Measuring quality in initial teacher education:A literature review for Scotland’s MQuITE Study.

The MQuITE project seeks to develop and implement a context-appropriate approach to measuring quality in initial teacher education. As a result, the focus of this literature review is on the various conceptualisations and measures of "quality" vis-à-vis teaching, teachers, and initial teacher education (ITE) across the globe. As Scotland considers what types of programmes and routes best prepare teachers for success in the classroom, there is a glaring need for a collaboratively-created framework with which to measure the quality of teacher preparation programmes. Such a framework would not only provide data to inform external evaluation and internal improvement but also provide a coherent and consistent model with which to compare the strengths, weaknesses, and innovative features of the various pathways into teaching

A real time, longitudinal, qualitative evaluation of the first two cohorts to participate in the Queen’s Nurse Development Programme.

Background: The Queens Nurse Development Programme (QNDP) has been delivered to community nurses in Scotland since 2017, born out of a commitment to reintroduce the Queen’s Nurse title in Scotland after 50 years. The aim of the QNDP was to connect individuals with a shared passion for delivering high - quality nursing throughout Scotland’s communities, to create a safe space where participants could develop and grow on a personal level to become change makers, to inspire others, help those most in need and champion community nursing. As such, the participants selected were employed in a wide-range of diverse roles, from throughout Scotland. The programme takes place over a nine-months, during which participants engaged with a varied programme involving residential workshops, where they experienced a range of creative and contemplative awareness based change practices, the development of a practice issue, and individual coaching. This report presents an independent evaluation of the QNDP based on the first two cohorts of participants to engage with the programme (2017 & 2018). Evaluating the QNDP is important to optimise the programme for subsequent cohorts of Queen’s nurses and to inform the transferability of the programme to other professions and contexts. Methods: A comprehensive, longitudinal, qualitative evaluation, where data was collected at various time points, using interviews, focus groups and a ‘member-checking’ event with all 41 QNDP participants (20 fromcohort 1 and 21 fromcohort 2), as well as 12 community nursing managers and the 3 QNDP facilitators. The purpose was to uncover and explore perceptions and experiences of the QNDP: what was learned; how this was implemented into everyday practice; as well as the impacts and sustainability of changes. The data was analysed using Braun and Clarke’s six-point framework of analysis; familiarisation, coding, generating themes, reviewing themes, defining and naming themes and writing up (Clarke et al., 2015). Double coding and independent analysis ensured trustworthy, rigorous and valid findings. Summary and Conclusions: Participants were overwhelmingly positive about the programme, and appreciated its design, facilitation, approach and methods utilised, as well as the resulting impacts and outcomes. Engaging with the QNDP led to an unexpected ‘journey of self-discovery and transformation’, with notable self-development, growth and positive change. Essentially, the programme enabled participants to see through a new lens, re-position themselves and embody new (person-centred) ways of being and doing, which transcended both their personal and professional lives as community nurses, colleagues, ‘leaders’, service providers, networkers, family members and friends. The participants perceptions of this work and learning was that as it was personal, changing their thinking and identity and therefore, the impact of the programme and the personal and professional transformation and changes introduced were perceived to be sustainable for the rest of their professional life and beyond. The programme facilitated the building of close bonds with their peers which enabled them to confidently share problems and challenges, reinforce their learnings and new thinking, and engage them in a journey of transformation. As such, a community of practice has been created within and across the cohorts which has the potential to become a social movement as intended by QNIS. The programme also equipped them with novel, creative approaches, skills and tools that they were able to share with colleagues, friends and family. Thus, the programme achieved a key aim of connecting individuals and equipping QNDP participants with a range of new skills. The findings of this evaluation and the QNDP are likely to be transferable to other health and social care professionals and beyond the Scottish context

Bacterial Communities of Ballan Wrasse (Labrus bergylta) Eggs at a Commercial Marine Hatchery

Ballan wrasse (Labrus bergylta, Ascanius 1767) are cleaner fish cultured in northern Europe to remove sea lice from farmed Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar, Linnaeus 1758). Despite increasing appreciation for the importance of the microbiota on the phenotypes of vertebrates including teleosts, the microbiota of wrasse eggs has yet to be described. Therefore, the aim of this present study was to describe the bacterial component of the microbiota of ballan wrasse eggs shortly after spawning and at 5 days, once the eggs had undergone a routine incubation protocol that included surface disinfection steps in a common holding tank. Triplicate egg samples were collected from each of three spawning tanks and analysis of 16S rRNA gene sequences revealed that 88.6% of reads could be identified to 186 taxonomic families. At Day 0, reads corresponding to members of the Vibrionaceae, Colwelliaceae and Rubritaleaceae families were detected at greatest relative abundances. Bacterial communities of eggs varied more greatly between tanks than between samples deriving from the same tank. At Day 5, there was a consistent reduction in 16S rRNA gene sequence richness across the tanks. Even though the eggs from the different tanks were incubated in a common holding tank, the bacterial communities of the eggs from the different tanks had diverged to become increasingly dissimilar. This suggests that the disinfection and incubation exerted differential effects of the microbiota of the eggs from each tank and that the influence of the tank water on the composition of the egg microbiota was lower than expected. This first comprehensive description of the ballan wrasse egg bacterial community is an initial step to understand the role and function of the microbiota on the phenotype of this fish. In future, mass DNA sequencing methods may be applied in hatcheries to screen for pathogens and as a tool to assess the health status of eggs

