Oxford School of Nursing and Midwifery - Summer Newsletter

OXFORD SCHOOL OF NURSING + MIDWIFERY NEWSLETTER Summer 2018 Your guide to all the goings on within the School of Nursing and Midwifery at Oxford Brookes and beyond.

WELCOME...

HELLO FROM LIZ...

HELLO FROM SARAH...

This year, as every year, has seen a great cohort of new nursing students join us in both September and January. This has included our first group of students undertaking our new Professional Doctorate in Nursing and a new Nursing Associate programme. We also congratulated our graduates at their wonderful ceremony in September; one made even more special by our speaker, Ros Alstead OBE, Chief Nurse of Oxford Health NHS Foundation Trust.

Hello everyone! It’s been quite a busy year; we have welcomed the arrival of some new staff (see page 14), as well as said very fond farewells to Lesley Smith, who takes up a Professorial post at the University of Hull, and Jane Goodman-Brown, who is now the Programme Lead for the Hong Kong programmes.

We have been working on some exciting ideas for enhancing all of our health and social work curriculum. These are based around the theme of Valuing People and include Values-Based Practice and Value-Based Healthcare. We will be having workshops to share these ideas with everyone in the next 3 to 6 months. We were delighted to be shortlisted for 2 categories in the Student Nursing Times Awards in 2018, which was very exciting and more details are in the newsletter.

In staff news, we welcomed a number of new arrivals to the Department in September 2017.

And our nursing staff involved in research through OxINMAHR are going from strength to strength.

For example, we have people making a difference in areas such as frailty, breathlessness, men with prostate cancer, developing leadership, and assistant practitioners.

We are increasingly growing our social media and marketing presence, so do look out for all of our news on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram etc.

In June, we welcomed nurses from round the world to the International Learning Collaborative meeting.

This followed closely on from the Sigma Theta Tau International European conference in Cambridge, where a number of our staff presented their research (including Dr Sue Schutz and Dr Helen Walthall, who won Best Presentation).

We have a new CPD module starting for midwives in September – Newborn & Infant Physical Examination - to which we will welcome colleagues from Gloucester and Oxford University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust.

Student recruitment is going well across the Department and conversion rates have increased significantly for the Midwifery and Public Health programmes. We are anticipating our target number of midwifery students to join us in September. So far, we have made a good number of conditional firm offers for the MSc Public Health, with many more applications in the pipeline.

The recruitment cycle for the Specialist Community Public Health Nursing programmes has only just begun, however we anticipate recruiting at least the same numbers of students as last year. Finally, recruitment to Non-Medical Prescribing is buoyant and likely to increase further with the recent changes to legislation that will enable senior paramedics to prescribe.

There is lots of other work going on behind the scenes to expand our provision elsewhere, so watch this space.

As well as all the hard work going on with recruitment, we have still managed to fit in a whole range of other activities that you can read about in this newsletter. Well done all!

This will be my last newsletter, as I am stepping down in August. It has been a pleasure and a privilege to have worked with so many wonderful students and staff.

Dr Liz Westcott Head of Nursing 2

Sarah Snow Head of Midwifery, Community & Public Health OSN+M Newsletter

IN THIS ISSUE...

WELCOME 2 IN THIS ISSUE 3 OSN+M UPDATE 4 IN THE PRESS 6 NEW DEVELOPMENTS 8 STUDENT SPOTLIGHT 10 ALUMNI SPOTLIGHT 11 INTERNATIONAL EXPLOITS 12 STAFF NEWS 14 STAFF SPOTLIGHT 15 OSN+M DOES THE ARTS

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FELLOWSHIPS, AWARDS + MORE

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CONFERENCES + PRESENTATIONS

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WATCH OUT FOR... 22 PUBLICATIONS 23

Summer 2018

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OSN+M UPDATE There’s exciting news afoot for the Oxford School of Nursing and Midwifery. We are soon to complete our branding project; more than just a makeover, this process drew on the input of staff, students and NHS colleagues to refine our identity and mission statement. At its heart, OSN+M is about driving change and empowering you to make a difference in your profession. So read on for a snapshot of what the School is working on...

OSN+M AT A GLANCE...

As we’re sure you’re already aware, as of 1 August the Oxford School of Nursing and Midwifery will begin to function as one single department within the Faculty of Health and Life Sciences.

At its inception, the School was already a unique partnership, bringing together expertise in education, research and practice. Becoming a more concrete entity within the Faculty - including all the operational and administrative functions of a department - helps us to define what the School is, what it does, and to strengthen those links between partners. It gives us a solid basis for the School to continue to improve the way we work together.

As well as allowing plans for the School to be more effectively implemented, this means that the School can communicate a much clearer identity and build a stronger community. Part of this is making sure that we keep sharing our news, our knowledge and our successes. If you have anything you’d like the School to know about - please just drop a quick email to j.webster@brookes.ac.uk

WHAT’S COMING NEXT...

The School has various projects underway that are designed to add value and improve the way we work in education, practice and research. These are a few of our current priorities. But trust us, there’s more on the way... + Reorganising our website so that all the content relating to the School as a Department sits in one place.

This is also a chance to make sure all our messaging is as engaging as possible! + Recruiting a new Director to guide the School forwards. + Developing a combined Continued Professional Development portfolio alongside our partner trusts. So that, in future, there is one place where healthcare professionals in Oxfordshire can go for all their CPD needs.

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OSN+M Newsletter

OSN+M AT ITS CORE...

After consulting with various members of staff and students from across the OSN+M partnership, we worked hard to distill your thoughts down to a simple value that drives all of our work. Here’s a preview of what we’ve been working on so far (bear in mind - this is just a taster)...

A CAREER OF A LIFETIME At the Oxford School of Nursing and Midwifery you will start a journey of discovery about yourself, and what you’re capable of achieving. Develop your skills in a variety of settings alongside talented colleagues. Push forward your profession through research, and put your findings into practice.

Oxford is the place where you will open the door to the career of a lifetime.

FOR STUDENTS...

FOR ACADEMICS...

Maximise your potential - The sky is the limit. Your qualification opens the door to a world of opportunity.

