Placement Team

Given the spread of coronavirus (COVID-19) and the potential impact on healthcare placements, we want to support the safety and ongoing learning in practice placement environments of all our healthcare students. Your safety – and that of your patients – is the Faculty’s priority.

All healthcare students should familiarise themselves with their local policies on emergency planning, infection prevention and control and other relevant guidance, in addition to any national guidance issued by the Department of Health and Social Care and the relevant UK Public Health agencies [see below for links].

We understand that the ongoing pandemic may cause worry and anxiety about your placement, and concern about how it may affect your learning on your programme. If you have any immediate concerns about how COVID-19 may impact your learning that are not addressed in the FAQs below, please contact your Personal Supervsior or programme/year lead.

Where can I get the latest information on the current situation in the UK and information about the virus and its symptoms?

The University of Hull has dedicated web pages that offer advice and guidance to staff and students. This is updated regularly in response to any developments in the outbreak and/or changes in guidance. Please monitor your University email regularly for updates.

Department of Health and Social Care & Public Health England (PHE): Coronavirus: latest information and advice. This page includes the current situation in the UK and actions taken in the UK and abroad.

Department of Health & PHE Self-Isolation Guidance issued 12th August 2021. Please refer to the latest guidance on self-isolation and return to work following a Covid-19 contact. There may be additional mitigations put in place by employers in different settings for fully vaccinated staff who are identified as a contact. Refer to organisational guidance as necessary.

Frequently asked questions:

What should I do if I think I have contracted coronavirus, or have been in close contact with someone with coronavirus outside of the clinical environment?

NHS 111 has an online coronavirus service that can tell you if you need medical help and advise you what to do.

NHS guidance is to not go to a GP surgery, pharmacy or hospital. Call 111 if you need to speak to someone.

Stay at home guidance

Government information states that people with coronavirus symptoms or have tested positive for coronavirus are to self-isolate for at least 10 days. You can read the Government’s Stay at home guidance here.

In this instance you should:

• follow the usual sickness reporting mechanisms for healthcare students.
• stay at home – do not go to placement or University
• not use public transport or taxis
• ask friends, family members or delivery services to do errands for you
• try to avoid visitors to your home – it's okay for friends, family or delivery drivers to drop off food

Travel restrictions

For the latest Covid-19 travel guidance please visit the Government Foreign Travel Advice website. The Government has also issued giudance on what you need to do if you travel to and from England during Covid 19. This guidance can be accessed from this Government website.

What happens if I miss theory and/or practice hours due to self-isolation or illness?

If you are tested positive for the virus you must report this to the university through the coronavirus self-reporting tool. If you need to self-isolate and take time away from your studies or placement please also inform the student hub via the Student Information Desk (SID) or on 01482 463342. You will then be offered individual support and advice around occupational health, and academic and practice learning support, as necessary. If you are tested for or test positive for the virus, please ensure that you are following healthcare advice (including the need to self-isolate) and contact the student hub and your Personal Supervisor immediately.

In both instances, individualised support to help you achieve programme requirements will be offered.

Reporting absence from placement procedure

If you need to report as absent whilst on placement, please notify your placement area in advance of their shift starting. You must also notify the Faculty Student Hub via SID or alternatively via telephone on 01482 463342 as soon as possible (before 12.00 noon on the first day of absence).

What if I miss too many practice hours due to self-isolation? Will the NMC still allow us to register if we do not meet the required practice hours?

We are aware that one of the issues that will cause greatest anxiety, particularly among final year students, is how the COVID-19 outbreak may impact on your ability to undertake the required practice hours. As the number of required hours is a legal requirement for registration, it is highly unlikely the NMC or HCPC will change their rules on this. However, please be reassured that the Faculty will work with you to help you achieve the necessary practice hours. If you find yourself with a practice hours deficit, your Personal Supervisor will support you on an individual basis to achieve the requirements. 

What if I am in a vulnerable group? 

There will also be some of you who are pregnant or have underlying health conditions which may require additional precautions or advice. If you consider yourself vulnerable please contact your personal supervisor to discuss any support you may need.

The Faculty has a responsibility for managing students' health and wellbeing in relation to placement learning and operates a screening process for students to identify any placement risks associated with Covid-19 and their underlying health status. This may result in an Occupational Health referral or advice about managing risk while on placement.

Adapted from a document produced by the Department of Health Sciences, University of York – many thanks to them for providing us with permission to use and amend it. Last update 15/03/21

Information, guidance and documents for students preparing for or currently undertaking practice experiences.

• Agile working guidance
• Change of placement criteria
• Guidance for completing the change of placement request form
• Guidance for actions in the event of bullying while on placement
• Guidance to escalate concerns about the quality of learning environments
• Working hours in practice guidance
• Safety advice for students travelling to and from placement
• Guidance for students working alongside study

• You can view your allocated placement profile on the PARE website: https://onlinepare.net/. The placement profile will provide you with lots of useful information about your placement, including the placement contact details.

Login here.

POW user guide

TMS user guide

• Agile working guidance
• Competency Framework
• Making up missed timetabled sessions (theory) and practice hours
• PEP login
• PEP how to guide
• Practice placement absence reporting flow chart
• Processes for escalating concerns regarding students on practice placement
• TMS User Guide for Practice Partners
• TMS User Guide – Demonstration
• Working hours in practice guidance

Transition to SSSA

The NMC has developed new standards for all NMC approved education programmes including: 

• Pre-registration nursing
• Pre-registration midwifery
• Nursing Associates
• Non-medical prescribing

In addition, the NMC (2008) Standards for Supporting Learning and Assessment in Practice (SLAiP) have been replaced with NMC (2018) Standards for Students Supervision and Assessment (SSSA). These standards replace placement supervision and assessment using mentors and practice teachers with new roles of:

• Practice Supervisor
• Practice Assessor
• Academic Assessor (See NMC website for more information). 

