The British Association of Prosthetists and Orthotists

Professional Affairs

by

CPD Statement

A working group comprising organisations from across a range of health and social care sectors has launched a set of principles for continuing professional development (CPD) and lifelong learning.

The principles are designed to guide individuals, employers and wider systems to create a culture of continuous improvement, workforce development and improve outcomes for service users. People working in the health and social care workforce operate in a changing, challenging and complex environment. Practicing safely and effectively, now and in the future is essential.

The five principles are that CPD and Lifelong Learning should;
1. be each person’s responsibility and be made possible and supported by your employer
2. benefit the service users
3. improve the quality of service delivery
4. be balanced and relevant to each person’s area of practice or employment
5. be recorded and show the effect on each person’s area of practice

Will Broughton, Director of Professional Standards for the College of Paramedics and Chair of the working group, said:
“We believe that the health and social care workforce should have the opportunity to undertake CPD activity and these five principles clearly illustrate how developing new knowledge, skills and evidence-based working will produce an effective workforce, who are well-equipped and prepared to deliver high quality services.
It is our intention to evaluate the impact of the principles next year ahead of a review in January 2021. We welcome feedback from people working across the health and social care workforce that will contribute to further versions of this document.
Thank you to all members of the working group, the organisations who hosted our meetings and for the behind the scene support that got this to finished project.”

Please follow this link to access the publication:
https://www.collegeofparamedics.co.uk/publications/principles-for-cpd

or Click Here to Dowload

The Interprofessional CPD and Lifelong Learning UK Working Group is made up of: Allied Health Professions Federation Scotland, Association of Clinical Scientists, British Association of Art Therapists, British Association of Music Therapy, British and Irish Orthoptic Society, British Dietetic Association, Chartered Society of Physiotherapy, College of Operating Department Practitioners, College of Paramedics, Institute of Biomedical Science, Royal College of Nursing, Royal College of Occupational Therapists, Royal Pharmaceutical Society, The British Association of Prosthetists and Orthotists, The British Psychological Society, The Royal College of Midwives, The Royal College of Speech and Language Therapists, The Society and College of Radiographers, UNISON and Unite the union.

by

NIHR Roadshow

 

NIHR Academy Roadshow
Wednesday 19 September 2018
Cosmopolitan Hotel, Lower Briggate, Leeds
13.00 to 15.00

The new NIHR Fellowships and Academy & The NIHR Trainees Coordinating Centre, supported by the Research Design Service is hosting information events about the new NIHR Academy and the changes to the NIHR Fellowship programme.
This session is for individuals who are planning to apply or thinking of applying for a research fellowship.

There will be presentations from the NIHR Trainees Coordinating Centre about the changes to the programme, and the RDS Yorkshire and the Humber about the support available for potential applicants. The session will include information about:
• Changes to the NIHR Fellowships programme,
• Launch of the NIHR Academy
• Information about the support available to applicants
• Q&A discussion.

The event will take place on Wednesday 19 September 2018 at the Cosmopolitan Hotel in central Leeds. Refreshments will be available from 13.00 and the session will run from 13.30 to 15.00. Please register in advance for a place here.
If you have any questions, please contact Rose Cliff r.cliff@sheffield.ac.uk or on 0114 222 0828

Applicants flyer September 2018

by

Health Education England / NIHR BRIDGING SCHEME

Are you a Nurse, Midwife, Allied Health Professional, Pharmacist or Healthcare Scientist?

Have you completed or are about to complete a masters level degree or a PhD?

Could you be looking to undertake a PhD or a post-doctoral level fellowship?

Do you want to make a difference through undertaking high quality clinical research?

 

The HEE/NIHR ICA bridging scheme offers a 12 month post-doctoral programme with an individual award of up to  £34,000 and up to £10,000 for the 6 month pre-doctoral programme. It is envisaged that the award will make a contribution towards salary backfill costs, training modules, travel expenses and access to high quality academic mentorship.

Awardees will be released for 50% of their contracted hours to focus on the development of their research career and work towards a successful NIHR fellowship application. The programme  will provide ;-

A dedicated period within which to develop your research proposal to form the basis of an application for a HEE /NIHR ICA doctoral or postdoctoral fellowship or alternative. 

