Considering a career as a Health Care scientist?Joanna nightingale – Head of Health Care Science

UK Life Sciences Strategy Suite of incentives to ensure UK attracts world-leading talent, develops scientific excellence and offers exciting careers Commitment to MSC and development of skills in innovation, research and development, and effective partnership working with industry.

NHS CEO Innovation Report•Focused on invention, adoption and diffusion•Innovation hard wired into curricula, training and competency frameworks•NHS Innovation fellowship scheme•Academic Healthscience networks

Government values science in UK

The NHS belongs to the people.It is there to improve our health and well-being, supporting us to keep mentally and physically well, to get better when we are ill and, when we cannot fully recover, to stay as well as we can to the end of our lives.It works at the limits of science – bringing the highest levels of human knowledge and skill to save lives and improve health. It touches our lives at times of basic human need, when care and compassion are what matter most.

The shared vision for the NHS

• The NHS Outcomes Framework made simple

If you were seriously unwell, what would you be likely to want?

1.To have your life saved

2.To have a good quality of life thereafter

3.To recover quickly

4.To have a good experience of care from the NHS

5.To be treated safely

Healthcare Scientists account for approximately 5% of the total workforce in the UK

80% of all diagnoses can be attributed to their work

Scientific and technological advances provide opportunity to improve the quality of care

New models of integrated care for patients require the Healthcare Science workforce role to change

Scientific careers need to be modernised to equip staff with the right skills and knowledge for 21st Century care.

Who are the health care scientists?

Healthcare Science: At the forefront of meeting future NHS challenges

• Genetic Profiling & Therapeutic Targeting• Proton beam therapy & novel treatments • Integrated & multimodality imaging• Frugal & hand held technologies • High speed informatics & cooling technology• Data fusion & bioinformatics• Stem cell research & new science• Prosthetics, regeneration & bio-engineering• Personalised physiological models

Definition of healthcare science workforce

The non medical healthcare science workforce applies science, technology, engineering and mathematics in the fields of biology, microbiology, physiology, medical physics and clinical engineering specifically within the health sector (inclusive of the NHS, Public Health England and National Blood and Transplant) to deliver improved health outcomes and health protection for people and communities.

As a whole, the healthcare science workforce works within and across specialist areas of scientific practice to provide the skills, knowledge, advice and expertise to develop, deliver and support services, through specialist investigations and/or interventions for the diagnosis, treatment, and management of disease and the control and prevention of disease or harmful infectious and environmental agents. It makes a significant contribution to the innovation pathway, from invention through to translational research, adoption and to diffusion and to knowledge management

Life Sciences• Analytical Toxicology• Anatomical pathology• Blood transfusion

science/transplantation• Clinical biochemistry including

paediatric metabolic biochemistry

• Clinical genetics/Genetic Science

• Clinical embryology & Reproductive Science

• Clinical immunology• Cytopathology including

cervical cytology• Electron microscopy• External quality assurance• Haematology• Haemostasis and thrombosis• Clinical Immunology• Histocompatibility &

immunogenetics• Histopathology• Microbiology• Molecular pathology of

acquired disease• Phlebotomy• Tissue banking

Physiological Sciences • Audiology• Autonomic neurovascular function• Cardiac physiology• Clinical perfusion science• Critical care science• Gastrointestinal physiology• Neurophysiology• Ophthalmic and vision science• Respiratory physiology• Urodynamic science• Vascular science

Physical Sciences and Biomedical Engineering• Biomechanical engineering• Clinical measurement &

Development• Clinical Pharmaceutical Science• Diagnostic radiology & MR physics• Equipment management & clinical

engineering• Medical electronics &

instrumentation• Medical engineering design• Clinical photography• Nuclear medicine• Radiation protection & monitoring• Radiotherapy physics• Reconstructive Science• Rehabilitation engineering• Renal dialysis technology• Ultrasound & non-ionising radiation

Many of these disciplines require small workforce numbers and provide highly specialist services. These specialisms are within the health and social care system in the UK inclusive of the NHS, Public Health England and the NHS Blood &Transplant service and in the private & third sector delivering NHS services for patients

Bioinformatics including

• Clinical Bioinformatics and Genomics• Computer science and modelling• Health Informatics

Apr 2013

Themed Healthcare Science Divisions

The MSC programme will deliver a nationally defined curriculum / standardised specifications

