Wessex Acute Frailty Education and Awareness

9 September 2022: Publication of the six-month evaluation report on the impact of the Frailty e-Learning Programme May 2021- October 2021 

Aim: Utilising a mixed methods approach the evaluation assesses the quality and accessibility of the frailty e-learning programme, distilling feedback from individuals and understanding the areas of practice where individuals plan to implement change. The London Clinical Frailty Network and Wessex AHSN collaborated on this evaluation to highlight the positive impact across health and care of the e-learning programme on individuals, teams, services and organisations, as well as highlighting areas for improvement and development. 

Click here to download the report.

Findings: In the six months following the launch (May – October 2021), there were 4,872 active users registered to undertake the learning programme. This evaluation demonstrates the power of collaboration and clinical networks in creating this impressive uptake, which led to increased staff confidence and frailty awareness.

Our evaluation significantly demonstrates that ‘all’ and ‘everyone’ were terms used by respondents alongside ‘social care’ and ‘prescribers’ in key users for the e-learning programme. This signals the potential for further spread of the e-learning within a wide range of staff groups and the general public.

Background: The Frailty E-learning for Excellence Programme was launched in May 2021 by the Healthy Ageing team at Wessex Academic Health Network (Wessex AHSN) and the London Clinical Frailty Network via Health Education England (HEE) to over 80 national, regional and local organisations across all four nations of the UK. The evaluation covered the development and spread of a high quality, evidenced best practice frailty e-learning programme. Hosted on Health Education England’s e-learning for healthcare (elfh) learning platform, this free, digitally accessible e-learning programme provides a common frailty e-learning approach. Frailty - eLearning for healthcare (e-lfh.org.uk) 

Frailty celebration Monday 9 May 2022

In celebration of one year since the launch of the frailty e-learning programme, the London Clinical Frailty Network and Wessex AHSN are planning a frailty celebration day on Monday 9 May 2022. 

Join us via Twitter @wessexageing and @NHSLdn_CN, take a picture and make a pledge to raise the profile of the importance of understanding frailty. Maybe arrange a group session to complete one of the modules in the  frailty e-learning programme 

This could be a pledge you make as:

• an individual, within your team, service or organisation
• as a member of the public

It could capture how you will:

• Keep the frailty conversation going and champion the needs of individuals, carers and family members
• Embed best practice to ensure frailty is everyone's business 
• Promote and champion the completion of the frailty e-learning programme with your organisation
• Utilise Wessex AHSN and London Clinical Frailty Networks resources and toolkits 

Launch of Frailty, E-Learning for Excellence in Frailty Identification Assessment Training May 2021

Wessex Academic Health Science Network (AHSN) Hampshire Hospitals Foundation Trust (HHFT), in collaboration with the London Clinical Frailty Network and Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust and Health Education England are delighted to announce the launch of Frailty, E-Learning for Excellence in Frailty Identification, Assessment and Personalised Care (Tier 1 and 2).

Please access the training at: https://portal.e-lfh.org.uk/Component/Details/683810, or via Frailty - e-Learning for Healthcare alongside the frailty screening toolkits at https://wessexahsn.org.uk/projects/316/frailty-screening-and-identification

This exciting and novel collaboration has enabled the development of an e-learning programme aimed at standardising training and knowledge of frailty as a complex multi-system, long term condition.

The education programme is compliant with the ‘Frailty, A framework of core capabilities’ (2018) and has been funded through Health Education England’s Urgent and Emergency Care Workforce Collaborative for London. The e-learning compliments the Tier 3 British Geriatrics Society capabilities and skills.

We extend our thanks to our Wessex AHSN Healthy Ageing network in contributing to this exemplary, national resource. The work has been truly collaborative in approach and has bought together a range of subject matter frailty experts from across the Wessex AHSN Healthy ageing network and the London Clinical Frailty Network including (not exhaustive):

• Cheryl Davies, Programme Manager, Healthy Ageing Wessex AHSN
• Cliff Kilgore, Consultant Nurse for Frailty, Dorset Health Care University Health Trust
• 25 frailty experts from across Wessex
• Carly Wilson, Clinical Matron for Frailty, Hampshire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
• Sawsen Sabbah, Lead Frailty Pharmacist, Hampshire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
• Bettina Wan, Consultant Geriatrician from the London Clinical Frailty Network
• Catherina Nolan, Clinical Lead Occupational Therapist Kings College London
• Catherine Sendell, Frailty Clinical Programme Manager Imperial College Trust