Partnership is enabling young people to gain valuable work experience in the NHS
A partnership is enabling young people with additional needs to gain confidence and experience through hospital placements in Lincolnshire.
Lincolnshire Community and Hospitals NHS Group (LCHG) is proud to be supporting the Lincolnshire NHS Choices College by offering placements to students.
This is a specialist college providing tailored educational support, and a supported internship course for young adults aged 16 to 24-years-old with learning difficulties and/or disabilities, and/or autism.
Since September 2023, a small number of students have been completing placements in lots of health and social care settings.
This has included with the portering, catering, estates and post room teams at Lincoln County Hospital and John Coupland Hospital in Gainsborough. There are currently six students on placements at Lincoln County Hospital.
The hospital placements are organised by the college through the Lincolnshire Talent Academy.
Nicola Altoft, Employability and Careers Lead, Lincolnshire Talent Academy, said: “Offering placements is invaluable - not only for the students who gain hands-on experience and insight into real-world healthcare roles but also for us as employers.
“These opportunities serve as a vital pipeline for our future workforce, helping us to inspire and inform the next generation of health and care professionals.”
Mike Parkhill, Group Chief Estates and Facilities Officer at Lincolnshire Community and Hospitals NHS Group, said: “We are really proud to work with the college and it has been a privilege to welcome the students into our teams.
“The biggest reward has been watching them learn new skills and grow in confidence.”
Among the students is Reece Goy who is working with the busy Portering Team. Reece has just started at Lincoln as he has recently finished a placement at John Coupland Hospital in Gainsborough.
Paula Caine, area manager for Lincolnshire NHS Choices College, said: “The collaboration between LCHG and NHS Choices College has been a great opportunity for us all to champion the benefits of disability employment.
“Staff teams have welcomed our students not as patients, but as colleagues, quickly building up their confidence and self-belief.
“We’d like to say a huge thank you to everyone who works with us and hope this partnership keeps growing.”