Inspiring the Workforce of the Future –

What do schools need from the NHS?

Dr Janice Gorlach Deputy CEO NELT & Executive Head Teacher 6500 children 3 -18

PRIMARIES Browney Academy Sacriston Academy Diamond Hall Junior Academy

11-16 SECONDARIES The Academy at Shotton Hall Ashington Academy Bedlington Academy Hermitage Academy School & Sixth Form

SIXTH FORMS Ashington Academy Bedlington Academy Hermitage Academy Teesdale School & Sixth Form Inspiring the Future Work Force Our vision & ethos

Our Trust is founded on deeply held principles that every child has the right to an excellent education.

Our vision is that every child experiences excellence every day. We want our children to thrive in a safe, stimulating environment where they develop a deep love of learning that will stay with them for their whole lives.

The Impact of Melissa!

• Really enjoyed it, was way better than sitting listening to someone talk about it” • “It was good to try the microscope thing and have a go at stitching but it was too hard to do ! ” • “It was fun dressing up” • “It was good to try the different things and have a go at different activities. I need more now, about what a career is like in the NHS and what I could do” Melissa

“When she (another student) fainted for real it was interesting to see how they reacted so quickly to helping her. We just thought it was all an act” “The brain thing was really cool and interesting” “I enjoyed all of the different talks and having a go but they were a bit brainy for me” “It was good to visit and was one of the best careers things that we’ve done because we got to have a go and the inflatable head was weird” What are the barriers?

• Lack of understanding the range of careers.

• What pupils perceive is available, is too often based on their experience or TV shows!

• A lack of a realistic way to develop both the insight and the prior knowledge / skills needed to enter the profession.

• Real difficulties gaining work experience or even someone to talk to.

• Almost exclusively, those who have NHS aspirations are very high achievers looking to becoming doctors. BUT……the world is much bigger than this! NHS Careers

• The key is access - students needs lots of productive, targeted and planned opportunities to get into real life NHS related environments. • Young minds needs to be carefully introduced (Christie’s / Radiology) • There needs to be opportunities made for meaningful work experience and volunteering. • Opportunities to understand roles and opportunities to develop skills in empathy/communication. • Some pupils can do this easily. Others need opportunities to develop this. Voice of a Medical Student

Student- studying medicine at Sheffield. Shadowed at a GP Surgery

‘I learned a lot about the daily running of the practice and some of the tasks that the doctors need to do, alongside seeing patients. For example, writing up what happened during appointments and contacting hospitals to refer patients. I learned more about how busy GPs are and how easy it is to get behind on appointments. Some of the nurses would sometimes need to refer their patients to one of the doctors, which the doctors would need to find time for. This information was useful when I spoke about different clinical settings during my medical school interviews.’ What we advise….

• Volunteer in your local community – developing people skills and empathy • Work experience spending time observing someone doing the job or working in your area of interest. • Attending lectures at local University • Speak to someone doing the job or who is an academic in your area of interest • Speaking to someone in your family who has had an experience related to your area of interest eg illness/disability. What was their experience? Those barriers again ..

The Disadvantaged Child – often faces

➢issues around language / extended language ➢general knowledge of structures / wider issues ➢difficultly in gaining access to professionals ➢reliant entirely on school ➢lack of wider support to thrive in HE For example: NHS Structures

• Role of the GMC • Role of the CQC • Role of the BMA • Role of Commissioners and Providers • NHS Trusts, Private Finance Initiatives • Role of the Medical Royal Colleges • Role of the voluntary sector • MIND, Samaritans, St Johns, RNLI, Macmillan, Hospices Engagement with the NHS

• This is essential – it can ends up being not what you know but who you know – this further disadvantages the disadvantaged – if no contact with the ‘professional classes’ • Proactive recruitment needs a real solution to the barriers around work experience • The country’s talent needs to be drawn from a wider pool • This necessitates real, meaningful engagement from pupils who would not currently be able to get off the starting blocks – not because of raw ability- but because of developed abilities and experiences. WORK EXPERIENCE QUESTIONS – Advice to our students

• What clinical / medical work experience have you carried out? What did you learn?

• Demonstrate concepts of seeing at close hand the professional / patient relationship, the complexity of illness/disease, the pain of human emotion and the human condition.

• Link specific examples to your own awareness and thus learning experiences

The potential talent pool is diminished if students cannot access the NHS in this early stage – these are practical barriers and can be overcome if there is a will in the NHS to do so. Medics - Depth & Breadth of Interest • What have you learnt about medicine from Doctors you have spoken to? • Understanding of daily schedule, stress, responsibility, more to learn, perhaps as a patient or relative of a patient • What is the most exciting development in medicine recently? • Pick an example which benefits many, clear and concise, say how it will affect clinical practice and peoples lives • What do you think the most important development in medicine has been? • Depends how one defines important, link to own reading and experiences, antibitotics/cellular biology, public health medicine, EBM via the scientific method, technology in medicine, approaches to medical training The NHS Careers Website ‘ 350 careers throughout the NHS alone’

• Engagement is crucial to make pupils aware. • Melissa the NHS Bus/ follow-up talks /targeted visits/talks/small group interactions/web activities etc) • Gatsby Career Benchmarks – ‘every pupil should have first-hand experiences of the workplace through work visits, work shadowing and/or work experience to help their exploration of career opportunities, and expand their networks’ • We need a carefully planned progamme from aged 11- 18 across a WIDE range of disciplines. Apprenticeships

• These are very popular • They are seen as a very viable alternative to University • Could be powerful in attracting young people if carefully managed to train and develop the skills needed. • Lot of potential here!