BAPO Webinar: Unlocking the Potential of Patient-Facing Support Workers and Technicians in P&O
Details
Webinar Invitation: Unlocking the Potential of Patient-Facing Support Workers & Technicians in P+O
Join us for an exciting and informative webinar showcasing the outcomes of a two-year project dedicated to advancing the roles of patient-facing Support Workers and Technicians in the Prosthetics and Orthotics (P+O) workforce.
We’ll introduce:
✅ A Framework designed to define and enhance these roles.
✅ Web-based resources to showcase the roles.
✅ A survey-based report that benchmarks current practices across the workforce.
This session is designed to raise awareness of these valuable resources and provide actionable insights for integrating them into practice. Together, we can continue to grow and validate P+O careers for this essential segment of the workforce.
Who should attend?
- Service managers
- Support Workers and Technicians
- P+O professionals and educators
Be part of this important conversation and help shape the future of P+O careers!
BAPO Webinar: Supporting career growth to sustain the profession
Details
We known there are significant workforce challenges for P&O. The UK’s smallest allied health profession, it has the highest attrition rate amongst them. Only 34% of respondents to a recent workforce survey ‘definitely’ planned to stay in the profession for the next five years. Low levels of job satisfaction, lack of career progression, and not feeling valued were leading reasons for considering leaving.
There is no single solution to this alarming situation, but providing developmental opportunities enabling clinicians to grow fulfilling careers will certainly make a difference – one that brings benefits to employers, services and services users as well. This webinar will explore the existing and emerging pathways to supporting career growth as part of the efforts to sustain the profession.
During this webinar we will explore:
- why individual and collective action is essential to ensure sustainability of the workforce and the profession.
- new and emerging approaches to supporting professional and career development for the registered workforce.
- benefits that extend beyond individual clinicians’ careers to positively impact on employers, services and service users.
Who is this for:
Primary target audience is employers and line managers. The further audience is clinicians at a range of levels who are interested in learning more about existing and emerging career development opportunities.
BAPO Teatime Talk – Microprocessor Knee Ankle Foot Orthosis Technology, the Tectus
Details
This talk will feature an overview of the Tectus, a slim, lightweight microprocessor controlled KAFO.
We welcome you to join us to as we present on –
- The functions and design of the Tectus
- Patient case studies of the Tectus in use
- Data collection and outcomes
- An overview of digital health advancements
- Introducing the Tectus UK study
BAPO Teatime Talk – Understanding Pain
Details
Jaj aims to raise awareness of the impact of persistent pain and provide healthcare professionals with a better understanding of the science behind why we hurt. She will bring pain science to you in an accessible, engaging, and relevant way. Her focus is on pain being not just a marker of tissue damage but actually a complex subconscious phenomenon. Jaj discusses the shift away from the biomedical model and how important it is that this should happen across healthcare. She uses clinical examples to keep the information relevant. This will be an interactive session with opportunities to ask questions.
BAPO Teatime Talk – Plastics, What’s The Difference?
Details
A short presentation covering North Sea Plastics range of specialised rigid and flexible thermoplastics used in the fabrication of Prosthetic and Orthotic devices. Material properties, heating guidelines and moulding procedures will be discussed.
Job Advert – Steeper – Prosthetist – Stanmore
BAPO Teatime Talk – Defining Children’s Therapeutic Footwear an analysis of their design and purpose
Details
Footwear has often been used as a clinical intervention for children living with a mobility impairment. However, there is no apparent common understanding of how to define these footwear interventions or clear criteria for their use. This combined body of work aimed to achieve an expert consensus on how to define and group footwear as an assistive aid for children, with a further focus on the design characteristics and clinical prescription of off-the-shelf stability footwear for children with a mobility impairment.
Inclusive practice in higher education for Disabled Learners
This work has been commissioned by the British Association of Prosthetics and Orthotics (BAPO) with funding from NHS England Workforce, Training and Education (WTE) Directorate. This project will focus on inclusive practices in higher education for Disabled learners. As part of the project, we will engage with various stakeholders including educator providers and Disabled learners, to understand what inclusive practice currently looks like for Disabled learners in Prosthetic and Orthotic higher education. It is invaluable to understand the lived experiences of Disabled learners, and to open up the conversation about Disability and inclusive practice within Prosthetics and Orthotics. For more information please email gemma.cassidy@bapo.com
Disabled learner listening sessions
As part of the NHS England project that is researching inclusive design in higher education for Disabled learners, BAPO is running some listening sessions and wants to hear from students and graduates to understand the barriers and enablers in their higher education and placement experience. See the poster and link below for more details or email gemma.cassidy@bapo.com
https://www.canva.com/design/DAGF_CMMLKA/NV1-vZ1UU8DTHBK8Zmt5XA/edit?utm_content=DAGF_CMMLKA&utm_campaign=designshare&utm_medium=link2&utm_source=sharebutton
Reasonable adjustments in the workplace
Reasonable adjustments on placement
Celebrating Neurodiversity in Prosthetics and Orthotics
Around 15% of the population is estimated to have a neurodevelopmental difference, such as ADHD, dyslexia, or autism. This number tends to be significantly higher in industries that champion creativity and lateral thinking – such as P&O.
This virtual webinar offers an introduction to the topic of neurodiversity, from a neurodivergent perspective. It explores the most common neurodivergent conditions and seeks to explain why we think, feel, and act the way we do. It looks at practical, holistic ways to accommodate and work with neurodivergent traits – not just for neurodivergent patients, but for neurodivergent staff and other stakeholders too.
This will be followed by a discussion on the NHS England project, what inclusive design looks like in higher education and how this can be applied in Prosthetic and Orthotic placement settings and the workplace to provide equity and inclusion for Disabled people.
This course will be useful for Placement Educators, Managers, Service Leads in P+O and the wider AHP community, Clinical staff, and anyone wanting to learn more about neurodiversity, inclusive design, and Disability in the workplace.
Webinar
More information here – BAPO Course – Celebrating Neurodiversity in Prosthetics and Orthotics
You can watch the webinar here or below.
Human Library
Could you be a Prosthetist/Orthotist? Scroll through our Human Library below to see what career paths are available.
Lauren McAllister – Former Development Manager at CPISRA (Now WorldAbility Sports)
Donna Fisher – Head of Clinical Services at Ottobock, Prosthetist/Orthotist
Simon Dickinson – Consultant Orthotist & Clinical Director, TalarMade Ltd
Ian Talbot – Clinical Lead Prosthetist/Orthotist at Dorset Orthopaedic, Ottobock
Alan McDougall – Prosthetist and Clinical Director at Proactive Prosthetics
Nick Gallogly – Consultant Orthotist at The Royal Berkshire NHS Trust
Alice Dudley – Senior Orthotist
Manuela Mundy – Prosthetic/Orthotic Apprentice
Dr Nicky Eddison – Associate Professor of Orthotics, Consultant Orthotist, and Chair of BAPO
Gwen Roberts – Prosthetist
Chiazoka Ezeuzo – Orthotist
Alan McDougall – Prosthetist – Clinical Director at Proactive Prosthetics
Donna Fisher – Prosthetist/Orthotist – Head of Clinical Services at Ottobock
Gemma McGinty – Teaching Fellow at the National Centre for Prosthetics and Orthotics, University of Strathclyde
Alana Stevenson – Teaching Fellow at the National Centre for Prosthetics and Orthotics, University of Strathclyde
Sudi Nayyar – Orthotic Clerk