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University Hospitals Birmingham's (UHB) Therapy Practice Placement Team has been awarded runner-up in the ‘Creative Provision of Placements category’ at the Chief Allied Health Professional Officer Awards 2024.

The recognition was announced at the annual ceremony, celebrating the team’s innovative approach to physiotherapy placements.

The team was praised for their work in developing a pioneering placement model for physiotherapy students on their first placement, based around the principles of UHB’s eat, drink, dress, move (EDDM) initiative, which supports patient-centred rehabilitation to prevent deconditioning (decline in physical function of the body as a result of physical inactivity).

The model was created in response to a significant gap in first placement opportunities for students and the need to increase graduates’ confidence in acute care settings.

The new placement model allows students to benefit from peer-learning and participate in delivering high-quality care with the patient at the heart.

During their first week, students gain insight into other allied health professional (AHP) roles, such as speech and language therapy (SLT) and dietetics, while developing practical skills like taking observations, writing notes, delivering meals on wards, and creating group exercise programmes.

Throughout the placement, students assist patients in becoming more independent with essential tasks like washing and dressing, as they prepare to return home. They also help patients regain mobility through one-on-one and group exercises.

The placement model was successfully piloted in May 2023 with 10 physiotherapy students across two healthcare for older people (HCOP) settings at UHB. It has since expanded into trauma and orthopaedics, short stay, and medicine, across Good Hope Hospital, Solihull Hospital and Queen Elizabeth Hospital Birmingham.

Over the 2022-2023 and 2023-2024 academic years, the team supported 32 placements and have committed to supporting a further 72 students this academic year (2024 - 2025).

The innovative placement model has benefited students from universities across Birmingham, including the University of Birmingham, Coventry University, University College Birmingham and Birmingham City University.

Feedback from students who have completed the placement has been excellent. One student said: “I think it is an amazing placement for people who are doing it as their first placement. Not only do you develop your basic skills, but you learn to interact with patients.”

In addition, audit tools developed by the team have shown benefits for patients, including a clear increase in patients sitting out of bed and a decrease in the need for home care packages.

Patients themselves have also said how much they enjoy the physiotherapy input, with comments such as “The students are excellent and gave me confidence” and “EDDM is brilliant!”

Julie Hunter, Director of Therapies at UHB, said: “This is an amazing innovative piece of work evaluating the needs of our students and patients, and developing an opportunity for the workforce of the future to gain a structured, positive environment based on reconditioning."