Excellence in Professional Education Programmes

Summary of work

An innovative and effective education programme doesn’t need to be complicated or expensive. The key to success lies in identifying a specific audience’s genuine unmet need and fulfilling it in a robust and valuable way. That’s exactly what Bedrock achieved with the Janssen Nurse Prescribers Academy.

The specific audience – nurse prescribers – were growing in numbers and influence in the care of people with type 2 diabetes. The need was clear because national requirements for nurse prescribers’ CPD had been ramped up. The fulfilment was robust, drawing on the experience of three leading UK diabetes nurses to develop a programme that provided the right education, in a sustained way that could be used in the new CPD validation process.

Each step of the nurse’s involvement was supported, even before registration. A letter from the faculty chair to potential attendees’ managers explained the value of the programme and why the nurse should be granted study leave. Three workbooks, before, during and after the face-to-face sessions engaged nurses and extended their learning time. Postcards written by the nurses themselves and sent to them a few weeks after the face-to-face session maintained momentum and encouraged delegates to make the clinical improvements they deemed important.

Judges comments

Within a clear window of opportunity, this team both created and met a need with a good, sound approach, good interactivity and attention to personal impact. The content was strong and we feel that, with a little more time, it will really prove itself. We’d love to see the real impact in practice - how many nurses will be implementing the changes.