Maximise your potential - Take advantage of the opportunities of the unique ONM+M partnership.

Work with meaning - Blend cutting-edge skills with the compassion and integrity at the heart of the profession.

Work with meaning - Come to a place where you have the people, tools and resources to shape the future of a vital profession.

Excellence in all areas - We offer top-class learning, extensive clinical practice and leading research. OSN+M Excellence in all areas - This unique model of trained nurses and midwives are known for excellence. education, research and practice sets a new standard.

FOR THOSE IN PRACTICE...

FOR DONORS...

Maximise your potential - Oxford nurses and midwives Maximise your potential - Your support will be a become leaders and innovators. catalyst for excellence in the next generation.

Work with meaning - Carry the proud traditions of Work with meaning - Help us answer questions crucial nursing and midwifery into a complex, challenging future. to the future of healthcare and the NHS. Excellence in all areas - A new model of education, research and professional development, giving you the tools to meet the challenges of the future.

Excellence in all areas - Together, we can help students and professionals achieve excellence and become leaders and innovators.

THE FINAL BRANDING STEPS...

A final round of consultation on the School’s new branding is currently underway. This will give our partners an insight into what OSN+M’s communications will look like and an overview of the tools available to communicate our key messages. If you would like to know more, please contact your Head of Department.

This last step should all be completed and fed back by the end of July, so you can expect to see the finished branding in use from August.

If you have any questions about the branding or have requests for promotional items or marketing materials using the new artwork, please contact James Webster: j.webster@brookes.ac.uk Summer 2018

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IN THE PRESS We’ve hit the headlines a few times this year. Here are a few of the stand-out stories that have popped up in the papers (in case you missed them the first time round)...

Oxford School of Nursing + Midwifery nominated for two Student Nursing Times Awards...

Oxford Brookes and Swindon College graduate wins Apprentice of the Year award...

With the awards more competitive than ever, it was a terrific recommendation to be shortlisted for the ‘Student Innovation in Practice’ and the ‘Student Placement of the Year - Hospitals’ awards.

Huge congratulations are due to award-winner Louise Steer. After completing a foundation degree through Oxford Brookes, Swindon College and Great Western Hospital, she has recently been named as the South West’s Higher Apprentice of the Year!

In the first category, students Pedro Simas and Raluca Vagner received their nomination for their work with non-trauma amputees. A project that saw them competing for funding in The Global Challenge last year against 13 other institutions from across the world.

About their nomination, Pedro said: “It is wonderful to be shortlisted. The idea for our project was triggered by a personal experience whilst in practice, and it has been great to have the full support of Oxford Brookes University throughout.”

Elaborating on their project, Raluca added: “From charity founders, to amputees and professionals, all kinds of people have shared their knowledge and experience with us. We embrace the opportunity to make our website (www.stumped.org.uk – now live) known to as many people as possible.”

Dr Liz Westcott added: “I have worked with Raluca and Pedro for the last year and we are delighted that their hard work has been recognised. They are both inspirational and their work will make a real difference.”

The School’s collaboration with local NHS Trusts in providing placements was also recognised, with Oxford Health NHS Foundation Trust shortlisted for the ‘Student Placement of the Year - Hospitals’ award.

Health Education England (HEE) made the award in recognition of Louise’s dedication, skills and the difference she made while an apprentice. It’s a terrific achievement for her and a moment of pride for all the partners in the apprenticeship programme.

The Foundation Degree in Health and Social Care is run by Swindon College and Oxford Brookes University.

Louise began the course as an apprentice while working as a healthcare assistant at Great Western Hospitals.

She is now working as an assistant practitioner. She speaks glowingly of the support she was given and the difference that apprenticeship degrees can make.

“I am completely shocked and overwhelmed to have won this award. The past two years have been really challenging, however with the support of my family, friends, Swindon College, GWH and my study buddy I have achieved to the best of my ability. All the long nights and hard work have definitely been worth it.”

Annie Gough, Louise’s ward manager and the person who nominated her added: “She is a credit to the team; when we are really pushed that’s when she comes into her own.”

The awards event on 26 April was a fabulous occasion.

And while Pedro and Raluca didn’t win, they are still very pleased to have been recognised for creating such a valuable resource.

Nursing: a generation game - two mother-daughter duos at Swindon...

Two pairs of Oxford Brookes students have made the papers recently, as our Swindon Campus is now happy to host two mother/daughter teams on their nursing course.

Our first pair, Katie and Ellie (due to graduate this year), have been joined by Tracy and Madeleine and all are thoroughly enthused about their studies and their future as nurses together.

Their comments offer a ringing endorsement for the quality of support and education they’ve received. From “It was the best decision I made” to “Oxford Brookes has been so supportive”, it’s very heartening to know that our Swindon cohort have provided these families with such a warm environment in which to pursue nursing together.

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OSN+M Newsletter

Summer 2018

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NEW DEVELOPMENTS It’s the ambition of OSN+M to always be at the top our game and equip you with the tools you need to be leaders in your field. So we’d like to take a minute to celebrate a few new tools and achievements from the folks who are making that happen...

New survey aims to better understand support needs of people with pancreatic cancer...

Congratulations to two members of the Nursing team, who have recently had a book published....

Researchers at Oxford Brookes are working with Pancreatic Cancer UK to undertake what the charity describe as a “vital” UK-wide survey for patients affected by pancreatic cancer.

Gastrointestinal Nursing: A Lifespan Approach is written

by Paul Ong and Rachel Skittrall. It is published by Routledge, part of the Taylor & Francis Group, a world-leading academic publisher.

The study aims to determine the impact of the disease on quality of life and whether the care and information received is sufficient to help people manage this.

Rachel and Paul developed the idea for the book after years spent honing their expertise while teaching nursing. Supporting the delivery of the course’s science modules, the two began to realise that there was a need for a text that connected gastrointestinal diagnosis to the science behind it.

Anna Jewell, Director of Operations at Pancreatic Cancer UK, said: “Sadly, we have heard many times from people diagnosed that they haven’t had the support they need. But without hearing from patients across the UK, the full picture is hidden from us”.

