Prosthetic Amputee Rehabilitation

Introduction

Guy’s and St Thomas’ NHS Foundation Trust Prosthetic Amputee Rehabilitation Visiting Professional Programme (VPP) is designed to provide international visiting professionals with the opportunity to experience and learn from the multi-disciplinary teams working across the pathway at the regional amputee outpatient service based at Bowley Close rehabilitation centre (BC), the 12 bedded Community Regional Amputee Rehabilitation Unit (ARU) and both St Thomas and Kings College Hospitals. Provision of highly specialised prosthetic rehabilitation for people of the South London Region, of all ages, having upper and lower limb amputation operates seamlessly across the whole pathway. Early expert MDT assessment and provision pre operatively influences the level selection and patient expectations of their post-operative rehabilitation during the hospital stay, specialist inpatient rehabilitation and lifelong prosthetic management. Post-operative hospital care is transferred as early as 14 days post op to either the Amputee Rehabilitation Bedded unit or as an out-patient travelling to Bowley Close prosthetics unit. Early input helps determine a clear rehab pathway for the patient.

Our Visiting Professional Programme is a unique development experience that allows visitors to observe our leading amputee and prosthetic rehabilitation MDTs in all its settings. The attachment will be tailored to the learning needs of the observer and linked to the specialist skills of the service. We are dedicated to broadening international professionals’ clinical expertise and enabling them to observe new skills that can be transferred back to their work place.

Programme aims

The programme is aimed at those who wish to extend their experience within Amputee Rehabilitation Services and who wish to gain an understanding of the way this is practiced and organised within the NHS and how it operates as an integrated patient care pathways.

The programme aims to include:

• Direct experience and exposure to holistic MDT assessment throughout rehabilitation with the patient informing decision making goal setting and rehabilitation
• MDT approach to care, rehabilitation and prosthetic provision including on site manufacturing of prosthetic limbs using various techniques and technologies
• Opportunities to attend our in-house teaching sessions
• Opportunities to attend our clinical governance meetings
• The opportunity to share knowledge and expertise with doctors, nurses, physiotherapists, Occupational Therapists, Prosthetists and Prosthetic Technicians, Rehabilitation Engineers, Psychological Counsellors, Discharge co-ordinators and Orthotists
• The opportunity to develop and extend visitors’ work portfolios by gaining experience of observing one of the largest NHS organisations in Central London, whilst gaining direct insight into the workings of the NHS
• There may be opportunities to get involved with short quality improvement projects during your visit

Individual weekly timetables will be created depending on each visiting professional’s requirements.

A Certificate of Attendance will be awarded to visitors upon the end of their programme.

Format

The observer will be nominated a supervisor to coordinate their individual programme and and monitor the learning experience each week.

Who can apply

This programme is intended for non-U.K. advanced trainee clinicians, AHP’s, nursing or medical professionals at the level of specialist registrar or consultant looking for exposure to a leading NHS MDT Amputee Rehabilitation care team.

Visitors can apply primarily for an observership (with no hands-on element) or a practical attachment programme.

Those wishing to apply for the practical attachment must have relevant HPCC, NMC or GMC registration. You can apply for GMC registration directly through the main GMC website. This is likely to take a considerable time to achieve and should be factored into an attachment application.

Programme duration

It is recommended to undertake a placement of four weeks for a typical observership. The experience may be tailored to the applicants needs from a generic overview of our Amputee rehabilitation services to a specialised observership focusing on one of the specialised clinical areas such as nursing.

If a shorter observership is requested, you may be asked which particular weeks of the timetable you wish to observe.

Please note that we are a small team and some time frames may not be able to be accommodated (typically July, August and December).

Regional Specialist Rehabilitation services

The services predominantly operate from Bowley Close Rehabilitation Centre which is located in Crystal Palace South East London. The services offer highly specialised management to people of all ages with long term physical disabilities. This management is often needed on a lifelong basis and intervention may be from one or more of the services at the centre and can be through a one stop approach during a visit. The staff, predominantly AHPs, adopt a multidisciplinary team approach to the management of the Clients and the client and carer are at the centre of the team working throughout. The service supports around 25,000 people across the region and provides care in the right setting by offering, in patient, outpatient and domiciliary care.

The centre offers rehabilitation and provision of specialised equipment alongside the manufacturing of made to measure prostheses, orthoses and special seating and assisted communication aids. This type of service is uniquely offered on a regional basis bringing together highly specialised staff of Consultant in rehabilitation medicine and Allied Health Professionals.

The Services operating from Guys & St Thomas, Kings College Hospital and the Amputee Rehabilitation Unit are:

• In and outpatient Amputee Rehabilitation Service
• Orthotic Service
• Wheelchair Service
• Assistive Technology Service

Example Timetable

Fees

A course fee per week will be applied; this fee excludes accommodation and travelling expenses. To find out the fee amount please email vpp@gstt.nhs.uk.

Please note

Clinicians are able to offer bursaries or discounted placements on an individual basis. This is at the discretion of the Directorates of GSTT and does not affect the terms and conditions of the Visiting Professional Programme agreements.