Organisation(s)

Dorset HealthCare NHS Foundation Trust

BCP Council

Learning disability physios

We are the learning disability physios within the BCP Adult Learning Disability Service (BCP CLDT). We regularly support physiotherapy undergrad students on placement throughout the year, from Bournemouth University, Winchester University and AECC University College. We are an integrated health and social care service; we have six physios in the team.

Summary of placement

We haven’t officially adopted a hub and spoke model from the start, but have now identified different services, organisations, and charities who are relevant to our clinical area and are willing to provide spoke days for students who are on placement with us.

This information is shared within the team, and considered by every PPE when beginning to organise a clinical placement for an undergrad physiotherapy student. This information is then also given to students when they start on placement with us, so they have something to consider when organising their own diary.

While this includes other Dorset HealthCare services, it also includes specific UHD services, charity run day centres, council day centres, and other care providers.

We have had feedback from students that they thoroughly enjoy these spoke days, and we have witnessed how these days can firmly establish skill and knowledge in previously identified areas of weakness.

Benefits

  • Reduced burden on PPEs, allowing time for work which is less relevant for students (e.g. mandatory training)

  • Consolidated student learning in specific clinical/population areas

Challenges

  • It can be initially difficult to find services willing to offer these spoke days

  • There is then (appropriately) expectation for us to provide spoke days to students in other services. This can be challenging to fit around clinical demands

Advice you’d give to others

  • Set up a shared resource file which can be added to over time as different spoke opportunities are identified

  • Give ownership back to the students to arrange some of their spoke days while on placement

  • Consider booking regular spoke days throughout the placement to enable “catch up” time for tasks less relevant or interesting for your student to be a part of