Eila Watson, Professor of Supportive Cancer Care, said: “We are very pleased to be leading this study.

The findings will provide a much better understanding of people’s support and information needs, and will highlight where and how changes to the provision of supportive care may need to be made.”

Anyone with a diagnosis of pancreatic cancer can complete the survey, regardless of how long ago they were diagnosed. The anonymous survey will be conducted in participating hospitals and can also be completed online at https://tinyurl.com/2017pcuk or over the phone by calling 01865 208 108.

For more information about the survey visit www.pancreaticcancer.org.uk/supportneedssurvey

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Increasingly, nurses are expected to treat patients at all points of their life and will need a breadth of knowledge to address issues across that whole lifespan. This is why the focus of the book is on A Lifespan Approach, to prepare students in their careers ahead.

As well as being a useful text for students, they hope it will also be a vital reference points for nurses in all areas. With people living longer, often with multiple long-term conditions, most nurses will come across a patient with gastrointestinal issues at one point or another. Knowing the signs and symptoms, and having a solid grounding in the biology behind them, is of massive use in such situations. And that’s exactly what this book provides.

Drawing on a wealth of experience, you can expect to see this book in a range of contexts. It can also be found on Amazon!

OSN+M Newsletter

New e-learning tool that could improve birth experience...

Skill Suites refurb: looking swish, safe and soon to get even better. Justin Cule gives us an update...

This new tool, developed by Dr Ethel Burns and Prof.

Lesley Smith, takes an innovative approach to help midwives estimate blood loss in waterbirth settings.

Staff and students can now benefit from refurbished Clinical Skills and Simulation Suites here at Marston Road. So far, we have refurbished 5 of the 11 Simulation Suites, with the last 6 due to be completed in August 2018. This investment ensures the School has a modern setting, appropriate for students to learn the best new practices and enhance their clinical skills.

What really sets the tool apart is its versatility. Delivered online, it’s something that can easily fit around a busy workload. As Ethel Burns says, “It has huge potential … this resource could be woven into midwives’ daily work.” With more and more parents choosing to give birth in water each year, this tool could help improve both safety and birth experience.

The tool was developed over the course of two dissertation projects. Midwifery student Megan Beckhurst, while working with Ethel and Lesley to research blood loss and waterbirth, came up with the idea to create videos that simulated a waterbirth. With the help of Oxford Medical Illustration, they made 12 videos to provide a more realistic simulation than the usual static images or colour comparisons. These received excellent feedback on their usefulness and utility from student midwives at Oxford Brookes.

A second student, Zoe Rodd, then suggested the videos could be embedded in an online training programme. This was piloted with midwives in the local trust and the data gathered was very encouraging.

Now, Lesley and Ethel are further developing this tool by expanding its evaluation with more trusts.

“It has the potential to make a difference to midwives round the globe.” Says Lesley. “It’s low cost, high convenience and it could have a really wide reach.”

The tool has recently been registered as protected Intellectual Property, and once evaluation and refinement is complete, it should be available through Oxford Brookes to institutions worldwide.

Summer 2018

The new rooms can simulate clinical wards, community settings and the pre-hospital environment. Students across departments have made very positive comments on their quality and realism.

Real attention has been paid to the little details that make a big difference. From the fixtures to the floor and the light-reflecting colour scheme, these touches create a clean, fresh and realistic ward environment.

There’s even a working patient call bell system to the Activities of Daily Living suite (ADL), a wonderful home environment with a fully working kitchen and bathroom.

The SMOTS recording camera system has also been updated to high definition, to give better quality for recorded exams and student feedback.

While it was challenging to schedule the refurbishment activity - the suites are always in high demand (for learning and recruitment) - the feedback from staff, students and applicants has been excellent.

The refurb also helped us score an excellent 90% in our most recent safety inspection. Safety Manager Tim McGill reported that “there have been numerous changes to the working practices and equipment which have made significant safety related improvements.”

As well as the refurb, several changes to storage and practice have been made. Big thanks to all the technical staff who continue to make sure our facilities are top of the line.

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STUDENT SPOTLIGHT All of our students and staff will know just how busy it can be to study for a healthcare degree.

But many of our students also balance their studies against their own personal projects and exciting hobbies. Here, nursing student Ellie Berisford tells us about the Great Britain pistol shooting project, which she is squeezing in amongst the demands of her course...

I started shooting when I was 8 years old, in order to take part in local Pony Club tetrathlon competitions (these consist of shooting, swimming, running and riding). My mother taught me to shoot using a photocopied target stuck to an old piece of carpet.

As I got older, I progressed, changed ranges, moved to shooting one-handed and upgraded my gun: my skill level massively improved. But the thing that made the most difference was that I stopped taking it so seriously! I qualified for the National Tetrathlon Championships four times and, in 2015, became National Champion.

Along with tetrathlons, I took part in the Scottish Winter Postal Shoot, where you’re given 12 targets to shoot in your own time over the winter months. Thanks to my performance over five years, in May 2017 it was suggested I apply to the British Shooting Pistol Talent Pathway, which aims to get pistol shooters into the Olympics. After a selection stage, an interview and a try-out, I was surprised and delighted to be selected for the the talent development programme. Out of 200, I was one of 25 invited to join the programme.

We meet roughly every six weeks for theory, practical, physical and psychological training. I’ve been loaned an even better gun and practice as much as possible. It is quite tough fitting it in with my commitment to my nursing studies, but it is such a fantastic opportunity that no matter how tough it is I just have to get on with it.

As well as their studies and personal lives, some students also spend some of their limited time acting as a advocates to promote their courses. Lucy Partis tells us about a talk she recently gave at her sister’s school on what it’s like to study midwifery...

Back in March, I visited Brentford School for Girls and gave two talks on midwifery. My first talk was open to all year groups and was an opportunity for them to gain a brief insight into the role of a midwife. I decided that the main themes I wanted to address were the autonomy of a midwife and also the role we have in providing women-centred care. Many of the students were surprised at how much responsibility midwives have and were intrigued to find out that it wasn’t all just about delivering babies!

I also felt it was important to highlight some of the pressures that midwives are under, such as staffing shortages, increased medicalisation and the influence of the media. The students were surprised to find out that a career in midwifery wouldn’t be like Call the Midwife or One Born Every Minute.

