A local NHS education team helps patients in secure services achieve success in functional skills.
The Education service which is part of the Occupational Therapy department within Northumberland, Tyne and Wear NHS Foundation Trust (NTW), a provider of mental health and disability services are working with patients across the wards at Northgate Hospital near Morpeth, and the Bamburgh Clinic and Bede at St Nicholas Hospital to offer functional skills qualifications.
The team of teachers have been working with the patients for two years firstly offering progression award qualifications then in January 2017 they changed over to offering functional skills in English and maths. This has taken a year to run and the Trust is now seeing the first successes across both sites.
Helen Sonnenfeld, Specialist Teacher and Education Lead at NTW said: “This is the first time that patients have had the opportunity to sit recognisable qualifications ‘in-house’ so to speak. We have had some really good success stories and this is thanks to the hard work and dedication of everyone involved.
“These exams will help prepare the patients for returning back into the community.”
Overall in 2017, the service has had 81 unit accreditation exams with 74 of these passing first time. Of those who have failed, five have resat and since passed.
The Education service are hoping to build on the success and are looking to offer additional functional skills qualifications in ICT in the coming year.