To support the preparation of existing mentors to these new standards the Midlands, Yorkshire, East of England and  North East of England (MYNEE) Practice Learning Group have developed the following online Transition workbook. Details where mentors need to send confirmation of completion are contained at the end of the workbook:

• MYEPLG Workbook for Transition

To support the preparation of Practice Supervisors to these new standards the Midlands, Yorkshire, East of England and North East of England (MYNEE) Practice Learning Group have developed the following online Preparation for Practice Supervisor workbook. Details where staff need to send confirmation of completion are contained at the end of the workbook:

• MYEPLG Workbook for Practice Supervisor Preparation

To support the preparation of Practice Assessors to the new standards the MYNEE Practice Learning Group have developed the following online Preparation for Practice Assessor workbook. Details where staff need to send confirmation of completion are contained at the end of the workbook:

• MYEPLG Workbook for Practice Assessor Preparation
• MYEPLG Notepad for Practice Assessor Preparation

If you have any questions or queries about the documents please contact your Placement Learning Facilitator / Clinical Skills Tutor, Link Lecturer or fhs-placements@hull.ac.uk.

Preparation for Midwives

• Midwifery workbook for practice supervisor and practice assessor preparation
• Training Notes Booklet - Midwifery
• Course Evaluation form - Midwifery

Practice Assessor/Supervisor/Educator updates 

• City Healthcare Partnership (CHCP)
• Hull and East Yorkshire Hospitals NHS Trust ( HEY Trust ) – including Midwifery
• Humber NHS Foundation Trust

• Diana, Princess of Wales Hospital (DPoW) - Mentorship updates 2019
• Scunthorpe General Hospital - Mentorship updates 2019
• Private Independent Voluntary (non-NHS) placements

Nursing Degree and Nursing Associate Updates

• Nursing Degree and Nursing Associate Update and Apprenticeships - Mentor Day - 18.04.18 Presentation Slides

Nursing (adult, child, learning disability and mental health)

From September 2020 we will be adopting the Pan Midlands Yorkshire and East Practice Assessment Document called the MYE PAD which will be on a web based platform called PebblePad. Please use the following resources to famialiarse yourself with the content and functions of MYE PAD

• MYE PAD training slides for practice staff
• Here is an open access demonstration version of the MYE PAD
• MYE PAD guidance for Practice Supervisors and Practice Assessors

Please find links below for guidance for the current ePad

• Mentor guidance for ePAD
• Practice Supervisor feedback form

Please find below links to pdf versions of the current ePAD:

• Practice supervisor and practice assessor handbook
• ePAD Adult Nursing
• ePAD Child Nursing
• ePAD Learning Disability Nursing
• ePAD Mental Health Nursing
• BSc (Hons) Nursing (Adult) Apprenticeship

Midwifery

Practice Assessment Documents (PAD)

Practice module: 1, 3, 4, 5, PG1, PG2, PG3, S1, S2, S3

Nursing Associate

Practice documentation

• Practice Assessment Record (PAR) and additional sheet
• FAQs
• FD in Health and Social Care (Nursing Associate)

Operating Department Practice

• Clinical Learning Outcomes - years 1-3

Paramedic Science

• Practice Placement Handbook and Practice Assessment Document (PAD) Year 1
• Guidance for Mentors and Student Paramedics

For PebblePad technical support and help including requests for a PebblePad account:

Students - please use the University of Hull ICT Service Desk. Visit support.hull.ac.uk where you can access key service information and advice online 24/7, as well as log and manage your requests. 

Practice staff - please contact the University of Hull ICT support team using the email address pebblepad@hull.ac.uk for any technical issues with Pebblepad.

This video explains how to 'get started' with PebblePad. 

This document is a quick start guide on accessing PebblePad and assessing students work.

This Canvas resource site contains further information and guidance for PebblePad.

Students spend 50% of their programme in practice so it is important that this experience meets the standards required by both professional and funding bodies such as the Nursing and Midwifery Council and Health Education England (working across Yorkshire and Humber).

Audit Process

Ensuring the quality of the practice experience is a joint responsibility between the practice provider, the student and the University. One way this is achieved is through the audit process where practice and a university link lecturer come together regularly to review the learning experience, look at examples of good practice and consider any actions for future development.

Student Placement Evaluation

Another important way practice providers, the student and the University maintain the quality of practice learning is through student evaluation. Healthcare students are expected to complete a placement evaluation after each practice placement.

Find out more about the Audit and evaluation processes.

How to complete a placement evaluation in PARE

You can access the PARE website from this link where you can view your allocated placement profile and leave an evaluation.

Reporting concerns about a placement

Healthcare professionals of the future need to ensure that they meet the requirements of both the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) and Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC) as caring and responsible professionals who will have the privilege of caring for vulnerable patients and clients. This includes identifying issues of concern and reporting these to the University. To achieve this, we have very robust systems which enable students and health and social care professionals to identify issues of concern which include: witnessing unsafe clinical practice, concerns about the quality of the placement learning environment and bullying.

Below are links to the processes used in the Faculty of Health Sciences

• Guidance for actions in the event of bullying while on placement
• Processes for escalating concerns regarding students on practice placement
• Raising practice-related concerns
• Raising practice concerns tracking form
• Placement Charter