Y&S Hospitals Charity Educational Bursary
1 SEPTEMBER 2023
York & Scarborough Hospitals Charity are proud to fund an educational bursary, which aims to enhance the development of staff.
Staff are encouraged to apply for funding for a wide range of learning opportunities, from experiential/observational learning and courses to formal qualifications.
See below just some of the individuals that have been successful applicants of the bursary in the latest round of funding
Leanne Blackford 
Midwife
MSc Leadership in Healthcare
Leanne enrolled on a two-year part time online masters degree in healthcare leadership at the Hull University, due to finish in 2024.
After completing the course, Leanne hopes to make a difference within her role as a midwife to demonstrate excellent leadership skills within her team.
It will also enhance team working, improve staff morale, support and empower emerging leaders within the clinical setting which will hopefully improve the productivity and quality of care of care given to patients.
Leanne said “I am greatly thankful for the educational bursary which is supporting me through my studies financially. It has relieved a large part of financial pressure from the university fees and enabled me to purchase resources to complete the course.”
Melissa Hussain
Health Care Assistant
British Sign Language (BSL) course- level 1
Melissia wanted to complete this course in BSL to help to communicate with patients. Having a hearing impairment herself, she feels enthusiastic about allowing the deaf community to be heard.
The course offers flexibility to fit around other commitments and aims to introduce learners to the basics of British Sign Language.
Melissa says “I would like to say and huge thank you to the Charity for enriching my skills and enabling me to access the skill and fulfillment of communicating to our deaf community. Communication is something a lot of us take for granted to be able to hear and communicate to one another I hope by gaining this skill I can pass on my knowledge and create diversity towards our patients.”
Dr Lottie Johnson
Senior Clinical Psychologist
External supervision for PGCert in Clinical Neuropsychology
The external supervision that Dr Lottie is currently accessing is part of an ongoing masters in Clinical Neuropsychology at the University of Glasgow, due to finish in Autumn 2024.
She began the part-time MSc in September 2020, with the first two years focused on developing her skills and knowledge base in neuropsychology. Thanks to the educational bursary, she is now accessing external supervision to support the application of this knowledge to her clinical work.
Dr Lottie said “The MSc offers me the opportunity to develop the required knowledge, skills and competencies of a Clinical Neuropsychologist, and ensures that the neuropsychological assessments and interventions are of a high quality, evidence-based standard.
I am grateful to the Education Bursary team for helping me to fund the external supervision for this MSc, which will greatly support both my clinical practice and career development.”
Sarah Proud
Specialist Counsellor (Cancer Psychology)
Developments in Cancer Care
This intense course packed in a lot of information on the latest scientific developments in the treatment of cancer, which is a huge field.
It’s given Sarah an overall perspective on what is available now, and what will be available in the future to treat and extend the lives of people with cancer.
Sarah can use this to help patients understand the rationale behind treatment options and support them to make good decisions for themselves.
Sarah said “In the NHS, we are all under a lot of pressure on a daily basis (increased workloads etc) but I would encourage people to still consider extending their knowledge and skills through study, with the support of the education bursary scheme, because this reinvigorates and refreshes the work.
I’d like to thank the Charity for helping to fund this course.”
Dr Sally Phillott
Consultant Clinical Psychologist (Long Covid Service)
EMDR Practitioner Training
This four-part training course has given Dr Sally and her colleagues the practical experience necessary to work with patients who have experienced trauma.
Eye Movement Desensitisation Reprocessing therapy (EMDR) is an evidenced based treatment for post-traumatic stress and helps to process traumatic memories and images and relieve distress.
Sally has already begun to use EMDR with some patients seen in the long covid service who have been experiencing post traumatic symptoms and so far feedback from patients has been positive.
Sally said “I am very grateful to the charity for funding this training which will ultimately benefit patients.
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