Associate/Assistant

Scientist Training Programme

Practitioner Training Programme

Higher Specialist Scientific Training

National learning and development framework with modular approach Vocational awards for Assistants and Foundation Degrees for Associates. Major workplace training component

3 year programme which will comprise separately delivered and awarded, academic and workplace-based components leading to an MSc and a Certificate of Achievement

3 year BSc (Hons) programme which will integrate academic and workplace based elements (approx 50 weeks of workplace training)

A 4/5 year work based training programme similar to SpR training and leading to medical college examinations where these exist and possibly a doctoral award

Training through Modernising Scientific Careers

The MSC UK Model for Career and Training Pathways in Healthcare Science

How to apply:

• Visit the website for the National School for Healthcare Science:• http://www.nshcs.org.uk/stp-recruitment • Candidates can follow the School on Twitter @NSHCS• Also NHS Careers Website• http://www.nhscareers.nhs.uk/explore-by-career/healthcare-science/

education-and-training/nhs-scientist-training-programme-(stp)/

• Previously advertised in New Scientist

• Competition Ratio 2016 - STP

Specialism AppliedNo of posts Direct Entry Competition ratio

Audiology 129 12 10.75Cardiac Science 546 25 21.84

Clinical Biochemistry 648 21 30.85714286Clinical Bioinformatics (Genomics) 181 11 16.45454545

Clinical Bioinformatics (Health informatics) 35 1 35Clinical Bioinformatics(Physical Sciences) 42 8 5.25

Clinical Engineering 199 8 24.875Clinical Immunology 323 4 80.75

Clinical Pharmaceutical Science 153 3 51Gastrointestinal Physiology 26 4 6.5

Genomic Counselling (formerly Genetic Counselling) 368 15 24.53333333

Genomics (formerly Genetics) 766 24 31.91666667Haematology & Transfusion Science 334 8 41.75

Histocompatibility & Immunogenetics 85 3 28.33333333Histopathology 93 2 46.5Medical Physics 504 62 8.129032258

Microbiology 442 9 49.11111111Neurophysiology 272 8 34

Reproductive Science 283 7 40.42857143Respiratory & Sleep Sciences 152 10 15.2

Urodynamic Science 8 1 8Vascular Science 179 12 14.91666667

Total 5768 258 22.35658915

There are approximately on average 22 applicants to every STP post (2016). In 2014 the figure was 31 applicants to every STP post and in the 2015 the figure was 26 applicants to every STP post. *Yellow highlights most popular specialisms.

Application Login

Competency Questions

Interview process: “speed dating”

• Held in Midlands

• 4 workstations, 10 mins / station

• Multiple Mini Interviews, 2 assessors /station

• Scientific specialism, communication & leadership style

What happens next?

• Informed by NSHCS of success / unsuccessful May / June• Informed of host organisation & contact name for local recruitment• Candidate supplies reference and supporting documentation to local

NHS provider for CRB & health clearance• Start in local Trust September• University attendance block or day release• Starting salary £26K• Employed for 3 years whilst undertaking sponsored MSc, workplace

competency evidence portfolio and finals – OSFA• If successful, application to HCPC for registration as Clinical

Scientist

The vision for the healthcare science workforce in UK

To have a world class workforce that : – Raises the profile and awareness of contribution

of scientific services to improving outcomes– Are active contributors the UK strategy for the Life

Sciences and more broadly to science in health and society

– Continually evaluates clinical scientific and technological practice to ensure it remains at the cutting edge

– Delivers excellence in knowledge creation, invention, innovation and its adoption

– Works in partnerships with patients and other professionals, including as clinical leaders

Innovation and Technology

INVENTION EVALUATION ADOPTION

Creation• new things• new ideas• new techniques• new approaches

Assessment• new things• new ideas• new techniques• new approaches

Uptake• new things• new ideas• new techniques• new approaches

DIFFUSION

Spread• new things• new ideas• new techniques• new approaches

Basic Research Applied Research Commissioning Patient Care

• Better Quality• Better Value

•Health and Wealth

NIHR NHS Commissioners

MRC & others incl Charities

Providers of NHS services

HCS meeting the challenge:the Innovation Pathway

Vision drives science

If I have seen further, it is because I am standing on the shoulder of giants Sir Isaac Newton