– An opportunity for you to assess your current levels of ‘researcher’ skills and competence allowing you to identify, plan and commence your developmental activity. 

– Access to academic and clinical environments that will encourage you to develop creativity and originality in research design and delivery.

– Engagement with advanced research techniques and knowledge specific to your proposed research. 

– Enhancement of your personal development of written, oral presentation and other communicative abilities required by clinical academic researchers.

– The opportunity to widen your research network links at regional, national and potentially international level.

– Development of the skills and knowledge required for you to become investigators and research leaders of the future.

 

In order to be eligible for the pre-doctoral level bridging scheme, individuals who work within the Integrated Clinical Academic professions must hold a Master’s level qualification (or evidence of postgraduate study at Level 7).

In order to be eligible for the post-doctoral scheme, individuals who work within the Integrated Clinical Academic professions must have completed or are about to complete a PhD and are looking to apply for  a post-doctoral fellowship.

Closing date for applications is 5pm Monday 17th September and interviews will be held on Monday 15th October in Leeds.

 

The programme for pre doctoral will commence with a one and a half day residential workshop in Leeds mid November 2018 and the post doctoral programme will commence in January 2019.

 

For an application form please contact joanne.simpson@researchnorthwest.nhs.uk

For eligibility criteria  http://research.northwest.nhs.uk/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/TCC-ICA-Eligible-Professions-and-Registration-Bodies-1.pdf

Or for the website http://research.northwest.nhs.uk/work/the-releasing-potential-programme/hee-nihr-bridging-scheme/

by

Job Vacancy – Prosthetic and Orthotic Outreach Officer

The Strategic Interventions in Health Education (SIHED) programme, funded by the Office for Students (OFS), is a new programme which will deliver a range of interventions to increase awareness of allied health professions, including prosthetics and orthotics, and support student recruitment.

The Outreach Officer will join the SIHED team to design, develop and deliver a programme of outreach events and activities to engage our target audiences. To be considered for this role it is essential that you have a strong track record of delivering targeted outreach activities alongside solid experience of working within a healthcare, higher education or charity environment. The successful candidate will have strong communications and interpersonal skills with the ability to positively engage with stakeholders and partners. Knowledge of marketing and communications delivery and evaluation would be an advantage. This role is ideally suited to someone who is keen to be part of an innovative and significant programme supporting the future needs of patients and students.

The British Association of Prosthetists and Orthotists (BAPO) is the UK professional body dedicated to promoting our profession and supporting our clinicians to provide the highest level of clinical care for our service users. Prosthetics is the specialist medical discipline that involves the assessment, design and provision of artificial limbs. Orthotics is the specialist medical discipline in which external orthoses or braces and supports are assessed, designed and fitted to an individual to provide correction or prevention of a physical deformity; stabilisation of a joint or joints; reduction of pain; pressure offloading and improvement in mobility or performance.

This person would be based in the South of England working on behalf of BAPO funded by OFS. They will be required to travel to different locations to promote the profession.

Click below for a complete job description and application details:

Prosthetic and Orthotic Outreach Officer JD

 

by

BAPO Social Media Policy

The use of Social Media (Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Blogs, etc) is now widespread. Therefore BAPO Members must understand that their personal and professional conduct when using social media should be of an appropriate standard as to not put themselves at risk of any accusations of misconduct or inappropriate behaviour that may lead to action being taken against them. Members should consider that the general principles stated in BAPO Ethical and Professional Conduct for Prosthetists and Orthotists apply as well as the guidelines set out in this document and both documents should be read in conjunction with each other. All Members should abide by these guidelines as failure to do so will put a member’s membership at risk:

  • Members must maintain strict confidentiality in accordance with the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR)(Regulation (EU) 2016/679) and with the; BAPO Ethical and Professional Conduct for Prosthetists and Orthotists
  • Members must never post any personal information about any patient/client or colleague unless they have proof of their consent to do so • Members must never post any comments that could be considered defamatory
  • Members must maintain conservative privacy settings and be aware that information they post online may be read by anyone and also remain available to view for a long period of time
  • Members should not accept friend requests from any current or former patients/clients
  • Members should be conscious of their online image and how it may impact on their professional position and that of their profession as a whole
  • Members must fully understand that Social media can blur the boundary between personal and professional life and that comments made on a personal level may also reflect on them professionally
  • Member’s online discussions, posts, comments and behaviour must be of an appropriate professional level