The second talk was to a Health and Social Care class, which focused on the different career pathways a midwife can take. The students had lots of questions about these and what they involved. The teacher also asked me to talk about our role within the multidisciplinary team and what other professions were part of this team. The students ended up learning a lot of new words and their meanings including obstetrician, anaesthetist and autonomy. Overall it was an enjoyable day, which opened the students’ eyes to the world of midwifery.

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OSN+M Newsletter

Christie Roberts recently attended a very moving Florence Nightingale Foundation event...

On the 9th of May, I was lucky enough to attend a student day held in London by the Florence Nightingale Foundation. This event was to celebrate Florence Nightingale’s 198th birthday and commemorate the achievements of everyone working in nursing and midwifery across the UK. Present were representatives from around 100 universities. The day began at St Thomas’ Hospital, where Nightingale started the Nightingale Home and Training School for Nurses in 1860. And it ended with a beautiful service in Westminster Abbey. It was attended by current, future, and past nurses and midwives.

The morning consisted of a question and answer session, which left everyone ruminating on what it means to be a nurse or midwife, and the importance of continuing to learn, lead and advocate once qualified. This was followed by tours of the Florence Nightingale museum and the chapel at St Thomas’, before the service at Westminster Abbey. The service was incredibly empowering and thoughtful. It reminded all of us of how privileged we are to be receiving a nursing education. I felt very honoured to have attended this powerful event.

ALUMNI SPOTLIGHT Two of the MCPH department’s Public Health graduates tell us about what they’ve been up to since they graduated...

After completing my MSc in Public Health in 2014, I began a career in public health in Nigeria. The knowledge and skills I acquired at Oxford Brookes helped to shape a rewarding career, strengthening community health in my country.

Presently, I am Programme Manager for the Community Health Influencers, Promoters and Services (CHIPS) programme at the National Primary Health Care Development Agency (NPHCDA). I provide leadership on an initiative to improve access and equitable coverage to essential health services (especially related to Maternal, Newborn and Child survival). I have even been able to apply some of my MSc dissertation Since graduating with an MSc in Public Health in 2014, I have worked in Public Health research consulting. This has seen me lead several large research projects across Nigeria and Liberia.

research. Last year, I was part of an exciting research team that conducted home-based HIV Testing and Counselling!

I also received an award for outstanding performance (Best Agency Staff). Part of the award is an offer of sponsorship to study a course at Harvard University on the Global Health Delivery Intensive Program.

Dr Maimuna Nana Sandah-Abubakar explore how researchers in health and social sciences determine sample sizes. I will also look at when they employ the five qualitative research approaches (narrative, phenomenological, grounded theory, ethnographic, and case studies).

I hope that my work will get to the root of the strengths and weaknesses of different ways of conducting research and help to improve research processes.

I will soon begin a PhD at Birmingham University focused on research methodology. My PhD will

Kelechi Udoh

Brookes graduate? We’d love to hear from you...

Alumni events We are planning the calendar of events for 2018-19 for our alumni and would welcome feedback on what you would like to see included at such events and also whether a weekday or weekend is more preferable to you. Please do email nursing@brookes.ac.uk with your ideas.

Up to something exciting?

Like any proud alma mater, we’re keen to celebrate alumni achievements. If you have a story of your successes, feel free to email j.webster@brookes.ac.uk so we can spread your good news.

Summer Summer 2018 2018

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INTERNATIONAL EXPLOITS Oxford Brookes’ partnership with the University of Pennsylvania is the longest running exchange programme of its kind. Here, Lex Kowol and Christie Roberts share some highlights from the latest round of this 20+ year collaboration.

The Penn School for Nursing exchange at the University of Pennsylvania (UPenn) gave us the opportunity to learn at one of the world’s finest nursing faculties. UPenn is an Ivy League school and a World Health Organisation collaborating centre; it is at the forefront of global health initiatives and policies.

The exchange provided us with the opportunity to explore the differences between our two healthcare services, with their different funding models, gaining greater insight and understanding of the benefits and drawbacks to each system. This insight will be very beneficial and could be especially important due to our current government and our impending exit from the EU. Studying at UPenn allowed us to experience a different teaching model which benefited our education in many ways. We learnt how to work in an extremely stressful and foreign environment that will contribute to all of our degrees. And the benefit of the exchange is not limited to just those of us who went; we are all sharing the knowledge and skills we learnt with our colleagues and peers at Oxford Brookes.

Lex Kowol

Studying at UPenn was an amazing academic experience. The style of learning was so distinct from Oxford Brookes; there were no seminars and instead we had multiple-choice midterm and final exams. This difference ensured that we all got the most out of attending the ‘best nursing school in the world’, as rated by the QS World University Rankings. It also meant we could explore how we best like to learn, and bring our new knowledge back home to apply to British nursing theory and practice.

Practicing as a student nurse in an American psychiatric hospital and on general medicine wards was an eye-opening experience. It highlighted things that the NHS does fantastically, like discharge planning and our emphasis on holistic care.

I think we all felt lucky to be living in such an amazingly diverse and cultural city for such an extended period of time. Philadelphia is lucky to be a ‘city of neighbourhoods’ with so much to do and see. A real American thanksgiving was a really special experience, as was checking out Philly’s museums, galleries, exhibits like the Magic Gardens, and concerts at the Fillmore.

Equally, experiences like being on a college campus and living in American dorms like you see in the movies made the exchange feel so authentic. Everyone was so friendly and helpful, which combined with the amazing support from Oxford Brookes and UPenn to keep homesickness at bay.

Huge thanks go to Sarah Kagan at UPenn, and Kathleen Greenway and Liz Westcott at Oxford Brookes, for helping to make this exchange such an unforgettable experience.

Christie Roberts 12

OSN+M Newsletter

Professor Ank de Jonge flies in from the Netherlands...

Senior Lecturer Kirsten Baker tells us about her important work with Women4Health...

Midwifery Professor Ank de Jonge from Amsterdam visited us in November.

