Society, Health and Development

Meriel Tootell, Diploma Line Lead, Bolton Consortium
Warren Millington, A&E Manager, Royal Bolton Hospital

Narrator: At the new education centre at the Royal Bolton Hospital , Accident and Emergency Department manager, Warren Millington, is about to give a talk to a group of Foundation and Higher Diploma level learners.

Meriel Tootell, Diploma Line Lead, Bolton Consortium: I just thought we'd just go through our previous conversation that we've had, just to check that you're okay with everything.

Narrator: To get to this stage, Meriel Tootell, the Diploma line lead, has had a number of meetings with hospital managers. She's shared the schemes of work and the managers have identified areas where professionals like Warren, can come in and support the learners. In addition, an agreement had to be reached on practical issues.

Meriel Tootell: The agreement was that we could come and use the classroom in the education centre. The students are going to go across to the staff refectory for lunch, so they will be, sort of, escorted. All the students had to participate in the corporate induction. That was a mandatory requirement in order for this project to go ahead.

Narrator: As Foundation and Higher level learners in their first term, the learners are concentrating on developing an understanding of the different roles in the sectors covered by the Diploma. Once it was agreed that Warren would talk to the learners, Meriel briefed him thoroughly by phone and email. She also asked him to meet her beforehand in order to address any last minute queries.

Warren Millington, A&E Manager, Royal Bolton Hospital: Obviously I've done some reading about what you want, it's just making sure that we deliver it at a level that they're going to understand.

Narrator: It's important to prepare the visitor because, although they will be an expert in their field, they may not be familiar with the specific requirements of the curriculum or clear about how to differentiate their approach for learners at each level.

Meriel Tootell: The students are aged 14 to 15 and they're all on the Foundation and Higher level, so it's sort of, Level 1 and 2, there's a mix. And there’s 11 of them and they're all female.
What would be great, if you could tell them how you've got where you have, your career route, the steps you've taken and a little bit about the job - it's shift work, the kind of qualities that you need to work in your sort of area, the highs and the lows of the job...

Warren Millington: There's quite a few of them.

Meriel Tootell: And I think what's really important is that I think for this age group of students they tend to think that the only people working in a hospital are the nurses and doctors. So, to kind of make them aware of all the other...

Warren Millington: The multidisciplinary teams that we've got.

Meriel Tootell: That's right, and who've you've got there and how you all work together.
Afterwards, you know, following your tour, over the next few weeks they'll be using what you've told them to complete a case study that's been set by the awarding body. So this sort of information will really help them with that.
They will ask questions - they seem to be quite a confident group, so I'm sure - and they have, sort of, prepared questions to ask you so...

Warren Millington: That's fine, brilliant.

Meriel Tootell: Hopefully it will be very interactive.

END