Salford has a well established and enviable partnership approach to health improvement which, over the last few years has embraced this and has forged a series of innovative multi – agency programmes.  The Behaviour Change Programme is the latest and promises to support an already committed and highly skilled workforce to improve the health and wellbeing of families, friends and communities in Salford. 

Uni is pleased to be involved at this early stage as part of the Behaviour Change Consortium which is delivering the brief interventions training programme.  The Behaviour Change Consortium consists of Unique Improvements, Social Marketing Gateway and JMP Consultants all experts in the fields of social marketing and behaviour change programmes.

Whilst extending congratulations to the team LEA PEARSON Managing Director of ISOQAR stated ‘As you are aware, our auditor did not raise any non-conformances on this audit.  This is a superb achievement on an initial audit and one of which you and your staff should be justifiably proud’.

The team at Uni is delighted to say the least!

This is truly recognition for the achievements of the Care Home Staff and residents of the six homes which participated in the project.  The shortlisted team will be interviewed on 20^th September in London and the winners announced at the awards ceremony at the Hilton Park Lane, London on the 2 November 2011. 

Unique Improvements is proud to have contributed to the success of the project and we wish them well.

Introduction to Commissioning

This course provides an overview of the Commissioning Cycle and its various elements with the opportunity to practice some commissioning skills. It is an ideal introduction for those looking to develop into commissioning roles within Clinical Commissioning Groups or for those wanting an overview of commissioning.

Improving Commissioning

This course provides an opportunity to explore the commissioning cycle in detail. It includes interactive sessions designed to reflect scenarios that will be found within the Clinical Commissioning Group workplace. The Improving Commissioning course will enable you to further develop your commissioning knowledge and skills and test them in a protected learning environment, the outcome being an enhanced set of transferable skills for the future.

The courses are accredited by Teesside University, University of the Year 2009/10.

For a full list of the Unique Improvements / Teesside University Accredited Courses can be found here: Commissioning Training

The Partnership includes:

Commissioning4health – An organisation offering clinical and non clinical commissioning training and specialised support for both the NHS and pharmaceutical industry;

The LLMC - The University of Lincoln’s resource centre for leadership and management education.

Having already established and delivered an NHS commissioning MSc for Lincoln and Hull PCTs, the LLMC has the experience and expertise to support clinical and non clinical post graduates in obtaining the MSc in Commissioning across the UK.

Unique Improvements – A social enterprise established in 2005 who work closely with Local Authorities, Clinical and non clinical commissioners and third sector organisations.

As the only UK organisation that has university accredited commissioning courses to level 6/degree, and with a range of skills development courses and qualifications available, linked to commissioning and designed to suit the needs of the client

MAON - A leading change management company;

Professor David Head Dean at the Faculty of Business and Law, University of Lincoln said:

“The LLMC as part of the University of Lincoln is pleased to be part of this exciting venture.

It offers bespoke training and development packages that support those delivering change in the NHS and Local Government.

“The campus will offer one of the widest range of commissioning skills courses and qualifications in the UK; including the only MSc in Commissioning designed specifically for Clinical Commissioners”.

Linda Henry, Director of Unique Improvements, said

“Unique Improvements are pleased to be associated with the Commissioning Campus.  The campus represents a ‘one stop shop’ for commissioning skills development at a time when the NHS is undergoing significant change.  The campus’s offer ensures existing and emerging commissioning professionals can gain easy access to the highest quality training and education”.

Huw England, Director and Owner of Commissioning4health, said

“Commissioning4health are delighted to be part of the commissioning campus, with its breadth of commissioning skills and qualification courses, we will in partnership be able to offer clinical and non clinical staff a wide range of choices to support their development and their organisations in the future”.