In January 2017, I was appointed to a consultancy role with Women4Health (W4H): a project funded since 2012 by the UK’s Department for International Development. I had spent eight months as a volunteer with Maternity Worldwide in Malawi during 2016 – a career break from Oxford Brookes – so was delighted to continue this thread of my work.

Ank hosted an Oxford Brookes University Maternal and Women’s Public Health (OxBUMP) seminar about Dutch maternity care for first year midwifery students.

As part of her visit, Professor de Jonge was invited to speak at the Oxford Brookes Midwifery Conference in November.

We are very grateful to Ank for her visit and her fascinating talks. We hope this is the first of many successful vists between Oxford Brookes and Amsterdam.

We are also looking at future research collaborations with Professor de Jonge, alongside a value-based midwifery project.

You can find more information about the midwifery conference on page 20.

W4H’s aim is to increase the coverage of female health workers in Northern Nigeria, improving training to achieve better maternal, infant and neonatal outcomes.

Many women, particularly in rural areas, are deterred from accessing services due in part to a cultural resistance to care provided by male health workers.

It is a complicated situation where infrastructure and culture need addressing to implement sustainable improvements.

My consultancy is around teaching and learning practices, trying to move from a ‘chalk and talk’ teaching style to a more student-centred approach.

There has been good buy in to this, and we are now producing a published guide.

Since I began work with W4H, I have made three short trips to Nigeria: to Kano, Jigawa and Abuja. On arrival I receive a security briefing from my in-country colleague: Sulaiman usually instructs me to remain strictly within the hotel compound and I rarely see fresh air! In September, however, I was able to go to a local craft market in Abuja (pictured).

Summer 2018

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STAFF NEWS We’ve had a number of new staff join the team in the last few months. Please give a warm welcome to the following...

Jane Carpenter Lecturer in Midwifery

Sarah Howcutt Senior Lecturer for Public Health

Jane joined the Brookes lecturing team in February 2018. She works half-time as a midwifery lecturer and maintains a half-time role as a practicing midwife at the Oxford University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust.

Sarah came to Oxford Brookes in 2012 to work on a research project for Alcohol Research UK, with David Foxcroft and Lesley Smith. After supporting Jane Appleton with an audit of NHS staff knowledge about Child Sexual Exploitation, she started her PhD at Oxford Brookes.

Her work concerns how to engage young women in research that explores risks to health. She is particularly interested in how social marketing and digital technologies can encourage young women’s participation in health surveys.

Her role involves: teaching and assessing theoretical and practical components across the midwifery curriculum; supporting mentors and students in practice; and engaging with curriculum revalidation and annual programme reviews.

Karen Storey Senior Lecturer in Community Karen started her career, with two very small children, training with the Bath and Swindon School of Nursing and qualified as a paediatric nurse. She later became a student health visitor, studying at Gloucester University, working in many different areas until she caught the teaching bug. She stepped into further education to teach Health and Social Care and gained her PGCE. During this time, she took two trips to Africa to work with vulnerable orphaned teenagers, which gave her valuable perspective on her life as a nurse.

After spending some time teaching foundation degrees in colleges, she became a Practice Tutor at the Open University on the Pre-Registration Nursing and Assistant Practitioner programmes. During this time, she also completed her MSc, while also working as a community tutor with a charity and holding cookery classes for vulnerable adults and young mums.

She enjoys supporting students, helping them to grow and develop. And she is very proud to teach and support people who have the potential to make fantastic nurses (her husband was a builder when they met and he’s now a nurse who works in elderly care).

She is passionate about nursing and will try and help students to reach their full potential, all with a smile on her face!

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Sarah is an Associate Lecturer at The Open University where she teaches psychology research methods, with a specialism in survey design and analysis. She will be teaching modules in epidemiology and data analysis as part of the Oxford Brookes MSc in Public Health programme.

Debra Sprague Senior Lecturer & Programme Coordinator Debra joins us on the Non-Medical Prescribing programmes, having previously worked at Birmingham City University.

Beyond Oxford Brookes, she is a Partner in General Practice in central Oxford and works as an ANP and clinical teacher in the practice.

Debra has nearly 30 years’ experience in Primary and Community Care, in a variety of clinical, managerial and academic roles. Her academic research explored role and service redesign among Community and Primary nursing services.

Debra is married with two adult daughters and a stepson, a hefty mortgage, a dog and a brood of bantams. She includes all things creative among her hobbies and enjoys theatre, gardening and allotmenteering, walking and open water swimming.

OSN+M Newsletter

STAFF SPOTLIGHT Cathy Henshall gives us an overview on her role with Oxford Brookes University and Oxford Health NHS Foundation Trust...

My role as Senior Nursing Research Fellow is a joint post between Oxford Brookes University (OBU) and Oxford Health NHS Foundation Trust (OHFT). The role is research focused and involves the design and conduct of a variety of nursing-focused research studies at OxINMAHR. I am involved in a number of research projects, with my main focus on self-management and cancer survivorship.

Current projects include the development of a self-management app for lung cancer survivors, the evaluation of a Macmillan survivorship after lung cancer project; and the implementation of a resilience programme for nurses working in forensic settings.

Grant writing and the production of publication outputs are a central part of this role.

In addition, the role involves lecturing and supervising undergraduate and master’s level nursing students and supervising PhD students.

In addition, as the Senior Nurse and Manager of the NIHR Oxford cognitive health Clinical Research Facility (CRF) at the Warneford Hospital, I am responsible for the clinical development and oversight of staff and contribute to the smooth and efficient running of the unit.

Supported by the new Oxford Health Biomedical Research Centre, the CRF’s focus is on delivering high quality experimental medicine research relating to cognitive health and neuroscience. Along with the other members of the CRF senior management team, I am responsible for ensuring that the CRF is well equipped for this purpose, as well as successfully leading the CRF in my role as manager.

My role has enabled me to build links between OHFT and OBU through working with colleagues across both organisations and through my role as a Clinical Academic Fellow in the Oxford School of Nursing and Midwifery.

Think Baby Into the Future - Jane Appleton’s been working on an innovative e-learning tool...

