Kay Mohanna

Risk matters in healthcare : communicating, explaining and managing risk

Part 1 Understanding and talking about risk: risk - whats it all about then? risk communication. Part 2 Clinical risk management: changing the culture managing common risks in general practice improving the explanation of risk - personal development plan risk management - practice personal and professional development plan. Appendix - sources of further information.

Designing Effective Blended Learning Environments for Training Trainers in Primary Care

This paper reports the evaluation of a newly developed trainers’ course which uses a virtual learning environment for part of the delivery. ‘Blended learning’ refers to the mixing of teaching and learning media in order to optimise the learning experience and the efficiency of course provision, usually with a combination of faceto-face and web-based learning. The new world of training for GP specialty registrars (GPStRs) is supported and managed via their individual e-Portfolio, throughout Education for Primary Care (2008) 19: 597–604 # 2008 Radcliffe Publishing Limited

Multiple Perspectives on Learning: but Which Way for Instructional Design?

Instructional design involves the systematic development of learning materials (including the use of technology and multimedia) with the aim of making learning as effective and efficient as possible. This extends from handouts and visual aids to complex delivery processes utilising the non-linear possibilities of materials based on or incorporating features of internet-based material. Once developed, and a teaching package in place, computer-based technology is less adaptive than face-to-face teaching strategies. Once a plan is implemented, elements are less likely to change in response to students’ reactions. Thus for these newer technologies we need an increased level of vigilance when looking to integrate instructional materials and learning outcomes to ensure we align our teaching activities. If learning is to be made ‘effective and efficient’, we need to have an understanding of what is going on for individual learners. And there’s the rub – which model, theory or framework do we use to try and understand what it means to ‘learn’? Instructional design risks becoming a rudderless ship unless we have a clear concept of the underlying learning process we are intending to support. We have described a course for new GP trainers which employs ‘blended learning’ – a combination of face-to-face and e-learning. Delivering the course this way involved an instructional design decision: something Heron would describe as happening in the planning dimension, in the hierarchical mode. Making this decision reflected our understanding of the nature of learning. But there are multiple ways of viewing learning, and a conscious engagement with the question ‘how will our course participants learn?’ is required of all of us when providing teaching and learning opportunities. This paper offers a review of some significant models of learning – it is not an attempt to describe all of learning theory. We will consider how each model has been influential in the practice of medical education, and explore how it can inform our approach to instructional design. Before continuing, readers might like to consider whether their own view of the world tends towards an understanding that ‘knowledge is out there to be discovered’ (an ontological stance) or that we create ‘knowledge’ from our experiences (an epistemological stance). In Education for Primary Care (2008) 19: 563–8 # 2008 Radcliffe Publishing Limited

Training and education in healthcare leadership: Is it time for a NHS healthcare academy?

ABSTRACT In his report into Mid-Staffordshire NHS Foundation Trust, Robert Francis QC suggested the need for a physical NHS ‘staff college’ to support the strengthening of clinical leadership in the NHS. We present qualitative research data from a series of semistructured interviews with senior healthcare leaders in the UK that highlights their thoughts on the state of both clinicians managerial and leadership knowledge and training in the UK and the opportunities and challenges that a ‘staff college’ model would present using the UK Armed Forces Defence Academy as an existing public sector model. While progress has been made towards strengthening leadership and management training for NHS staff since this research was performed, this research suggests the need for a more inclusive, corporate, multi-disciplinary approach to delivery, pooling the existing expertise and ensuring a whole workforce approach to the corporate NHS agenda.

An Electronic Evaluation of General Practitioner Appraisal form 4 and Personal Development Plans

The Electronic Evaluation Package (EEP) is a database that helps primary care organisations (PCOs) to collate large quantities of information about important aspects of the process and outcomes of appraisals. The database presents information in a confidential, secure, anonymous and focused way designed for developing PCO educational strategies, quality control and formative assessment of appraisers. This article describes the package, how it was designed and how it works. INTRODUCTION

Accessing careers support in primary care

ABSTRACT Careers support services facilitate health professionals’s ability to achieve career development and progression. Eleven primary care professions working in Shropshire and Staffordshire in the UK were surveyed to determine the extent, availability, and gaps in their provision. The response rate was low (27%), but suggested that only a minority (34%) of respondents had accessed formal careers support in the last five years. The majority sought help from informal sources. These findings were explored in more detail using four focus groups. Professionals expressed difficulty making career decisions, accessing careers advice and implementing changes. They felt that their formal advisors commonly suffered a conflict of interest between their role supporting the organisation and the individual’s interests. Allied health professionals, practice managers and pharmacists expressed concerns about the lack of opportunities for career progression and accessing those that did exist involved unacceptable sacrifices. General practitioners (GPs) were concerned that implementing career changes would cause difficulties for colleagues in their practices. Respondents in all professional groups valued ongoing support from easily accessible, independent and impartial, trained careers advisors who were up to date with recent developments, and would give information on the breadth of options available. They wanted access to be made easier through increased advertisement of careers support services, use of the Internet, and appraisers and line managers directing individuals to support services.

Handbook of primary care ethics

As in other green reviews, I (DC) have compiled this review aided by contributions from two UK colleagues: Dr Patrick Wills (PW) who is a GP and GP trainer in the Isle of Wight and Professor Kay Mo...

International is not just ‘over there’ but ‘right here’

Birmingham and the West Midlands is a vibrant and ethnically diverse region. According to the Office of National Statistics mid-census estimates, published in 2009, there were 2 016 252 people living in Birmingham who said that they belonged to one of the four Asian ethnic groups; Indian, Pakistani, Bangladeshi or Asian ‘Other’.1 This represents 19.6% of the population and 61.25% of the non-white population. In addition, Birmingham is home to one of the largest Pakistani-Kashmiri communities outside Kashmir and is thought to have the largest Pakistani community of any local authority in the UK.2 Local legend has it that in the 1970s it was the birthplace, or more likely the destination, of the Balti curry, brought to Birmingham by the city’s large Pakistani and Kashmiri communities and now a Birmingham speciality.3 The trainee population in general practice in the West Midlands largley mirrors this diversity. For example, nationally in 2010–11 2820 candidates sat the CSA at least once, of whom 41.4% self classified themselves as South Asian whereas in the West Midlands this figure was 57.5%, the highest proportion of any deanery.4 With this in mind it is clear that many people living in Birmingham, including GPs and other healthcare professionals, will have family and professional links in South Asia. Charitable and cultural links between the West Midlands and South Asia exist, such as the Birmingham/Mirpur Friendship Association established since 1993 as part of the twinning process between the Chambers of Commerce of Birmingham and the Mirpur district of Kashmir. In this spirit, the Midland Faculty RCGP has recently twinned with RCGP South Asia Faculty for the purposes of professional, charitable and cultural links. The twinning is lead by Professor Riaz Qureshi, Chair of the MRCGP[INT] South Asia Board and Dr Kay Mohanna for the Midland Faculty. The objectives of the twinning programme are to: