Steve Nicholls
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Posts by Steve Nicholls
Happy New Year
Jan 8th
Happy New Year to all our viewers.
As it is only 8 weeks till the BAPO Conference in Harrogate we will be starting to highlight some of the speakers and events at Conference aimed at Technicians.
This year sees the largest Technical programme at a BAPO Conference so be sure not to miss out.
Nominations for Limbcare Tech of the year close on 31st Jan 2011
Dec 29th
Remember to get your nominations in for the Limbcare Technician of the Year award for 2011 as the nominations must be in by 31st January 2011 to be considered by the judging panel to win the £500 prize. details of the award as as follows.
Do you know a Technician who goes that extra mile? Someone who makes sure their patients device is suitable for their activities or has a great understanding of what their patient needs. Maybe it’s a Technician who has overcome barriers to allow them to carry out their duties, or Technicians who consistently produce excellent and innovative devices?
Well now is your chance to give them something back by nominating them for the Limbcare Technician of the Year Award.
The prize is £500 and the Technician can be nominated by anyone, be it their manager, a clinician, a fellow Technician, or a patient or user.
To nominate a Technician of the Year simply tell us in under 300 words why they should win this award. Send your entry together with a completed Nomination Detail Form to the BAPO Secretariat at the address below. The winner will be presented with their award by Limbcare Chairman Ray Edwards at the BAPO Conference in Harrogate on Saturday 5
March 2011.
Please send your nomination to:
Limbcare Technician of the Year Award
BAPO
Sir James Clark Building
Abbey Mill Business Centre
Paisley
PA1 1TJ
e-mail: conference@bapo.com
Colchester reduces waiting times
Dec 20th
Prosthetic services were originally transferred from Harold Wood to Colchester General Hospital in January 2008 and now Orthotic and Prosthetic Manager Janet York at Colchester General Hospital clarifies concerns over access to Prosthetic and associated services. “the service runs 5 days a week with increased rehabilitation services for all our Prosthetic patients at their local hospital, Colchester General. This includes Physiotherapy, hydrotherapy and gym classes”
The reasoning behind the decision to move this service to Colchester General Hospital was to provide the ability or flexibility to treat and provide rehabilitation to the patient closer to home, and since then Janet says “the service has gone from strength to strength”
Whilst the current team of 1 Prothetist and 1 Technician currently only attend 2 days each week, Colchester General Hospital have the option of increasing the number of days should there be sufficient needs. Colchester General Hospital has also the option to provide aditional days on an ad hoc basis should clinics become full or lead times for an appointment become unreasonable.
The current waiting times for both new and review appointments in December 2010 are within 5 working days.
Janet also says: “that we have improved fit delivery times for a new limb to within 2 weeks,and any urgent referrals can be seen at the Stanmore Centre on the days the Prosthetist does not attend. This is easily arranged, however within the last 2 years we have not needed to use this facility.”
Colchester General Hospital have been successful in helping patients to set up a local Prosthetic User Group, and the intention is to involve them in the future of the service.
Should you require further information please contact Janet York on 01206 742264 or via email janet.york@colchesterhospital.nhs.uk
Registration for BAPO Conference 2011
Dec 13th
This year registration for the BAPO Conference in Harrogate is being done via the BAPO web site: www.bapo.com
Member (Full Member/Associates/Assistants/Students) : Login using membership number and Online CPD password and follow the on screen instructions. If you do not know your Online CPD password please use the password request link on the left and this will be emailed to you. Please note this is not the email address and password used to log onto the BAPO forum.
Exhibitor (Stands & Personnel) : User name and password will be issued by the BAPO Secretariat
Non Member / New User: you are required to create an online account prior to registration. Please click on the link below and follow the on screen instructions.
Register >>
If you would like to register using a paper copy registration form or if require assistance please contact the Secretariat at : enquiries@bapo.com
Technician Awareness Day
Dec 4th
After the success of previous Awareness Days for Technicians the Technician Committee are pleased to announce that we will be running another Awareness Day at Conference 2011. The day will again be run on the Friday prior to the opening of Conference and we will be utilising the excellent facilities of the International Conference Centre Harrogate, the venue for Conference 2011.
Once again we have lined up three excellent speakers who will present on the following topics:-
1. The Role of the Support Worker in O&P
2. Risk assessment in the Workplace
3. What a Patient needs from their Technician
All subjects which are very relevant to Orthotic and Prosthetic Technicians. Technicians who attend the Awareness Day Course will qualify for a reduction in their Conference registration fee. You could attend Conference for as little as £26!!
To assist employers/individuals with costs delegates are encouraged to apply to the OETT for reimbursement of expenses which can include course fees, return travel and one nights’ accommodation. Information on criteria and application form are available at www.bapo.com
All attendees will be presented with a certificate of attendance which can be used as evidence for your CPD.
Costs:
BAPO Members £190.00
Non Members £250.00
RSL Launch Dedicated Service to Treat Flat Head Syndrome
Dec 1st
RSLSteeper, one of the UK’s leading providers of clinically effective prosthetics and orthotics services, has launched STAR@Steeperclinic, a new service based in Leeds designed specifically to help treat babies suffering from head shape abnormalities such as deformational plagiocephaly (http://steeperclinic.com/plagiocephaly/what_is_deformational_plagiocephaly) (flat head syndrome).
The clinic offers a free, no obligation consultation service to parents, provided by an experienced team of HPC registered and CRB checked paediatric orthotists.
In addition to diagnosis and advice, Steeper Clinic also provides a holistic treatment service for the condition, which includes the use of repositioning techniques through to the use of STARband cranial remoulding orthoses (helmets).
Kate Chauhan, Orthotist at Steeper Clinic said:
“Cases of deformational plagiocephaly are becoming more common in the UK, and at the moment, the NHS does not fund treatment for the condition as it is seen as a purely cosmetic issue, despite evidence that in some cases there is an increased risk of developing associated problems later on in life. At Steeper Clinic, we can offer our expert advice as to the best course of treatment for your baby, which depends on the severity of the condition.
“Typical treatments include the use of “tummy time” and repositioning techniques for younger babies, to cranial remoulding orthoses, which significantly improves the shape of heads in babies who suffer from moderate to severe deformational plagiocephaly (http://steeperclinic.com/plagiocephaly/what_is_deformational_plagiocephaly).”
STARband is the leading orthotic treatment for deformational plagiocephaly (flat head syndrome) in babies aged between 4 and 18 months. Over 70,000 babies have been successfully treated using STARband worldwide.
A new website, www.steeperclinic.com has also been launched by RSLSteeper to accompany the clinic, and includes a range of helpful guides for parents about deformational plagiocephaly, in addition to information about STARband and RSLSteeper.
Technicians attend BAPO Conference weekend for £26
Nov 12th
The Technicians Committee is proud to announce that we have managed to cut the cost for Technicians attending BAPO conference weekend to £26 (this includes the Algeos sponsored “Show and Tell” event on Friday evening as well as the later event).
The non-discounted cost of attending Conference as a Technician is £103.00. An “Early Bird Discount” price of £76 is available to all Technicians registering before 31st December 2010.
Alongside Conference, we are running the Friday Technicians Awareness day on the 4th March. The fees for this can be fully reimbursed from the OETT (details and link available via the BAPO secretariat and BAPO and OETT websites). Travel costs and 1 nights accommodation can also be claimed.
Technicians attending will be entitled to a further £50 discount on Conference registration leaving a total of just £26 payable.
For further details, check the BAPO website or contact the BAPO secretariat at: admin@bapo.com or 0141 561 7217.
SAGE to publish Prosthetics and Orthotics International
Oct 23rd
SAGE has announced a publishing agreement with the International Society for Prosthetics and Orthotics (ISPO) to publish their official journal, Prosthetics and Orthotics International, starting March 2011.
Launched in 1977, it is the international scientific publication specialising in prosthetics and orthotics. It includes reviews, experimental and clinical research papers, case studies, technical notes, reports and book reviews, as well as information about ISPO activities and the outcomes of the ISPO consensus conferences and working groups.
The journal, published four times a year, acts as a key vehicle for ISPO’s mission to enhance the quality of life for people with physical disabilities who require improvements in mobility or independence.
Tessa Picknett, associate director, STM Journals, SAGE, said: “The journalbrings together some of the best interdisciplinary research in this area. Together we will ensure it reaches as wide an audience internationally as possible.”
ISPO president professor Jan Geertzen, said that the journal provides an outlet for basic and clinical science in multidisciplinary prosthetic and orthotic care to practitioners around the world.
“SAGE’s publishing team will help us take the journal to the next level and increase its impact. build on the strong foundation built over the last few years and allow the journal to further increase its impact and take it to the next level.”
Phil Jenkins Memorial Cup – Leeds 2010
Jul 31st
On Saturday the 24th of July, Goals Soccer Centre in Leeds played host to this years annual event of the 5–a side football tournament. Only one team could claim the cup and this year it was the boys from A. Algeo Ltd who fought off the competition to claim victory.
There were some debutants who made an appearance at this year’s event from Sefton PCT – and after having had a taste for the competition they may have to consider training earlier next year for a chance at the trophy! MAG, Canonbury Products, RSL Steeper and Opcare also provided the tournament with teams and each did their companies proud with some fine displays on the pitch.
Due to a couple of last minute team withdrawals a league system was used this year to decide on the winning team. The teams went head to head in competitive matches confirming that everyone was out to claim the title, however it was the lads from Algeos who triumphed this year having won 5 matches and drawing 1.
The event drew to a close with the teams cooling off with a few beers and the winning team being presented with their 4th cup in 7 years.
Orthotictechnicians.com and Algeos would like to thank all this year’s participants for attending and making the event a great success, with a special thanks to John Shawcross at Timpsons for kindly donating the trophy this year. The tournament was played well with a level of talent and enthusiasm for the game and as always with great deal of camaraderie.
Hope to see you all again next year!
NEW ISPO UK Bulletin Available
Jul 30th
The UK Bulletin written by Paul Charlton is designed to keep ISPO members regularly updated with news and information relating to the Society, its annual conference and developments in rehabilitation healthcare.
Download latest version at ISPO UK’s website: http://ispo.org.uk/ispo-news.html