Mark Axler, Director of MAON, said

As well as MSc, degree and A Level courses, the campus offers approved CPD courses in Commissioning designed for:

• PCTs and Clinical Commissioning Groups
• The Community and Voluntary Sector
• Local Authorities and Districts
• Health Providers
• The Pharmaceutical Industry

Find out more about the campus, by visiting www.commissioning4health.com/campus

The Institute of Commissioning Professionals highlighted that many commissioners commented about the lack of support and training in Commissioning when they took up their posts and therefore have had to learn on the job. Recent comments from the Parliamentary Health Committee have reinforced the need to improve standards of commissioning. A view to which many of the Institute of Commissioning Professionals members subscribe.

In order to help define the role and provide a foundation for qualifications, a series of National Occupational Standards have been developed, and the Institute have partnered with Unique Improvements to provide their members with high quality university accredited courses which can lead to either individual qualifications or count towards a university degree.

More information about our partnership and the courses can be found at http://www.iocp.co.uk/courses.php

Due to this change it has meant that all our e-mail address have had to change and all e-mails sent after the 29^th July will not have been received. In order to ensure that we don’t lose contact could you please change the end of the e-mail addresses that you have for Unique Improvements staff to @uni.uk.net (instead of @uni.gb.com).

At Uni we have just spent six months working with disabled people to put together the Disability Employers Guide www.disabilityemployersguide.co.uk  which was funded by the Yorkshire and Humber Improvement Partnership and is a resource to help employers recruit and retain disabled people in the workforce.  A diverse workforce has many benefits for companies and disabled people add to that diversity. 

It was very clear from our work that the issue of employment should not be about cost but about capability to do the job in question.  The best person for a job can be someone WITH a disability as having a disability doesn’t automatically exclude you from every job.  Very often disabled people have invested personally and financially in ensuring that they have a range of skills on a par with able – bodied people and they are often highly motivated to work. 

In our experience the ‘hindrance’ can be with the employer who may not know how to go about finding, recruiting and interviewing disabled people or what to do if things go wrong.  This lack of knowledge can cause a lack of confidence where it is easier to recruit an able bodied person than a disabled person.

Employers can be helped to find the best person for the job and there is a lot of support both practical and financial out there.  What Mr Davies could have done is raised the positive issue of the support and advice available and not the negative one about cost.

Disabled people still have the same living costs as able bodied people and often have increased travel costs as public transport is still not easy for disabled people to use.

A Uni Bursary is a match funded initiative from Unique Improvements.  It provides one free place for every purchased training place on one of five university accredited courses.

Who can apply for them?

The bursaries are open to the following groups,

• Front line health and social care staff who would normally not be funded by their host organisation for university accredited courses.  This group is defined as anyone who provides services for patients which contribute to the management of a medical condition or disability, prevent an illness or disability or who contribute to the well being of individuals.  Host organisations could be Local Authorities, NHS organisations or Third Sector organisations.
• General Practice staff, pharmacy staff and dental surgery staff
• Members of the public not employed in any of the previous organisations but who are considering membership of patient groups, Foundation Trust Boards or other involvement organisations such as HealthWatch.

How long do the bursaries last for?

The current round of the Bursary application process is open until 31 August 2011.  Once a bursary has been approved you have until 31 March 2012 to use it.

Is the bursary from a limited pot of money?

Yes, the current round of bursaries is from the Unique Improvements social enterprise funds.  As a social enterprise, each year we commit to supporting a charity and in 2011 it is Make a Wish Foundation which supports children with terminal and life threatening illness.  We also endeavour to invest 20% of audited profits into social causes which can be investment in external organisations or in developing the company to equip us to continue our work.

Which courses does it apply to?

The current round of the Bursary process applies to the following courses,

• Developing skills for effective participation and involvement (20 credits Level 4)
• Introduction to service user and citizen engagement and involvement (20 credits Level 4)
• Service improvement through engagement and involvement (20 credits Level 6)
• Introduction to commissioning (20 credits Level 4)
• Improving commissioning (60 credits Level 6)

Which University accredits the courses?

The University of Teesside – University of the year 2009

Do I have to do the accreditation or can I still do the course without the accreditation?

You can decide whether to do the accreditation or not.  It is entirely voluntary and is no additional cost.  The course content is the same whether you take the accreditation or not.  If you decide not to take the accreditation you can still ask for a certificate of professional development for your portfolio.

