Training

ACT Training

If you are not yet on our email list for alerts around what we hope to offer, please sign up to our 2024 mailing list:

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ACT has a project to restart offering training to those in the West Midlands interested in the service we provide to the West Midlands. We have been doing various things to progress this.

 

 

Survey Results

In June 2024, ACT carried out a survey with people on our mailing list, to explore what training these colleagues across the West Midlands region would like and how they would like it delivered. We had lots of suggestions and have prioritised the most popular options which were:

1. Using and adapting mainstream equipment: for example, commercially available smart speakers, phones, tablets for Environmental Control Systems and internet access. Likely delivered face to face.
2. Pathways to Augmentative and Alternative Communication/Environmental Control Systems and Computer access assessment with NHSE services. This would be about navigating the pathways to our service depending on the profile of the client and their environment. Likely delivered online with restricted audience numbers to ensure a quality learning experience.

 

We need to plan these and therefore do not yet have 2025 dates for these courses. Depending on how these plans go for us, we will be looking at signposting to these topics in forthcoming newsletters.

 

We remind you that the ACT referral and helpline is just that, and you are welcome to call us to talk a query, idea, real or hypothetical client through. Monday, Wednesday, Friday, 9.00 am to 4.00 pm, 0121 466 3028.

 

 

Piloting training

Also in June 2024 we piloted an online session called “Introduction to ACT” and this was well received by our colleagues in the BCHC Acquired Brain Injury Inpatient team. 

 

We now have plans to offer this session some more, in a way that is fluid around days of the week, and times of day, to try to make it as accessible as possible to all.

 

These dates are planned for:

• Wednesday 23 October 2024, 2.00 to 3.30 pm
• Tuesday 19 November 2024, 11.00 am to 12.30 pm

Please join Teams ahead of this time so we can start promptly the link will be open 15 minutes before the start time.

 

These sessions will have an approximate number of 25 places, so please do sign up using the email address here bchnt.actadmin@nhs.net. Our admin team will then be able to send you the Teams link and add your details (name, contact email and telephone, service, role) to the booking list.

 

We plan to continue this series of online introductions into 2025, and we imagine our audiences might be anyone with an interest in the services we offer.

 

 

Clinical Excellence Network restart

The West Midlands Augmentative and Alternative Communication Clinical Excellence Network (WMAAC CEN) will be resumed on Tuesday 8 October 2024 in person, for the day, at Access to Communication and Technology, West Midlands Rehabilitation Centre (WMRC). This restart of the group is mainly being aimed at our SLT(A) colleagues at the moment, as the room we have in WMRC holds a maximum of 40 people.  We have sent out a “hold the date” email over the summer and the full calling notice will go out at the very beginning of term, so please watch out for that.