Advancing Practice for the workforce
- Anne Wallace, AHP Professional Advisor and Abby Campbell, Policy Manager at Scottish Government - AHP Education and Workforce Review
A brief overview of the 2023 AHP Education and Workforce Review with a focus on recommendations relating to Advancing Practice and current work in this area of the recommendations.
About Anne - A physiotherapist who has worked mainly in acute and rehabilitation practice. Has worked in AHP Education within HEIs for some time before moving to the current role within Scottish Government.
About Abby - A Policy Manager who works in AHP Education within the Scottish Government’s Chief Nursing Officer’s Directorate.
- Helen McFarlane, AHP Head of Programme & Dr Valerie Blair, Head of Programme - NMAHP Workforce, Education and Career Development Programme at NHS Education for Scotland - Transforming roles and advancing practice
Maximising the contribution that AHPs and specifically dietitians can make to improving the health of the people who use our services is about having the right person with the right skills in the right place. Transforming our services includes considering the skill mix of the team and identifying areas where roles required to be developed in order to fulfil them. When developing new roles, often our thinking is restricted to advancing our clinical/practice skills and knowledge. This workshop will explore the 4 pillars of practice and how to maximise our contribution by considering our roles in leadership, research, facilitating learning as well as clinical practice skills.
Valerie is a member of the NES team supporting workforce, education and career development for Nursing, Midwifery and AHPs. The team encourages NMAHPs to undertake robust workforce planning around service needs and to identify the unique contribution of every member of the team to ensure all staff from HSCW to consultant level are able to work at their full potential across the 4 pillars of practice.
Helen has worked at NHS Education for Scotland (NES) since 2006 and has led on a range of projects and programmes including the AHP Practice Education programme, the Skills Maximisation Toolkit, the AHP Career Fellowship, developing AHP HNC courses for support workers and developing specific education resources such as dysphagia. Helen also represents NES as part of the Personal Outcomes Network and led the person centred care programme at NES.
Theory into Action
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Anna Julian, Advanced Specialist Dietitian, Medical and gastroenterology, NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde - The case for advanced practice
A case study considering advanced practice in dietetics
About Anna - Since graduating from the University of Nottingham in 2008, Anna has spent the majority of her career working in acute dietetics. In her current role as an advanced specialist dietitian in NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde, she holds a diverse medical and gastroenterology caseload, as well as supporting research and development within the team. Anna completed her PhD in 2019 examining malnutrition at the hospital-community interface, measuring function and exploring quality of life in older adults at risk of undernutrition. Anna regularly lectures at Glasgow Caledonian University, and is part of the PENG committee.
- Debbie Provan, Clinical Advisor, Cancer and Rehabilitation Unit - Evidence-based practitioner? Experiences of a Clinical Advisor and PhD student.
The digital first approach
- Ruth Deplacido, Speech and Language Therapy Lead/Just Ask Lead, Highland Council - Just Ask Enquiry Line, Highland
In 2017, an AHP telephone enquiry line was tested in Highland as a means to improve universal access to services - Ruth will talk through the story of this and what it looks like today.
About Ruth - I've worked as a Speech and Language Therapist since 1995. Moving to Highland in 1999 and then taking on a more specific role within that team, supporting children and young people within a specialist nursery. This work led to moving forward with the tiered approach and more of a leadership role in the universal and population elements of this. Latterly, I've been in this CYP SLT lead post in North Highland since 2017 - based at the Pines, in Inverness.
- Julie Johnson, Paediatric Dietetic Lead, Raigmore Hospital & Karen Mackay, Infant Feeding Lead, NHS Highland - Normalising Excessive Crying in the first 8 weeks of life Project
Within NHS Highland, through a multidisciplinary approach, an excessive crying project has been trialled to support parents in the first 8 weeks of life to normalise infant behaviour and reduce the prescribing of specialist formulas and reflux medications.
About Karen - A midwife by profession, who has been with the infant feeding lead in NHS Highland for over 15 years with a strategic and clinical role. She is also part of the Scottish Government's Breastfeeding leadership Team taking forward their infant feeding strategy. Her role covers the whole of NHS Highland.
- Jacqueline Walker, Uni-professional Dietetic Lead, Moray HSCP/ Professional Adviser, Scottish Government - A public health approach to dietetics
- Why take a healthcare public health approach in dietetics?
- Healthcare public health – what is it and how do you do it?
- A worked Example
- Challenge to profession
About Jacqueline - Jacqueline Walker has led the transformation of nutrition and dietetic care for over 30 years in Scotland. Her career is built on taking a healthcare public health, co-production and quality improvement approach to meeting population need, reducing health-related inequalities, improving care and outcomes and ensuring excellent return of investment. Jacqueline qualified as a dietitian from Robert Gordon's in Aberdeen in 1991 and has worked in NHS Ayrshire and Arran, NHS Tayside and now works in NHS Grampian. She has worked in various parts of the Scottish Government since 2013 as a providing professional adviser. She is also a Trustee on the National Diet and Resource UK and was honoured to give the BDA Elsie Widdowson Lecture in 2024.
Mental health breakout session
- Leonie Stone, Digital Mental Health Policy Lead, Mental Health Directorate, Scottish Government - Mental Health and Wellbeing Strategy
To set out the aims and elements of the Scottish Government’s Mental Health and Wellbeing Strategy published in 2023, and the principles that underpin it.
