Health and care staff praised for keeping students learning

Teams committed to continuing medical education during pandemic

Staff at Leeds and York Partnership NHS Foundation Trust have been praised for their commitment to the continuation of medical education throughout the Covid-19 pandemic.

Throughout the most challenging year in the history of the NHS, student placements have continued to take place at the Trust and mid-year evaluation results and feedback from students remains outstanding with an overall placement rating of 93% compared with 80% in 2019/20.

In a letter to the Trust from Leeds School of Medicine, administrative staff have been praised for providing a positive welcome and ongoing support throughout their placement while clinical staff have been highlighted for continuing to provide valuable opportunities for students to practice their skills.

Dr Sharon Nightingale, Consultant Psychiatrist and Director of Medical Education at the Trust, said: “As a Trust we have always recognised the importance of medical education and training. During the early stages of the pandemic we knew it was even more important to keep our future workforce learning whilst enabling them to play an important role in our response, and our teams worked incredibly hard to make this happen.

“The great feedback we have received from the students shows that the hard work and dedication of all of our colleagues has been well worth it.”

Teams at the Trust rapidly adapted learning styles and placement opportunities in response to the challenges faced by the pandemic. One of the most significant changes was moving from a traditional 9am-5pm Monday to Friday timetable to 24 hours a day, seven days a week. This extended teaching period required input and support from teams across the organisation as well as patients and service-users.

The Trust welcomes hundreds of students every year in a variety of roles ranging from medical and nursing to allied health professions.