Summer 2024 newsletter

Dear Patients and Carers,

Welcome to the Summer newsletter.

We have recently sent out an email to all members of the Patient and Carer Group to say thank-you for all your support over the last academic year. At the time of writing this letter over 330 medical and 120 Healthcare students have graduated. Your influence continues to help to make these students patient-centered in all that they do.

Leicester Medical School has also just been awarded the top status in the student national survey making us one of the most desirable places to train for medicine. The School of Healthcare continues to grow and expand and in September 2024 sees a new Masters in pharmacology for pharmacy start.

This newsletter will update you on current activities, and emerging opportunities for patient and carer collaboration. The group is fortunate to be supported by a first year medical student. Elle will provide a vital link between members and student curriculum development and we look froward to working with her in the coming new academic year.

Once again members of the Patient and Carer Group have benefited from valuable training workshops, gaining an understanding of legal issues and contemporary thinking in the area of Equity Diversity and Inclusion. In this addition further work within the Empathy Centre and a current collaboration between the Medical School and the Attenborough Arts Centre are shared.

We do hope our readers benefit from the summer break, notwithstanding the numerous challenges colleagues face.

Best Wishes

Professor Liz Anderson Chair

Rachelle Maxwell Vice Chair

In this edition we profile the background of Professor Simon Gay, Head of the Medical School.

We highlight the successful the recent group social event and introduce the keynote speaker Sir Tom Shakespeare.

Introducing Professor Simon Gay Head of the Medical School

Active in both undergraduate and postgraduate healthcare education Simon is currently Professor of Medical Education (Primary Care) and Head of Leicester School of Medicine.

Simon is a retired GP and graduate of St. George’s Hospital Medical School. Simon completed his GP training in Leicestershire and is a former GP partner in Market Harborough. Simon worked at Keele, Nottingham and Leicester medical schools in a range of academic roles. He is a GMC Education Associate and GMC Visiting Team Leader – visiting medical schools to quality assure the education standards on behalf of the GMC. Simon is also Editor-in-Chief of the global peer-reviewed journal Education for Primary Care, a past Chair of ASME’s Educator Development Committee, and a former treasurer of both the UK Clinical Reasoning in Medical Education group and the International Clinical Skills Foundation, an Australian Registered Charity.

Simon’s research interests include clinical reasoning, professionalism and the transition to qualified practice. He has contributed to more than 180 academic outputs including peer-reviewed publications, book chapters, key-note presentations and workshops. Simon continues to support colleagues in the Medical School to include the Patient and Carer voice.

Whilst collaborating with Patients and Carers during a chess match at Braunstone Civic Centre, a local participant collapsed. This prompted University of Leicester's Prof Simon Gay to begin CPR.

The Patient and Carer group would like to express pride in Simon Gay’s medical instincts which saved the life of Richard Hanscombe.

Patient & Carer Involvement

Patient & Carer Summer Social

Patients & Carers would like to thank Elizabeth Anderson for securing Sir Thomas William Shakespeare as the keynote speaker during the June Social Event. Tom Shakespeare is a scientist and bioethicist. He writes, talks and researches mainly about disability, has been elected a Fellow of the British Academy and regularly broadcasts on BBC Radio 4.

Born in Aylesbury, Tom Shakespeare studied Anglo-Saxon, Norse and Celtic at Pembroke College, Cambridge. Following on, he worked as a printer and a theatre administrator. Tom completed a Masters and a Doctorate in Sociology at Kings College, Cambridge.

During his speech, Tom complemented Liz on the continuing development of the Patient and carer community within the Medical School.

Recruitment of new members

The social was well attended and attracted 5 new members including Ioannis Gketsis, one of our younger members. Ioannis lives with autism and recently completed his degree in Creative Practice at North Warwickshire and South Leicestershire College. We look forward to Ioannis’s perspective and contribution as a person living with Autism. With support, Ioannis has agreed to discuss his daily challenges and how he meets these. Ioannis’s main focus throughout his studies was photography. Currently, his work includes photography and digital art. The work finds inspiration from fantasy, science fiction and mythological themes. Examples:

The Anthony Locke Awards

Anthony Locke, a long-standing member of the patient and carer group continues to play a pivotal role the area of research.

The ‘Anthony Locke Awards’ represent a number of financial prizes donated by Anthony, in support of the application of poetry, music and painting, to provide insights in the area of Primary Care.

Anthony also has supported an award in appreciation of exemplary work in the area of Geonomics.

The awards were received by the following students:

Avishka De Silva - Geonomics

David Warren - Creativity

Kashmir Gaddu Creativity Francesca Florida-Chapman - Creativity

Julie-Ann Amartey - Creativity

Francesca Christie - Creativity

The entries were judged by Roger Charlton, a GP Professor of undergraduate Primary Care Education at Leicester Medical School and Honorary Professor of Medical Education Swansea University.

