Health and social care placements

Welcome to the Health and Social Care Placements Information website

Welcome to the Health and Social Care Placements Information website. As part of their professional education, all students will spend part of their course on placement.  On placement, students gain experience, learning and developing professional skills under supervision to meet course and professional and statutory regulatory body (PSRB) requirements.

On this website you will find advice, guidance and supportive resources to help you make best use of placement learning experiences. Please explore the site: read the guidance in the Policy Library, find general information about placement expectations and preparation and student support from the Placement Information section and find information specific to your profession and course in the Profession Information section.  You can find contact details for key university staff through the Contact Us link if you need advice.

All students on placement

Students are also reminded of the University's placement learning policies and guidance, including the guidance on Travelling to and from placement safely.

If you have a genuine emergency outside normal university working hours, you can use the emergency central number on +44 (0)114 225 8888.

Covid 19

Students are advised that they must follow their placement provider's policy and guidance in relation to Covid-19.

If you have symptoms of covid-19 (link to external website), or suspect that you may have covid-19, YOU MUST NOT ATTEND YOUR PLACEMENT.

If you attend your placement while you have symptoms of covid-19 you will put service users/ clients/ patients and staff at risk of covid-19 infection.  Please read the requirements for safe practice and avoiding harm to service users/ clients/ patients in the professional codes of conduct and ethics for your future profession:

• Health and Care Professions Council (link to external website)
• Nursing and Midwifery Council (link to external website)
• Royal College of Physicians, Faculty of Physician Associates (link to external website)
• Social Work England (link to external website)

Visit the NHS website for information about when and how to self-isolate (link to external website).

Updated guidance from Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) and Health Education England

• DHSC has updated its List of essential workers and those prioritised for testing (England only). This list makes it explicit that health and social care students on placement should be regarded as critical (essential) workers and be given the same priority access to Covid tests as other health and social care workers.
• The National Lockdown Government Guidance states that students who are undertaking training and study for subjects allied to medicine/health should return to face to face learning as planned - National lockdown: Stay at Home - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)
• The UK Government has confirmed access to schools or educational settings for children of critical (essential) workers - Education and Childcare during Coronavirus.