About Leonie - Leonie has worked to improve and expand the digital mental health offer in Scotland since August 2021. She has had a varied career within Scottish Government, working in a broad range of policy areas covering social inequalities, domestic abuse and sexual violence, international cultural relations, Scottish festivals, health board elections and financial systems. Often to be found enjoying a cup of tea with a book, or spinning brightly coloured things in the woods.
- Gillian Farren, Professional Lead for Dietetics, Specialist Children's Services, NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde - How do we as dietitians influence and engage with Scottish Government to ensure dietetics is fairly represented and resourced in mental health services planning?
Scottish Government’s consultation process for the review of the "Care and Treatment of Eating Disorders - national specification" launched on 27 October 2023 and closed on 26 January 2024.
Gillian led on the NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde consultation and response, and will share:
- key learnings and insights from the process she undertook;
- tips and strategies to engage in shaping the services the dietitians deliver in mental health settings, specifically as they apply to the four pillars of practice;
- an opportunity to network and explore shared strategic objectives among those attending, to further engage with Scottish Government as we collectively move forward into a time of ever-increased demand on our resources.
About Gillian - Gillian has 25 years professional post-graduate experience in clinical healthcare and public health services, the last 14 of which have been UK-based; of those, the last 2.5 years have been in NHS Scotland, and the last 1.5 years has been in a senior leadership role as Professional Lead for Dietetics for NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde. Gillian is also currently Vice-chair of the Board of Directors of the British Dietetic Association and a member of the BDA Scotland Board.
- Alex Jones, National Lead for Scotland, Beat - Support for ARFID carers
An overview of Beat’s support services for carers of young people with ARFID
About Alex - He joined Beat in 2022 as coordinator for services funded by the Scottish Government, becoming National Lead in April 2024. Prior to that he worked for many years in frontline mental health and learning disability services in the Third Sector, both in the central belt and in Highland.
Weight stigma breakout session
- Laurie Eyles, Professional Adviser, Scottish Government & Dietetic Service Lead, NHS Lothian - Weight stigma, bias and discrimination in healthcare
How weight stigma, bias and discrimination shows up in the provision of healthcare, with a focus on what we can within the dietetic profession to champion anti-stigmatising care for those with obesity and higher body weight.
About Laurie - Laurie has been a dietitian in the NHS since 2002, and worked in NHS Lothian since 2006. Her current role in the NHS is as dietetic service lead for the NHS Lothian weight management and diabetes dietetic service. Laurie is also currently working as a professional adviser in Scottish Government, advising ministers, policy teams and health boards on diet, healthy weight and type 2 diabetes.
- Alyson Conroy, Child Healthy Weight Team Lead and Fidelma Guest, Health Improvement Dietitian from Falkirk Health and Social Care Partnership, NHS Forth Valley - Teen Child Healthy Weight Pathway
Alyson and Fidelma will be sharing their experiences of developing a service with a community development approach.
Fidelma Guest is a Health Improvement Dietitian with the Public Health Nutrition Team, Falkirk Health and Social Care Partnership with over 20 years experience. As a lead member of the Clacks Good Food Partnership (recently awarded a Bronze Sustainable Food Places Award) Fidelma collaborates with partners to drive forward the Sustainable Food agenda and Food Systems change across the NHS Forth Valley area.
Alyson Conroy is a Community Dietitian with over 20 years experience, she is the Team Lead for NHS Forth Valley Why Weight, Child Healthy Weight Service. Alyson has previously worked in nutritional support, eating disorders and weight management.
- Suzanne Connolly PhD - Senior Health Improvement Manager, Public Health Scotland, Professional Adviser, Scottish Government - Challenging Weight Stigma
This presentation introduces the topic of weight stigma, draws on evidence and lived-experience accounts to demonstrate it harmful impact and explores some strategies you could take to help to address.
About Susanne - Dr Suzanne Connolly is a health policy expert with a focus on obesity and diet-related health inequalities. She earned her PhD from the University of Edinburgh, where her research employed longitudinal qualitative methods to explore how women living with severe obesity experience and perceive their health in postpartum. Currently serving as a Senior Health Improvement Manager at Public Health Scotland and a Professional Adviser to the Scottish Government, Suzanne plays a key role in developing and implementing national policies aimed at addressing obesity and reducing health disparities. Her interest extends to the psychosocial impacts of obesity, particularly weight stigma and discrimination. Suzanne has led the development of national resources and training designed to raise awareness of and challenge weight stigma.
David Wylie - Becoming comfortable with chaos
No matter what ‘they’ tell you - there’s never a quieter day coming! Using a systems leadership approach, you can learn to make peace with your inner critic, identify warring tribes and understand why leading change is more like mayonnaise than an aircraft engine!
About David - David has been involved in NHS podiatry and AHP leadership for over 30 years and is currently Dean of the Faculty of Podiatric Medicine within the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons (Glasgow). He has two post-graduate degrees, and has been psychometrically described as ‘expressively optimistic’!. His seminal research into AHP leadership and organisational culture, together with publications describing large scale service and system redesign, continue to provide national and international speaking opportunities.
David retired from his national Associate Director role in NHS Education for Scotland in 2023 and he now leads DAWN HealthCare Consultancy, building on his track record of delivering whole system redesign and cultural transformation to support radical improvements in service delivery, organisational performance and digital transformation.