07 Jun NHS Trusts supporting SEND students during the Covid-19 pandemic
A successful strategic partnership with the NHS North West London Health & Care Partnership is establishing pathways into health & care jobs for young people with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND). The Covid-19 pandemic has had a far-reaching impact for everybody and has particularly impacted vocational training programmes. Luckily for our students, none of the programmes based at NHS sites in West London were postponed or cancelled. Our partners worked quickly to adapt their programmes and provided both remote and on site Supported Internships throughout the pandemic. Students and past graduates employed within hospitals have also been able to play their part in maintaining essential services, including administering Covid-19 tests for staff.
We would like to recognise this wonderful commitment to our young people and thank all NHS colleagues and partners working at:
• West Middlesex University Hospital
• Northwick Park Hospital
• Charing Cross Hospital
• West London NHS Trust
SEND students supporting Covid-19 efforts at Charing Cross and Hammersmith Hospitals
Just as we’ve all had to adapt to new ways of working during the pandemic, the DFN Project SEARCH interns did too, and some of them got involved in our response to the pandemic when they were recruited to help give out lateral flow Covid-19 testing kits to all members of Trust staff.
Their roles were meet and greet, registering first- and second-time users of the lateral flow kits and helping to distribute the kits. They were also touring the wards helping to get more people to sign up to do the lateral flow testing.
Happily, the 10 interns are now all doing regular jobs around the hospitals, and two have stayed on in their roles supporting the lateral flow team. The team enjoyed having them so much and they did so well in those roles and contributed so much to their teams, that they were asked to stay on.
One intern who stayed on with the lateral flow team, said: “During lockdown we were doing online lessons with my teacher, we were learning about first aid training which was very useful. When I heard about the lateral flow kit opportunity, I was excited as it sounded interesting. I decided to go for it as I wanted to help. The team at Charing Cross and Hammersmith are so respectful and amazing. They taught me the role really quickly. The team leaders and managers are so funny and reliable. I am really enjoying my work experience and am now helping with PCR testing as well.”
This represents a tremendous achievement and we are so proud of all those who made this programme a success. To find out more about our Supported Internships programme, visit our website or download the new 2021 Guide to Supported Internships.