Congratulations to all from the Patient and Carer group.

The Patient & Carer group thank Anthony for his dedication to research and education and continued support of the student body.

Stoneygate Centre for Empathic Healthcare Update

Dr Amber Bennet reports:

“We’ve been busy at the Stoneygate Centre for Empathic Healthcare! In April, we ran our first ‘Educating for Empathy in Healthcare’ course, where experienced medical educators shared approaches to teaching empathy effectively. The course was a hit, and we’ve had lots of positive feedback since. Our Year 5 students’ SSC (Student Selected Component) on ‘Creative Medicine and Empathic Healthcare’ has recently come to an end, and they have produced a wonderful anthology of art, poems, and reflections on their own and other’s experiences of health and care. We’ve also published several papers, including one exploring how our medical students’ empathy levels change throughout their time at Leicester, and another looking at interventions to enhance medical student wellbeing (links below). In August, we have Associate Professor Gabrielle Brand joining us as a visiting professor from Monash University. “

Patient and Carer opportunity!!!!!!

Amber requires the participation of Patient and Carers

The Stoneygate Centre for Empathic Healthcare are running a small qualitative study to explore patients’ and practitioners’ perspectives on the definition, practice, and measurement of therapeutic empathy. If you can find an hour to undertake an interview it would help Amber Bennett-Weston (abw13@leicester.ac.uk) to CREATE a scale for measuring it. Please email Amber if you would be interested in taking part.

Doubleday Medical Schools Patient Partnership Collaboration Update

Amber and Rachelle continue to attend the Doubleday Medical Schools Patient Partnership Collaboration meetings, which are led by Dame Robina Shah from Manchester Medical School. This Collaboration seeks to influence the General Medical Council’s standards for involving patients and carers in medical education. In the most recent meeting, colleagues from the University of Derby shared their approach to involving patients and carers in psychiatry teaching. The next meeting is set to take place in the Autumn, either at Manchester Medical School or the General Medical Council headquarters in London.

School of Healthcare

Plans for Optometry Program the School’s plan for setting up an Optometry program took one big step forward this month. The University has sanctioned the school to approach FODO, a charity which supports the set-up of new Optometry programs across the UK. This means, that in principle, the University will allow us to set up Optometry, if the charity can provide sufficient upfront financial support. The charity has already agreed in principle to support us and therefore the question now is about how much they can afford. The delay, to get this far, was in the University promising to find and create teaching space for the program.

Physiotherapy

The Chinese Ministry of Education have formally awarded the Joint Education Initiative between Chongqing Medical University (CQMU) and UoL. This international JEI will see our Physiotherapy BSc being taught to 30 Chinese nationals with the first year taught in the UK and year 2 and 3 taught in China with "flying faculty". The JEI includes Psychology and an MSc in Oncology adding to the provision we already have for clinical Science (Medicine). The JEI sees students’ study for dual awards gaining a qualification from Uol and CQMU. The first UK based students are expected in September 2026. There will be various posts advertised in the coming months, if you would like any further information please come and speak with Seth.

Global and Regional Inter-professional Education Plus Programme (GRIP) -Cohort 2

The second cohort attending the University of Leicester’s unique global international exchange programme, for undergraduate and graduate students at Chiba University, Japan took place last month. Lily Cotonand Megan Kiff–both second year student midwives–attended the programme with three public health doctors. Through engaging in project work they were able to build on their understandings of global health, team building skills and their ability to solve health-related community issue, alongside enhancing their leadership and inter-professional skills. An event across the two Schools is being planned for students and staff to hear of the experiences from these two cohorts in order to widen the opportunity of the GRIP to other programmes within the school.

Clinical Psychology

Dr Timothy Siggs, Clinical Psychologist

Clinical Psychology is located within the School of Psychology and Vision Sciences, College of Health Sciences. Timothy explained a cohort of about 30 new students will be starting in the new academic year and the necessity to expand the service user group to support with assessments, teaching etc. Patient and carers will be invited to a session in September to discuss opportunities for co- production and delivery.

The Patient and Carer Group extends a warm welcome to Dr Timothy Siggs.

Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Workshop

Professor Kate Williams introduced the timely induction training, supported by the P & C members;

The session explained the latest thinking and legal status of EDI.

What do we mean by Equity, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI)? (From our ToR)

Equity is different from equality. It does not refer to sameness of treatment, but fairness in results. This often requires differential treatment based on careful research and considered actions. For example, the university recognises individual barriers to achievement in order for all students and staff to thrive.

Diversity refers to differences in groups such as age, class or gender. These differences may have historical or contemporary origins, but should be used to unite rather than to exclude.

Inclusion is being attentive to identities and recognising the fact that by putting disadvantaged members at the heart of leadership and planning, the whole community benefits.

Patients & Carers benefit from state-of-the-art training opportunities and thank Professor Kate Williams for the Equity Diversity and Inclusion for P & C G workshop.