Healthcare & Education Officer

The Paget’s Association, the UK’s only charity supporting people with Paget’s disease of bone, is looking to recruit a Healthcare & Education Officer to build on the excellent work done by the current post holder.

We are looking for an exceptional individual educated to degree level who is able to play a key role in the following areas: 

• developing the Association’s health and education programmes and education strategy
• operating and monitoring a help line
• developing and delivering health education programmes to a variety of audiences
• the production of information to meet the needs of both lay people and health professionals. 

The post is full-time (37.5 hours) but there are flexible working options available.  For example the role can be home-based for part of the time, although the post holder would be expected to work from the office on a regular basis. The position is permanent subject to a satisfactory 6 month probation period.  Salary, terms and conditions will be based on Band 6 nursing scale in the range of £25,528 to £34,189.  The start point would be dependent upon experience.  The Association operates a company pension scheme with 8% employer’s contribution.  Appointment would be subject to satisfactory references and a Criminal Record Disclosure (Enhanced Level).

The successful candidate must be self-motivated and self-administering, able to organise and prioritise his/her own workload.  Experience of musculoskeletal conditions is essential, as is the ability to communicate with a wide range of audiences.  An important part of the work will be the continuing development of the Association’s information system, so knowledge or experience of the Dept of Health’s Information Standard Scheme would be advantageous.

Application is by e-mail to director@paget.org.uk using a CV, covering letter, supplementary form, with a translation exercise which all candidates must complete. 

The Paget’s Association works within Equal Opportunities Principles.

Closing date for applications is:   Friday 2^nd March 2012

Interviews to take place in Walkden on Friday 30^th March 2012

Appointment to commence 1^st June 2012

The Paget’s Association, 323 Manchester Road, Walkden, Worsley, Manchester, M28 3HH

Tel. No:  0161 799 4646          E-mail:  director@paget.org.uk        Contact:  Marilyn McCallum

To obtain an information pack go to the Association’swebsite

NO  AGENCIES  PLEASE

The NASS en Masse sponsored walks are returning this year to London’s Richmond Park, Pollok Park in Glasgow, Bute Park in Cardiff and Portsmouth Pier in May to celebrate World AS Day. NASS is looking for as many people as possible to join them in each location to walk the 5km route and raise funds for NASS. For more information and to register visit the NASS webiste here. 

The Scleroderma Society establishes a professorial Chair of Rheumatology at the Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire Postgraduate Medical School

Earlier in the year, The Scleroderma Society received a donation which, with Gift Aid, was £125,000, and a request that this be used to help establish a professorial Chair of Rheumatology at the Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire Postgraduate Medical School, which has close links with the University of Bedfordshire. The Medical School acts as an academic resource for medical and healthcare professionals in the region. This is accomplished through the provision of high quality professional development and postgraduate education and by fostering research.

During the year we have been involved in discussions with Professor Les Ebdon, Vice Chancellor of the University of Bedfordshire and Professor Alan Sinclair, Dean and Head of the Medical School. As a result, we are delighted that this has led to the establishment of The Dame Carol Black Chair of Rheumatology and to the appointment of Professor Chakravarty a life member of The Scleroderma Society, as the first incumbent.

The citations at the ceremony for Dame Carol and Kuntal outlined the significant contributions that each has made over many years to research, education and clinical practice in scleroderma. It is a wonderful tribute to Dame Carol that her work has been recognised in this way. Amongst her many achievements Dame Carol founded The Scleroderma Society and is today our Honorary President.

This is a big step for The Scleroderma Society and one which we are very excited about. It is most  fitting that Professor Chakravarty has received this important appointment, and we have been invited to participate in the steering committee which will guide the research programme in the coming years. Along with Kuntal, The Scleroderma Society will report on progress from time to time.

Kim and Steve were privileged to be invited to the ceremony and to join the Vice Chancellor and his other guests for lunch at the university.

Volunteers needed for fundraising - Wear Your Gloves to Work Day: Friday 29 June 2012

The Scleroderma Society are looking for volunteers to help with a new fundraising idea that we are planning to launch in 2012. The idea is to get people to wear their gloves to work, school, the shops or even down the pub – wherever they go – on 29 June and collect some money for the Society at the same time. We will be asking people to get involved in the same way they do for Comic Relief and Children in Need – although on a much smaller scale, obviously!

By drawing attention to one of the symptoms of scleroderma in this simple, light-hearted way on World Scleroderma Day, we hope to raise awareness more generally about scleroderma at the same time. There are lots of different ways in which we can use the theme of gloves to raise money and awareness and we will be publishing some of these in the next newsletter.

In the meantime we would really like to know how many members might be interested in taking part in our Wear Your Gloves to Work Day campaign. Your level of involvement would be completely up to you. For example, you could get sponsored for wearing gloves yourself that day or you could do something bigger, such as persuade friends, family and colleagues to join in. If you are interested or would just like some more information about Wear Your Gloves to Work Day, then please email info@sclerodermasociety.co.uk or telephone 020 7000 1925 with your contact details including your postal address by Monday 17 February 2012.

We will send you further information as soon as it’s available.

Two new appointments for NASS Director Debbie Cook

ASIF: The NASS Director, Debbie Cook, is delighted to have been elected to the Ankylosing Spondylitis International Federation’s (ASIF) Executive Committee soon after her appointment with NASS. ASIF consists of patient groups from around 25 countries who share the same objectives to exchange information and experiences of AS, cooperate in international research projects, support patients and countries where groups do not currently exists and work together to raise awareness of AS and the needs of people with AS.

Debbie is currently working on a project for ASIF aimed at improving hotel experiences for people with AS and looks forward to launching the project later this year.

RNHRD Council of Governors: Debbie was also nominated and elected as a Governor on the Royal National Hospital for Rheumatic Disease’s (RNHRD) Council of Governors to represent the interests of people with AS, particularly in relation to the strategic direction of the trust.

New service for Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis 

JIA-at-NRAS.org.uk

NRAS have announced that they have secured funding to set up a new division of NRAS which will address the needs of children, families, adolescents and teenagers with Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis. They are currently recruiting for someone to lead this new service. For further information, please contact Ailsa Bosworth: ailsa@nras.org.uk

NRAS are pleased to announce that the first programme will be delivered by Queen Alexandra Hospital in Portsmouth in early March. We have been able to introduce a discount structure in the cost of becoming trained to deliver the programme for 2 and 3 rheumatology units in a region who are interested in taking the programme on and training together. This unique programme is likely to deliver fairly rapid return on investment by reduced GP visits, better concordance, less use of helpline, etc. and meets the government’s aims to improve the self efficacy of people with long term conditions. For more information contact Ailsa Bosworth:  ailsa@nras.org.uk