Department of Health and Social Care
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New training and education programme introduced for the scientific workforce in genetics

New training and education programme introduced for the scientific workforce in genetics

News Release issued by the COI News Distribution Service on 30 July 2009

A new education programme has been developed to provide enhanced training in genetic technologies and clinical applications for healthcare scientists working in laboratory genetics, Health Minister Ann Keen announced today.

This pilot is part of the UK Modernising Scientific Careers (MSC) programme which is transforming education, training and career pathways for the healthcare science workforce.

The pilot funded by the Department of Health is investing over £4.5 million to address the training needs of the healthcare science workforce in genetics.

The new pilot will:

Respond to future workforce needs, which has increased significantly in the last ten years as scientific discoveries have created new opportunities to diagnose and predict disease;Inform the roll out of the MSC programme for other healthcare science training programmes which will begin in 2010 with full implementation in 2012;Establish a national School of Genetics in the West Midlands; and Modernise the genetics curricula to respond to breakthrough scientific advances and their applications for patients and the public.

Health Minister Ann Keen said:

“Science and innovation are at the heart of high quality healthcare for patients in the 21st century, underpinning the development of new diagnostics and treatments which have a major impact on the health and social care system.

“Geneticists carry out life informing work by predicting and diagnosing disease so it is fundamental that we invest in creating training and career opportunities for this important group of NHS staff".

“This pilot will also inform the Modernising Scientific Careers programme as it moves to implementation as well as creating a high quality healthcare science workforce which will make the benefits of science and technology a reality for patients.”

Professor Sue Hill, Chief Scientific Officer for the Department of Health said:

“This will give trainees modernised education and training focussed on the advances in genetic technology and knowledge to ensure delivery of leading edge services for patients and the public. It also supports the delivery of the NHS Next Stage Review commitments putting high quality care, innovation and improved productivity at its core in this fast-moving field.

“I look forward to working with those involved in the pilot and to consulting with MSC stakeholders as it progresses.”

Peter Blythin, Director of Nursing and Workforce at NHS West Midlands said:

“We are delighted to be hosting and establishing a national School of Genetics here in the West Midlands and to be part of such a groundbreaking pilot scheme that will ultimately deliver leading edge services for patients and the public.”

The pilot programme, to begin in October 2009, will fund 24 pilot training posts for 12 trainee Healthcare Science Practitioners and 12 Healthcare Scientists in Genetics. The trainees will be based in a number of NHS genetics departments throughout England and will be brought together for national training events and courses. NHS West Midlands has agreed to host the process for all the SHAs involved.

Notes to Editors

1. For media enquires please contact the Department of Health Press Office on 0207 210 5221.

2. Modernising Scientific Careers (MSC) is the national operating policy, which relates to the scientific and technical workforce. Modernising Scientific Careers (MSC) is the programme within Modernising Healthcare Careers, which aims to transform the scientific and technical workforce. It is a bold and ambitious programme to transform education, training and career pathways to deliver a world class Healthcare Science (HCS) workforce across over 50 scientific disciplines. This workforce will be critical in delivering the vision outlined in the Next Stage Review (NSR) in summer 2008 and was initially set out and endorsed by A High Quality Workforce.

3. The MSC programme involves the development of a new career pathway, which creates a common training and career route for all scientific and technical disciplines while still recognising and maintaining the needs of individual disciplines. Healthcare Science Assistants (HCSA) training, Healthcare Scientist Practitioner (HCSP) training through the Practitioner Training Programme (PTP), the Scientist Training Programme (STP), Higher Specialist Scientific Training (HSST) and Accredited Specialist Expertise (ASE) are all included in the model. The details of the model can be found in ‘The Future of the Healthcare Science Workforce Modernising Scientific Careers: The Next Steps’ (Gateway ref 10913).

4. Infrastructure for the pilot will be managed through the establishment of a National Training School for Genetics, based for this cohort of trainees, in NHS West Midlands. The role of the School will be to:

Co-ordinate the national programme Bring the trainees together and run national learning events Ensure that the work based curriculum within the pilot is appropriate, delivered to the required standard and is quality assured Ensure sufficient, adequately prepared trainers, supervisors and assessors are available for the pilot Ensure that the assessment processes within the pilot fulfil national requirementsAlong with the host Trust and Genetics Department, provide pastoral care for trainees 5. The successful chosen pilot sites are:-


TRUST LOCATIONPTPSTPSHAGuy’s and St Thomas’ NHS Foundation Trust20LONDONNE Thames Regional Genetics Service, Great Ormond Street Hospital NHS TrustAND NORTHWICK PARK NHS TRUST 1 2LONDONSOUTHMEAD HOSPTIAL, BRISTOL12SOUTH WESTLiverpool Women’s NHS Foundation Trust20NORTH WEST East Anglian Medical Genetics Service, ADDENBROOKES HOSPITAL20EAST OF ENGLANDInstitute of Human Genetics The Newcastle Upon Tyne Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, 12NORTH EAST Oxford Radcliffe Hospitals NHS TrustGenetics Laboratories 20SOUTH WESTThe Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS TrustDiagnostic and Therapeutic Services Division AND Sheffield Laboratories, Sheffield Childrens Foundation NHS Trust 1 4 YORKSHIRE AND HUMBERSIDE

Contacts:

Department of Health
Phone: 020 7210 5221
NDS.DH@coi.gsi.gov.uk

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