Confidentiality:

Social media, can provide Members with an opportunity in which they can discuss their experiences within their own clinical practice. However it may be possible that any material published, uploaded or posted could become and remain available in the public domain. It is therefore important that Members exercise extreme caution when discussing any specific cases. Members have a legal and ethical duty to protect patient/client confidentiality as stated in the Confidentiality Section of the BAPO Ethical and Professional Conduct for Prosthetists and Orthotists. Any member disclosing information about a patient/client without proof of their consent will be considered as a breach of their duty.

Appropriateness:

Discussions about patient/clients and clinical practice with colleagues can have professional and educational benefits. Members should avoid specific informal discussions about patients/clients. It would be considered inappropriate for Members to make any personal derogatory comments or false statements about a current/past or future patient/client or colleague. Even anonymous comments about any specific patient/client or colleague will be considered as a breach of confidentiality and an act of unprofessional conduct that will put a member’s membership at risk. Members should be aware that it is possible that anonymous postings can be traced. Members must take into consideration how their posts will reflect on themselves as professionals and how this may influence or affect the public’s trust in the profession as a whole.

Defamation:

“False written (Libel) or spoken (Slander) information/communication that is made either in public or in private that intentionally causes harm to a person’s reputation; has a negative impact on them and reduces the regard or respect in which the person is held; or causes the person to become the subject of ridicule, hatred or inducesderogatory, hostile, or disagreeable opinions against the person to which the initial information/communication relates to.”

Defamation may be a criminal or civil offense. Members must never post any comments or upload any information that may be considered defamatory. This applies to all comments uploaded or posted whether they are made in a personal or professional capacity and regardless if they are made in private or on a public platform.

The act of making an unjustified statement about an individual and/or an organisation that is considered defamatory could lead to action taken against and also put a Members Membership at risk.

A general rule would be: “Even if you stop for a moment to ask yourself is this appropriate to post? Then do not post it.”

Privacy and Personal Information:

The use of social media can blur the boundary between private and professional lives. Members must be aware that personal material they post about themselves or share with friends can possibly be accessible to a wider audience and that once posted it may be difficult to prevent it from being widely shared. Personal information about themselves may be accessible by patients/clients and this may cause problems with patient/client relationships. It is therefore important that members should ensure that they review their privacy settings and restrict their public personal information. They should keep personal information to a minimum and keep it professional.

Friend Requests:

Relationships between Members and their patients/clients should remain on a professional level and based around their clinical care. It is important to maintain this professional boundary to maintain trust between Members and their patients/clients and reduce the risk of any exploitation by either party. Therefore Members who receive friend requests from current or former patients should not accept these requests and politely refuse them explaining that professionally it would be inappropriate for them to accept a Friend invite.

Conflicts of interest:

Members should declare any potential conflict of interest when endorsing a product on line. This duty applies even where Members may anonymously post material. Failure to declare any conflicts of interests could affect public trust and compromise the Members professional status. Social Media and Professionalism: Members should always maintain a professional manner when posting comments or uploading material regardless if this is in a professional or personal capacity and understand that when they make a comment it will have potential to impact of their professional standing. They must take into consideration whether anything they upload or post could compromise public trust or undermine confidence on their profession.

Professional Networking

Professional Networking via platforms such as LinkedIn and others which may be open to the public or restricted to professionals of certain disciplines are also covered by this Social Media policy. However, it is widely accepted that the use of professional networks and forums can provide educational and professional benefits and easily bring together individuals and allow them to discuss their experiences and clinical practices where previously this was not possible. Members must however exercise caution when actively engaging with professional networks and ensure that they abide by this Social Media Policy. Members should act in a professional manner at all times and restrict personal information that they post about themselves. They must maintain strict confidentiality with regards to any current or previous patients/clients. Members must never post any comments that could be considered defamatory and always declare any conflict of interest.

 

For a downloadable version of this policy please click below:

BAPO Social Media Policy (Update June 2018)