NHS Long Term Plan and CORE 20Plus 5 commitments to transform maternity services across ICSs and reduce unequal health outcomes for mums and babies.
Appropriate blood pressure monitoring devices in maternity services will identify conditions earlier and more accurately and facilitate appropriate treatment for new mothers. Access the publication here: NHS England » Recommendations for digital blood pressure monitoring in maternity services
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E-learning modules to support the diagnosis of sepsis
A suite of e-learning modules is now available for patient-facing staff, laboratory staff, neonatal and paediatric staff, consultant microbiologists and members of multidisciplinary teams to support the diagnosis of sepsis: https://learninghub.nhs.uk/catalogue/bloodcultures
This follows a request from Prof Dame Sue Hill, Chief Scientific Officer along with other senior leaders for all services to ensure they are implementing best-practice actions including:
- Auditing the blood culture pathway in provider organisations to understand performance against national clinical standards.
- Establishing AMR as a core part of quality governance in provider organisations and pathology networks.
- Appointing AMR leads in provider organisations to monitor and drive improvement.
Read the full letter here: NHS England » Diagnosing sepsis and serious infections
Blog: Blood group genotyping will pave the way for improved safety of blood transfusion for those with red blood cell disorders
In this blog Prof Cheng-Hock Toh, Chair of the National Blood Transfusion Committee and Dr Nnenna Osuji, CEO, North Middlesex University Hospital NHS Trust consider the benefits of blood group genotyping for people with sickle cell disease, thalassaemia and other inherited red blood cell disorders. This follows a press release which announced that the NHS is introducing a genetic blood-matching test for thousands living with sickle-cell disease or thalassemia. You can find out more information at: www.nhsbt.nhs.uk/what-we-do/clinical-and-research/blood-group-genotyping/
Dates for your diary
- August: National Immunisation Awareness Month
- 17th Aug: A-level results day
- 24th Aug: GCSE results day