​Using IT to assist in teaching with social distancing
Dr Christine Clark, Workforce Transformation Educator 

​Advanced Life Support Courses (ALS) are part of the lives of most clinicians. It is one of the ways we learn and practice the skills required to support deteriorating patients and those in cardiac arrest. The majority of the teaching is scenario based in small groups. This of course has been a challenge as we start to return to “normal”. The requirement for our foundation doctors to have the qualification still stands and we have had to cancel two courses during the pandemic.

Stuart Warburton and Jenna Kenny from the CAST team put a huge amount of work in setting up the course for two groups of 4 ensuring that social distancing could be managed as much as possible by setting up two rooms on the former ward 6. Candidates were given gloves and masks and I took on the role of Medical Director via Teams. Stuart and Jenna did the hard work of running the face to face teaching.

We had a couple of hiccups, but nothing we couldn’t deal with and there were definite advantages to being there in a virtual capacity:

• I could watch both rooms at once ( but I found I could only listen to one)
• I was available for advice from either room whenever required
• I could listen in and comment as part of the faculty at any time
• I was present at all tests and was able to be part of the decision making
• I was able to give feedback on teaching to the faculty members

It’s not all plain sailing though, a twelve hour Teams course was unexpectedly tiring, and I would advise anyone taking on the role to make sure that you do look after yourself by moving about regularly and making sure you keep hydrated. This was made up for by the fact my commute was less than 30 seconds at the end of a long day.

On the courses we have run so far we have had an excellent pass rate, and despite my initial reservations I feel that this is the future.

A huge thank you is due to Stuart and Jenna for the work they have put in. The teaching is usually split between 2 faculty members per group, and they have taught every session.

Picture above. ELHT Advanced Life Support Faculty, from L to R Stuart Warburton, Chris Clark ( on screen) and Jenna Kenny

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​The Trust’s efforts in the fight against coronavirus have received media attention. Senior Research Nurse Wendy Goddard discussed the current research efforts at East Lancashire Hospitals, including support for the RECOVERY trial and REMAP-CAP, during an interview which featured on BBC Television’s North West Tonight programme.

The appearance followed an earlier interview on BBC Radio Lancashire where Wendy took time out from a busy week of entering patients into COVID-19 research studies, and supporting the newly formed COVID-19 research team, to describe the treatments under investigation. Previously, headlines also appeared in the local press, including the Burnley Express and the Lancashire Evening Telegraph.

The Trust currently has nine COVID-19 research studies open, with data for 1301 patients entered into the research. Details of the studies can be accessed on the ELHT research webpage.

Michelle Stephens thanked ELHT Principal Investigators for supporting the COVID-19 research, and the research and clinical teams who’ve enabled the set-up of the new studies and the entry of East Lancashire patients into the research.
"Never in my 25-year career in NHS research has research been more critical and important than it is today. I would like to thank our patients and their families who have, and are taking part in coronavirus research at the Trust. They are not only helping patients today but healthcare in the future. The tireless effort put in by the Research Support Office team, Research Nurses, Midwives, Support Officers and Principal Investigators along with Pharmacy Clinical Trials Team and other support departments, in setting up the new COVID-19 studies and offering these to our patients across a 7-day week, cannot be under-estimated. I would like to thank everyone for all of their hard work and continued dedication. I am so very proud of our contribution towards a better understanding and treatment of COVID-19.”

​To support the literacy pillar of our Skills for life work HEE are very happy to announce that their partners at The National Literacy Trust are offering 500 NHS staff free access to the following highly acclaimed audio books:

• Girl, Woman, Other – Bernardine Evaristo 
• Becoming – Michelle Obama
• Ordinary People – Diana Evans

HEE would love this resource to go to people who are either working towards a functional skills qualification or who are yet to start their learning journey. Each staff member who signs up will have access to all three titles.

How it works
Every month, the National Literacy Trust will email the recipient an exclusive audiobooks.com access code. With this code you can download and listen to that month’s title.
You will also be able to access activities and exciting content relating to the book here.

To get started, sign up here.

Struggling to sign-up? Email wfw@literacytrust.org.uk
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Let us know how it goes!
At HEE, they’d love to hear from staff who access this opportunity. Tell HEE what you thought of the titles and how they can involve you in other learning opportunities. Email HEE your thoughts at talentforcare@hee.nhs.uk