Private/voluntary and independent
More information about placement providers
GP Practices
General practice is amongst one of the largest branches/specialities within healthcare, with this service being the first point of care for the majority of the population. Being allocated to a general practice placement will give the student an opportunity to be involved with and participate in the fundamentals of patient centred care, alongside fostering an understanding of patient perceptions of living with long term conditions, illness and minor ailments.
Nursing Homes
Placement opportunities within the private and independent sector can involve caring for patients/residents in a nursing home environment. This will mean that effectively you will be helping to care for people in their own ‘home’. This will require skill and diplomacy in care planning, the use of a variety of assessment tools, excellent interpersonal skills and the employment of the six c’s on a daily basis. Caring for people who are resident in a nursing home often requires patience and empathy; these are as vital a nursing intervention as any clinical procedure. Treating people as individuals, ensuring that basic needs are met in a timely manner, but also the emotional and spiritual needs, contributing to person centred care in a truly holistic way.
Hospices
We have placements with a number of hospices in Somerset, Devon and Cornwall – Hospice UK website.
We currently have placements with:
Private hospitals/treatment centres
We currently have placements with:
- Nuffield Health (Devon and Somerset) – we have placement agreements with the Nuffield Hospitals in Somerset and Devon.
- Peninsula NHS Treatment Centre
- DDRC Healthcare
- Duradiamond Healthcare: Hinkley Point
- Duchy Hospital (Cornwall)
Police custody
Charles Cross Police Custody Unit: This placement area is subject to enhanced security checks that can take up to 12 weeks to complete. Initial interest in this placement needs to be discussed with your personal tutor. An initial interview for suitability has to be carried out before an application can progress.
There are six police custody units within the Devon & Cornwall Constabulary, with Charles Cross, Plymouth, a 40 cell unit, being one of the busiest.
Within the unit, clinically qualified persons, working within the scope of their professional body, but also trained and specialised for work within the police service, are medical doctors (referred to as police surgeons) and custody nurses. They are available to provide assessment, care, medication and treatment as appropriate.
Duties undertaken by the custody nurse involve holistic assessments, triage and treatment of a very diverse demographic, involving people of all ages, and gender. People in custody have varying health needs, from asthma / diabetes / epilepsy etc, people with acute mental health problems, drug and alcohol abuses, people requiring emergency treatment, forensic sampling, signposting to other agencies and potentially immediate life support situations.
On arrival and during the period in police custody, staff will arrange appropriate medical attention if the person:
- appears to be suffering from an injury
- believed to be suffering from a physical or mental illness
- requires clinical attention
- needs medication
- requests to see a medical professional.
This applies even if the person makes no request for medical attention, and even if they have already received clinical attention elsewhere. Reasonable adjustments are also made to meet the additional needs of a person with physical difficulties or disabilities.
“G4S Health Services has been one of the leading providers to all justice health environments since 2005. Working across Secure, Custody and Sexual Assault Referral Centres (SARC) across the UK, we provide primary care and forensic healthcare to a wide range of patients
Working in custody requires you to be comfortable working on your own medically and be able to collaborate with various departments, all of whom will rely on your skills and experience to create the best outcome for detainees, officers and victims of crime.”
As a nurse or paramedic (HCP), you will:
- attend police custody to assess, document and treat detainees and determine fitness to remain in custody
- carry out medical and forensic examinations
- be available for court attendance when requested.
Prisons
We have mental health placements which are hosted by the Devon Partnership Trust.
Welcome to East Quay Medical Centre
We are a long-standing large, innovative and friendly GP surgery which also stays true to principles of good care: continuity of care, a personal service and ensuring we have great team support throughout the practice.
We have been training since the 1980s. From GP trainees, foundation doctors, medical students, nurse students, HCAs and administrative roles. Many of our trainees stay with us and we convert even more to the delight and satisfaction of working in General Practice. We find many students come to us with misconceptions or preconceptions about working in a surgery – and we always blow these away with a much more positive reality, with many saying that we have restored their belief in why they selected the Health Service as their life-long career!
We believe in really educating and supporting our trainees – not using them as free labour. So, we tailor our placements around each individual and ensure that they get a supportive one-to-one mentor whilst also experiencing the variety styles and expertise within our whole practice team.
From a more technical ‘skills’ basis, our nursing students experience chronic disease management in primary care, minor illness clinics and treatment room. This includes education/support in wound care, dressing choice and treatment care plans.
We offer support with the student managing their own case load where they are given extra time to carry out wound care, blood pressures, ecgs etc. A named nurse is always on hand to offer guidance and support if needed. By doing this the student learns how to communicate with patients, time management and working autonomously.
Protected tutorial time is carried out throughout placement with planned assessment of progress.
As we are a large practice, we can also offer experience within the wider team. From clinics with the GPs and time with our support staff as well as time with our Minor Surgery Theatre and Optometrists. For those with a special interest we can also link with our Hospice team, Community Nursing team and so on.
Practically, we are very easy to get to – just off Junction 23 of the M5.
Please visit the East Quay Medical Centre website to get more of a feel for our ethos.
Welcome to Duchy Hospital
We are Cornwall’s only private hospital with an excellent reputation for delivering high quality healthcare treatments and services. The Hospital was opened in 1981 by the late HRH Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother, and is located in a pleasant rural setting on the outskirts of Truro.
By investing in advanced medical technology, the hospital offers a wide range of treatments and services. The three fully equipped ultra clean air theatres areas are particularly suitable for orthopaedic procedures such as arthroscopy, hip replacement and knee replacements. The hospital is also equipped with a day case theatre, endoscopy facilities and a state of the art cardiac catheter laboratory. We have a strong emphasis on elective orthopaedic surgery.
We are proud to provide a great learning environment for students here at Duchy Hospital with a structured placement programme. We cover a wide range of specialties so students are able to get a breadth of experience across a wide range of specialties and are also given the opportunity to work in different parts of the hospital as they are rotated around between the ward, outpatients and our ambulatory care unit.
We believe in really educating and supporting our trainees – not using them as free labour. So, we tailor our placements around each individual and ensure that they get a supportive one-to-one mentor whilst also experiencing the variety styles and expertise within our team.
From a more technical ‘skills’ basis, our nursing students experience pre and post-surgical elective care management. This includes education/support in wound care, dressing choice and treatment care plans.
We offer support with the student managing their own case load where they are given extra time to carry out post-operative care. A named nurse is always on hand to offer guidance and support if needed. By doing this the student learns how to communicate with patients, time management and working autonomously.
Protected tutorial time is carried out throughout placement with planned assessment of progress by mentors as well as other members of the team. The duration of our placement programme is eight weeks.
We offer support with the student managing their own case load where they are given extra time to carry out post-operative care. A named nurse is always on hand to offer guidance and support if needed. By doing this the student learns how to communicate with patients, time management and working autonomously.
Protected tutorial time is carried out throughout placement with planned assessment of progress by mentors as well as other members of the team. The duration of our placement programme is eight weeks.
Please visit the Duchy Hospital website to get more of a feel for our ethos.
Leigh Bodman, nursing staff at Duchy Hospital
Duradiamond Healthcare - Hinkley Point
Find out more about Hinkley Point C.