The Huntercombe Group

The Huntercombe Group teams up with the University of Worcester to educate student nurses
Posted April 23rd 2013

Students will have the opportunity to spend time shadowing specialist clinicians and therapists, at the group’s Cotswold Spa Hospital from 22^nd April. Working alongside these healthcare professionals, students will be given the opportunity to consolidate theoretical knowledge and practical application through valuable exposure to patients suffering from severe eating disorders such as bulimia and anorexia.

The work placement will contribute to the students’ overall training, with learning objectives set out beforehand by their university tutors. Students will become familiar with both the psychological and also medicinal treatment used when treating patients with eating disorders. They will also follow real life patient cases and learn more about the on-going issues both doctors and patients face during this particular type of treatment.

Commenting on the forthcoming placements, Anne-Marie Willis, Hospital Manager for the Cotswold Spa Huntercombe Hospital, said: “The collaboration between the University of Worcester and The Huntercombe Hospital Cotswold Spa is a brilliant way to strengthen connections between the two institutions.

“Students will receive a valuable hands-on learning experience whilst viewing the hospital as a beneficial placement to work and gain understanding of the independent sector. Staff members have attended mentorship training in preparation for their arrival, so the unit is ideally situated to host our new guests.

“In return, this is a wonderful opportunity to ensure that we are helping to develop the nurses of the future. The treatment of eating disorders is extremely complex so it’s vital that students receive good quality training which isn’t just theoretical but also practical.”

Robert Dudley, Head of Pre-registration Nursing at the University of Worcester, said: “We are delighted that our students have been given this opportunity to gain vital experience at the Huntercombe’s Cotswold Spa Hospital. Being able to apply their knowledge practically will be a huge benefit to their training and development.

“The nursing degree at Worcester was ranked number one in the country in the most recent National Student Survey, with a 100% satisfaction rating, which is largely down to the quality of work placements, such as this, that our students have the opportunity to participate in.

“We are determined that our student nurses graduate with maximum experience across a range of areas, and this new partnership is vital to that mission.”

In addition to the work placements, Anne-Marie will also be delivering a talk to the students on recruitment opportunities at Cotswold Spa and within the wider Huntercombe Group.

Huntercombe Hospital East Yorkshire re-launches it services
Posted April 15th 2013

The Huntercombe Hospital East Yorkshire hospital will be hosting a Learning Day on Thursday 18^th April 2013 to mark the re-launch of its services for men and women with Mental Health disorders.The hospital has undergone extensive investment, improvement and reconfiguration, to enable it to respond to demand for low secure services for women and both medium and low secure services for men with Autistic Spectrum Conditions.The aim of the Learning Day is to network, learn and participate on a tour of the hospital’s new services and facilities. During the morning, attendees will hear from high calibre speakers about the hospital’s unique clinical interventions and care pathways. Speakers and topics confirmed for the event include:

Dr Mark Earthrowl, Clinical Director & Consultant Forensic Psychiatrist. Dr Earthrowl will consider the key drivers and challenges for women entering secure services and how such services meet NHS frameworks and National strategy. With vast experience within forensic mental health services, prison psychiatry and women’s services, Dr Earthrowl will also consider Huntercombe’s response to The Corston Report and the importance of true gender specific and responsive care.

Peter Ford, Consultant Counselling Psychologist and Head of Psychology. Peter was the clinical lead behind the creation of the Spectrum Star, a patient-endorsed tool to assess how those with Autism progress on their care pathway across 9 key domains. Peter will discuss how this Star, the first of its kind for Autism was developed, how it is used as a clinical outcome tool and notably how patients were involved throughout the developing and testing process.

Jill Dawson, Lead Speech and Language Therapist. Jill will discuss the value of staff training and awareness of communication issues from both their own and the patient’s perspective.

Alison Tait, Hospital Registered Manager for The Huntercombe Hospital - East Yorkshire commented: “Our launch and Learning Day will provide visitors with the opportunity to take a tour of the hospital’s new services as well as a chance to network and gain valuable professional development.“The hospital has been significantly improved in order to meet the demand for medium and low secure services for men and women. We can now provide gender-specific services for individuals whose challenging or offending behaviour requires an appropriate level of support during their journey to recovery.

”The Huntercombe Hospital - East Yorkshire provides assessment and evidence-based care and treatment for adults (aged 18 and over) with Mental Health disorders who are detained under the Mental Health Act.