AHSN-funded PgC students on their patient safety journey so far…

23rd March 2020 - By Sarah Lane

As part of the AHSN NENC’s work to increase the quality improvement capacity and capability within the region to commission and deliver safer care for our population, the AHSN NENC has funded course fees for a cohort of students to undertake a postgraduate certificate in Patient Safety and Quality Improvement – developing leadership, capability and competence.

The accredited course, which commenced in January, is being run by Sunderland University. Over the coming weeks and months, we will speak to some of the students to find out more about them, their current roles and why they wanted to do this course.

Here, we meet Sarah Lane – a Congenital Heart Disease Clinical Educator at the Children’s Heart Unit, the Newcastle upon Tyne Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust (Newcastle Hospitals).

As a sister on the busy children’s Intensive Care Unit I have long held an interest in patient safety and risk management. I completed Newcastle Hospitals’ ‘Datix’ training in 2013 becoming the lead nurse for investigating these critical incidences on Paediatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU). As a result, I gained a unique insight into the training needs of the team and developed a particular interest in ensuring safe care delivery through education.

In wishing to further my professional development at postgraduate level, I was extremely lucky that this course became available. Having recently gained the new role of Congenital Heart Disease Clinical Educator, this course will provide me with the knowledge of current healthcare theories and research that I will be able to disseminate to the congenital heart disease team.

I am excited by how education is evolving for medical professionals and the varying methods in which it is now provided. Having previously completed training in simulation, this is one area I most look forward to experiencing on the course and I am also especially eager to develop my knowledge of human factors and how these apply in safe patient care.

Having relocated to the North East from Manchester to train and work in one of the busiest, most successful NHS Trusts in the country, I do not underrate the value of having access to this course locally. Personally, I have very recently returned from maternity leave, I am still adjusting to the new challenges of shift and university work with a (soon to be) one-year-old and travel out of region would not be easy for me. Professionally, I am extremely proud of the healthcare we provide in the North East and would always choose to, where possible, support and celebrate the local universities that continue to educate the current and future healthcare workforce.