How are the courses accredited?

Each course has its own method of assessment and full details can be obtained from Unique Improvements on request.  However, an example of the assessment from one course is to keep a reflective journal another course would be assessment by a 4000 word essay.

Where are the courses held?

We have a number of open courses already booked and provided in our Liverpool offices where there is easy access to public transport and affordable local hotel provision.

Alternatively, where an organisation wishes to commission a course to be provided on their premises or nearby we are happy to oblige.  This keeps the costs down further for purchasing organisations.

My organisation can’t pay for me can I pay for myself?

Yes we have a wide range of payment methods which include online credit card payments, Bacs transfers, cheques and cash.  We are also able to offer monthly payment plans at 0% interest.

My friend and I both want to attend the same course can we share a bursary?

Yes, this is possible where both are attending the same course and sharing the cost we will invoice both attendees for 50% of the course cost and share the bursary in the same way.

Can I attend one course and pay for it myself and use my bursary for a second course?

Yes, as long as it is one of the five identified University accredited courses and it is the same cost.  If you wanted to attend a second course of a higher cost the cost of the bursary would be used to reduce the cost of the higher priced course by that amount. E.g. Developing skills for effective participation and involvement is £525 so the bursary would be £525.  If you then used this against Introduction to commissioning you would have £74 to pay.

Why should I attend Uni Training courses?

Unique Improvements is a social enterprise which was established in 2005.  With our origins in the public sector and a continuous track record of delivering high quality and award winning service improvement programmes we are best placed to be able to turn theory into practice.  We know exactly what is needed to build capacity and capability in staff to help them tackle the challenges of a modern public sector and we understand the reasons why they sometimes have difficulty getting the funding and time to achieve their personal development goals.

All our trainers have significant experience and expertise in their topics and many of them have held or still hold senior positions in the public sector.  Our long history of providing training for lay people and service staff, often together, means we know how to make training simple and enjoyable.  All materials are easy to access and the emphasis is on quality and fun whilst attending to all learning styles.  Once you have attended one course you will want to attend another.

Where can I get more information?

You can ring the office and ask to speak to one of the trainers 0151 486 6737, alternatively you can contact us using the form below…

Unique Improvements, a North West based Social Enterprise specialising in Commissioning & Engagement Training, is pleased to announce the launch of Uni Bursaries.  The Bursaries are funding packages aimed at supporting groups of staff who would not normally attract training funding or where there is a limited training budget to access quality university accredited training courses.

The bursaries are available to all health and social care staff, primary care practice staff and lay people. They are offered on the basis of one free place for every bought place on one of five university accredited courses covering engagement and involvement, and commissioning training. The courses range from level 4 introduction courses to indepth courses at academic level 6.  This means that NHS PCT clusters, GP Consortia or Local Authority area can invest in training with the full confidence that they will get twice the return on their investment. If there is greater demand in an area the courses will be delivered in that location thus providing additional savings.

Unique Improvements Managing Director Linda Henry said ‘’this is a unique opportunity to share the benefits of social enterprise working at grass roots level and to bring all the strands of our training packages together to help those who normally don’t get help to go on university accredited courses.  These courses will support General Practice staff to deliver the Patient Participation Directly Enhanced Service (DES) and enhance staff skills so they can meet the challenges of the future commissioning agenda’.

The five courses, all accredited by our academic partner Teesside University – university of the year 2009, are listed below:

• Introduction to Commissioning – 20 credits at Level 4 – £599.
• Improving Commissioning – 60 Credits at Level 6 – £2695.
• Developing Skills for Effective Participation and Involvement – 20 credits – Level 4 – £525.
• Introduction to Service User and Citizen Engagement and Involvement – 20 credits – Level 4 – £599.
• Service Improvement through Engagement and Involvement – 60 credits Level 6 – £2498.

For more information about the bursaries, or if you need help to decide which course is best for you, phone 0151 486 6737 and speak to one of the Unique Improvements trainers.