Since being awarded a HEA Teaching Development grant for this project in 2012, Jane has developed it alongside psychologists Professor Margaret Harris, Cat Kelly and Digital Media and E-learning Developer Irmgard Huppe. This e-learning resource was created to develop trainee health visitors’ skills in observing and assessing the interactions between mothers and their babies. Since the early pilot phase, Think Baby has been offered to trainee health visitor students across the UK. It was based on the findings of a Burdett Trust research study, which found that health visitors were more likely to comment on the mother’s behaviour in a video clip than the behaviour of the baby. Thus our simple message to get student health visitors to ‘Think Baby’ was born!

During the national rollout of Think Baby to external students, the team have worked closely with Oxford Brookes IT Services and Moodle support teams to streamline the registration process. In addition, they have conducted feasibility work with student midwives and student social workers with a view to embedding similar training within their programmes. This work overwhelmingly suggested there was potential for both midwifery and social work students to benefit from this kind of training. “…explained key themes and ways of observing interactions which is relevant and something I can take into practice” - Midwifery student “I learnt not to assume or to judge. Visit times are limited hence all practice should be evidenced based so as to avoid judgements and or assumptions”. - Social work student The team would like to thank Oxford Brookes University, the Oxford Brookes’ midwifery and social work teams, Health Education London (NCEL), Health Education Thames Valley (NHS England) and the HEA for their support.

Summer 2018

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OSN+M DOES THE ARTS...

Beyond healthcare, it’s clear that the School’s staff and students are a creative bunch with many diverse interests. Here are a just a few of the arts activities that they’ve been getting up to...

Midwives’ theatre company nominated for an award...

On Tuesday 6 March, Kirsten Baker (Senior Lecturer in Midwifery) attended the Royal College of Midwives Awards Ceremony representing Progress Theatre.

were well received and had the added bonus of bringing together a group of midwives with passion and skill in performance.

Co-founded by Kirsten in 1999, Progress Theatre was shortlisted for an Excellence in Education Award for their work that supports midwives in tackling industry problems with empathy and imagination.

Thus, in 1999, Progress Theatre was officially formed.

It’s been going strong ever since and its current members are Kirsten Baker, Anna Byrom, Gemma Boyd, Nicky Hargreaves, Radha Wilson, Fallon Dyer and Adele Stanley.

As Kirsten describes it, Progress Theatre is “a theatre company that makes work about midwives, for midwives”. They produce ‘Forum Theatre’, a unique kind of performance which makes the audience’s opinion and imagination the star of the show. A typical Progress Theatre show will present an evocative situation familiar to many midwives, then invite the audience to discuss it and imagine what the protagonist could change.

They perform regularly, often invited to conferences and student events. Their bi-annual marquee event is the Normal Birth Conference, which Kirsten refers to jokingly as “our Glastonbury”.

Coming from a theatrical background, Kirsten studied English and Drama and first became involved with the healthcare profession via undertaking roleplay and communications training with medics. She decided to become a midwife, and as her career began to head more into education, she was invited by Mavis Kirkham to deliver drama sessions for students. These sessions

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At the heart of Progress’ work are the kinds of universal experiences that challenge midwives across the profession. Capturing those moments is incredibly important, as it allows participants to explore common problems in a new way, provoking new and imaginative solutions. This also causes the occasional amusing exchange, when members of the audience assume that stories must have been based on their own unit!

Tackling important subjects like workplace ‘horizontal’ bullying, or the potential triggers of midwifery for people who have survived sexual abuse, Progress helps midwives to develop skills that are vital for practice.

As Kirsten recounts, “People often comment that moving from drama to healthcare must have been a big change, but to me one led very naturally to the other.

Putting yourself into another person’s position, knowing how to empathise and improvise, is a vital part of both drama and midwifery.”

OSN+M Newsletter

Charlotte Yeatman reports back after providing Mental Health expertise at a film screening...

The 16th annual Oxford Human Rights Festival saw a week-long programme of events on the theme of ‘identity’. The organisers were keen to embrace the notion of what makes us who we are. Of course, part of this is mental health, which plays a huge part in our identity.

As such, I was very pleased to take part in a panel about mental health following a screening of the Oscarnominated film Loving Vincent. This beautifully created animation explores the life of Vincent Van Gogh and the circumstances surrounding his death. Vincent experienced mental health problems throughout his life.

Alongside me were two other panellists. The first was Amy Enticknap, actor and co-founder of Human Story Theatre, a pop-up theatre company based in Oxford focusing on plays with health and social care issues at their heart. The second was Andi Reiss, filmmaker and

Trustee of mental health organisation Mind. The talk was chaired by Clara Blackings.

What followed was an interesting and varied discussion, with each of us able to offer a unique perspective based on our different mental health and arts experience.

We covered topics such as the link between creativity and mental illness, the utility of art as a means of managing mental health, the stigma attached to language, and the concept of recovery in mental health.

We also shared some practical advice on what to do if you have a friend in distress.

As a passionate advocate for mental health, it was an honour to be part of the discussion and the event and I hope that those who attended left feeling informed and stimulated.

The Nursing and Midwifery Choir helps Warneford get in the Christmas spirit...

Last December, the Nursing and Midwifery Choir continued their excellent run of performances with a carol concert at Warneford Hospital. Which looks like it was an entirely charming event for all involved...

Summer 2018

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FELLOWSHIPS, AWARDS + MORE...

Our Nursing and Midwifery staff and students are always striving to do more and to change things for the better. So it’s wonderful to see their hard work recognised. Jo Brooke starts us off with a bit more information about her plans on having been names a Winston Churchill Fellow (Michael Mawhinney has also been recently named a Fellow)...

I am delighted to have been awarded a Winston Churchill Memorial Travel Fellowship grant. It is a great honour to become a Winston Churchill Fellow 2018.

The fellowship will enable me to travel to New Zealand, Australia and the United States, in order to explore the issue of culturally diverse prison populations and how prisoners with cognitive impairment or dementia are cared for and supported.

I will be visiting a number of prominent prisons in each country, which have implemented initiatives to support both a culturally diverse prison population and those with cognitive impairment or dementia. This will include talking to prison health and social care professionals, as well as prisoners, and will provide information to inform initiatives that can support prisoners in England and Wales. This will include the development or expansion of: + + + + + +

culturally appropriate in-house services, such as education, training and religious services a screening tool for cognitive impairment, specifically developed for a culturally diverse prison population implementing a pathway from screening to diagnosis of Mild Cognitive Impairment or dementia for prisoners prison staff training on dementia, access to resources, and changes to the physical environment implementation of interventions to support prisoners with a diagnosis of dementia social care for prisoners with cognitive impairment or dementia.

If you are interested you can follow my travels through my blog: https://joanne2651brooke.blogspot.co.uk/ or my twitter: @DrJoBrooke Jo Brooke

Dr Helen Walthall, Dr Sue Schutz and Dr Deborah Cross have recently been successful in their application for an International Collaborative Research and Travel Award.

With this award, they will start a collaboration with East Carolina University with the aim of creating a cardiorespiratory nursing research group. They will also explore the potential for more research projects between the two universities in the future. The two organisations have a lot of synergy between their current research, and possible areas to be explored include: + + + +

hypertension screening (Dr Cross & Dr Linda Bolin) fatigue in heart failure (Dr Walthall & Dr Theresa Floegel) chronic illness (All) Symptom Management (Dr Walthall, Dr Schutz & Professor Crane).

The group also includes Dr Carolyn Horne, a key contact from East Carolina in our cardiac research developments. The group will work on a number of publication outputs and two research grant proposals over the next 18 months. The collaboration is in line with OxINMAHR’s strategy to develop and enhance international collaborations within nursing research.

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OSN+M Newsletter

Ethel Burns named Best Academic Adviser in Brookes Union Teaching Awards 2018...

When you offer help and support to others, it’s always nice to be recognised for a job well done. And it’s especially gratifying to be recognised by the people who you’ve supported.

So a very big well done to Ethel Burns, who was named Best Academic Adviser in the recent Teaching Awards run by Brookes Union. The awards were announced at a celebratory dinner on Thursday 15 March and we hope Ethel had a well-deserved excellent time.

And also a big well done to Louise Bunce and Joanna Pierce, who were joint winners of the award (a clean sweep for the Faculty of Health and Life Sciences).

Not to forget our students. Such as Isabelle Duncan who has received a Sheila Kitzinger Bursary...

Congratulations to Isabelle, who has been awarded this bursary to support her elective placement. These bursaries, worth £325, are only available to Oxford Brookes Midwifery students.

Isabelle plans to travel to Brunei to learn about the public health strategies put in place there to prevent the spread of the Zika virus.

Congratulations also go to Dr Pras Ramluggun and Dr Helen Walthall who both recently received Higher Education Academy Senior Fellowships. Here, Pras talks about what this means to him...

Achieving recognition as a senior fellow of the HEA is without doubt the greatest highlight of my career in academia so far. It’s a privilege to be recognised for my efforts and commitments on a national level. Looking back with appreciation and gratitude at the amazing feedback and testimonials I have received from both students and colleagues fills me with a great sense joy and makes this job even more worthwhile. Crossing off this achievement from my list of pedagogic accomplishments is a great motivator as I keep tying to improve student education.

Evaluating my academic career reminded me of my journey in academia from a senior mental health professional to a senior lecturer. The transition from knowing your patient to knowing your students - a prerequisite for meaningful instructive processes - has been at times challenging but also very rewarding. Awakening students’ epistemic curiosity and kindling their enthusiasm has been truly enriching. The personal values of a mental health professional have been very influential to my practice and helped me attune to my students’ needs and the demands of their programmes. Reflecting on the work with academic and clinical colleagues in supporting these students reminded me how truly situated their learning is in their community of practice. This has increased my motivation as Placement Lead to further promote nursing education in clinical settings and to further support education in these learning environments.

Summer 2018

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CONFERENCES + PRESENTATIONS...

The School’s staff are frequent attenders and contributors to the academic healthcare community around the UK. Here are just a few of the recent events they’ve been involved in...

Dr Verna Lavender elected to senior role in national charity UK Oncology Nursing Society (UKONS), plus UKONS masterclass and symposium...

Dr Verna Lavender, Senior Lecturer in Cancer Care, has been elected as Treasurer for UKONS. The Society is a charitable organisation that has nearly 6000 members, who are cancer nurses working throughout the UK. Its main aim is to inspire cancer nursing through educational events, policy development, nurse-led research activity. In addition to becoming Treasurer for UKONS, Verna is secretary of the UKONS Research Committee, editing the weekly newsletter Breaking News and leads the UKONS Haemato-oncology Members Interest Group. Together with fellow UKONS Board Members, Verna organised the 2017 annual UKONS conference, which was a great success attended by 420 delegates. More information about UKONS Conference 2017 can be found at www.vjoncology.com/speaker/verna-lavender

Midwifery Conference in November labelled “a brilliant day”...

Every year, Dr Ethel Burns integrates a conference into a module about global perspectives in midwifery.

The hot topic this year was centred around the impact of the prevailing risk dominance on maternity care provision and pregnant women. An excellent range of midwifery speakers presented their research, which stimulated dynamic discussion. Visitors of the conference said: “This conference was one that left me feeling so positive about the future of midwifery and filled with hope for the future of maternity services. Throughout the conference we made pledges to carry forward, mine was to raise awareness of the benefits of true caseload midwifery and help dispel the misconceptions.”

As part of her role, Dr Lavender also worked with Gilead Sciences Ltd to run a Masterclass in November on High-Risk Chronic Lymphoblastic Leukaemia and Indolent Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma. The Masterclass was chaired by Karen Campbell, Macmillan Associate Professor at Edinburgh Napier University. In addition to Verna, the programme included keynote speaker, Dr Anna Schuh, Associate Professor and Honorary Consultant Haematologist, University of Oxford. The Masterclass was attended by cancer nurses from South and Central England and was very well evaluated.

“Question guidelines, models of care, be inquisitive”

Dr Lavender was also invited by the National Cancer Research Institute to organise and chair a UKONS symposium at the NCRI 2017 Conference in Liverpool in November. Verna worked closely with Cancer Research UK to arrange the symposium programme.

An engaging debate followed a programme of speakers, which included Verna talking about her own research, plus Anne Croudass (Cancer Research UK Lead Research Nurse), and Sandie Wellman (Cancer Research UK Nurse Consultant, Oxford University Hospitals NHS Trust and University of Oxford).

“Integrated working and collaboration is so important.”

Please contact Verna if you’re interested in finding out more about this research workstream: vlavender@brookes.ac.uk

“It was a brilliant day!”

“Very good speakers who opened up thought and provoking challenges” “It was helpful to hear from academics the changing research they are contributing to the profession”

School staff present at the Royal College of Midwives (RCM) Annual Conference...

Sarah Snow took a trip to Manchester back in October for the RCM Conference.

Sarah was running a talk as part of the student programme, in the Meet the Experts session, alongside Jude Jones (a newly qualified midwife in Warrington).

They ran the session on both days and were very happy to answer the questions of student midwives and give them an expert’s insight into the profession.

The 2018 RCM conference will run on Saturday 4 and Sunday 5 October (in Manchester again).

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OSN+M Newsletter

Summer 2018

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WATCH OUT FOR...

Brookes are partnering up with the renowned Equator Centre to deliver this exciting event in September. Want to develop your research ideas? This could be for you...

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OSN+M Newsletter

PUBLICATIONS...

Big congratulations to everyone who has been published recently; the breadth of research has been very impressive to see. Angela Houlston recently completed a year-long process to get published and was kind enough to talk to us about what the publication process was like...

Back in 2016, Angela Houlston gave a presentation she’d worked on with colleague Rachel Hollis at the RCN Centenary conference on the past, present and future of children’s cancer. In the audience were various editors for the RCNi’s journals and – as sometimes happens after an interesting presentation – they approached the pair to see if they’d be interested in writing it up for publication. Needless to say, the two were interested (otherwise you wouldn’t be reading this). And thus began over a year’s work getting a piece ready to go into print.

Currently a Teaching Fellow in Nursing, Angela is a former Lead Nurse for Children’s Cancer, while Rachel currently performs a similar role in Leeds. Together, they had a wealth of knowledge on the article’s subject, the challenge came in trying to get it all onto paper. Giving a presentation is one thing, writing it up in detail for print is another!

They managed this with a great deal of emails and phonecalls, batting the draft back and forth between them. Finding the time was tricky, but they managed by breaking down tasks and taking advantage of their complementary skills. They also found that fitting the written style into the journal’s author guidelines was quite intensive – though Angela notes these standards are getting more standardised (though still a tad prescriptive).

In the end, what they took away from this process was a sense of pride in representing a comparatively small field, first at a big event and then in a well-respected journal. Asked if she had any advice to budding researchers out there, Angela said “You don’t need to be anyone grand to get published. We’ve all got expertise and something to say … but you maybe need a bit of perseverance. But it’s all worth it when you see your name in print.”

Angela and Rachel’s article was published in Cancer Nursing Practice, Volume 16, Issue 9.

EXAMPLES OF RECENT PUBLICATIONS...

Alexis, O and Worsley A [Accepted for publication Jan 2018] An integrative review exploring black men of African and Caribbean background, their fear of prostate cancer and attitudes towards screening, Health Education Research. doi: 10.1093/her/cyy001 Collaco, N, Rivas, C, Matheson, L, Nayoan, J, Wagland, R, Alexis, O, Gavin, A, Glaser, A and Watson, E [accepted for publication 20/2/18] Prostate Cancer and the impact on couples: A qualitative metasynthesis. Supportive Care in Cancer.

Brooke, J.M, Manneh, C (2018). Caring for a patient with delirium in an acute hospital: the lived experience of cardiology, elderly care, renal and respiratory nurses.

International Journal of Nursing Practice.

Brooke, J.M., Stiell, M (2018). Paramedic science students’ willingness, interest, likelihood and intentions to work with people with dementia. Journal of Dementia Care.

Houlston, A and Hollis, R (2017) Children’s Cancer Nursing - Past, Present and Future. Cancer Nursing Practice 16(9): p 37 - 42 Taylor, B, Henshall, C, Goodwin, L, Kenyon, S. Task shifting Midwifery Support Workers as the second health worker at a home birth in the UK: a qualitative study. Midwifery Practice. DOI: https://doi. org/10.1016/j.midw.2018.03.003 Khan, N, Jackson, D, Stayt, L, Walthall, H. Factors influencing nurses’ intentions to leave adult critical care settings. British Association of Critical Care Nurses. https://doi.org/10.1111/nicc.12348 Hunter, L, Snow, S, Warriner, S. Being there and reconnecting: Midwives’ perceptions of the impact of Mindfulness training on their practice. Journal of Clinical Nursing. https://doi.org/10.1111/jocn.14169

Alzyood, M, Aveyard, H, Brooke, J.M., Jackson, D (2018). An integrative review exploring the perceptions of patients and healthcare professionals towards patient involvement in promoting hand hygiene compliance in the hospital setting. Journal of Clinical Nursing.

Summer 2018

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THE OXFORD SCHOOL OF NURSING + MIDWIFERY IS A UNIQUE PARTNERSHIP

COMBINING EDUCATION, PRACTICE AND RESEARCH.

NURSING EDUCATION IN OXFORD GOES BACK OVER 125 YEARS. STEEPED IN HISTORY, WE TEACH NURSES AND MIDWIVES TO CARRY HEALTHCARE INTO THE FUTURE.

WITH OUR WORLD RENOWNED TRUST PARTNERS, WE PROVIDE FIRST CLASS CLINICAL EDUCATION + PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT.

OUR RESEARCH WING, OxINMAHR, IS THE HOME OF WORLD CLASS RESEARCH, PROVIDING THE EVIDENCE TO DRIVE BEST PRACTICE.

Working together, we support nurses and midwives on every step of a life-changing journey.

Faculty of Health and Life Sciences Oxford Brookes University Headington Campus Jack Straw’s Lane, Marston Oxford OX3 0FL and Gipsy Lane Oxford OX3 0BP www.brookes.ac.uk/osnm

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OSN+M Newsletter