Reflecting on key findings from the Measuring Quality in Initial Teacher Education (MQuITE) project

The six-year Scottish Government-funded MQuITE project will come to an end in December this year. The project has involved a unique collaboration between all 11 teacher education providers in Scotland, together with the General Teaching Council for Scotland. Established as a result of a widely acknowledged need for empirical data on teacher education quality, MQuITE has gathered data from two cohorts of new teachers over a five-year period (n=946), as well as snapshot data from school-based mentors and school leaders (n=229), and from university-based tutors (n=150). While these data reveal wide-ranging and interesting insights into perspectives and experiences of contemporary Scottish teacher education, the project itself has also acted as a conduit for sector-wide engagement and development. Indeed, the uniqueness of this contextually appropriate approach (Kennedy et al., 2021) to identifying quality a national system level has gained interest from around the world. This symposium seeks to present key highlights from across the project, including: advances in the conceptualisation of teacher education quality; key highlights from the longitudinal data; and an evaluation of the utility of the framework in terms of its capacity to reveal data that might impact on practice

Lived experience of long COVID in health workers in Scotland (LoCH study).

This is the final project report for project COV/LTE/20/32 ("Lived Experience of Long-Term COVID-19 on NHS Workers in Health Care Settings in Scotland: a Longitudinal Mixed Methods Study"). The Long COVID in health workers (LoCH) study investigated the lived experience of the longer term effects of COVID-19 (long COVID) on professional and ancillary staff employed in the NHS across Scotland. These staff were asked about: their symptoms of long COVID; health and wellbeing; use of healthcare and self management strategies; working in the NHS; and personal and household finances. The report outlines the methodology and results of the study, and identifies key findings and potential impacts

Constrained candidacy: exploring different barriers to attaining healthcare access and treatment for long COVID illness by NHS workers in Scotland.

Long COVID (LC) affects 1.2 million people in the UK, including 120,000 NHS workers. LC remains poorly understood, comprising manifold symptoms ranging in severity, disrupting quality of life and work abilities. Emerging qualitative findings suggest attaining healthcare for LC is challenging. This study aims to explore the experiences of NHS workers with LC to understand their illness experiences, conceptualisations of healthcare eligibility, and barriers to attaining healthcare. We apply Candidacy theory, how persons conceptualise eligibility for healthcare, to interpret the findings. Study design was mixed methods, including an online questionnaire and in-depth qualitative interviews, and with follow-up data collection after six months. Participants (n=471) were purposefully sampled for interview following initial questionnaire completion using maximum variation sampling. All interviews were conducted remotely and transcribed verbatim, and data were analysed thematically, inductively and deductively using framework analysis in NVivo software. 50 participants were interviewed in the first phase of interviews, 44 in the second phase. LC caused devastating, long-standing disruptions to many aspects of life as indicated by questionnaires (51% reporting ability to undertake day-to-day activities had been "limited a lot") and interview data collected. Shared in interviews, NHS workers experienced manifold candidacy-driven barriers to health care access including feelings of reluctance to seek help for fears of "overburdening" the NHS, perceptions that LC was not taken seriously or understood by GPs and specialists, and little occupational and healthcare supports existed. Some accessed limited supports via services and work contacts, sought private healthcare, engaged with online support groups and utilised medical experience and knowledge to keep abreast of published LC literatures. NHS workers struggle to access healthcare for LC. Access journeys are complex and inexorably connected to notions of illness candidacy. Feelings of a lack of entitlement to healthcare, a lack of legitimisation of LC illness and participants' expectations of low success when attempting to seek help, which was often driven by past healthcare experiences, constrain access. Professional role and role-identity represented significant components in participants' conceptualising of their eligibility for access and how access was approached. Nuances between professional groups, identity and healthcare access will be discussed in the presentation. The findings of this study are important; giving a voice to those suffering from LC, and highlighting the multiple barriers that prevent and constrain NHS workers from receiving healthcare for LC illness, which ultimately impacts return to work and fulfilment of their functional - and essential - role in the struggling NHS healthcare system

An investigation of health and social care students' and recent graduates' clinical placement and professional practice experiences and coping strategies during the Wave 1 COVID-19 pandemic period.

During the first COVID-19 pandemic wave in 2020, nursing, midwifery, pharmacy, allied health and social work professional students from Robert Gordon University (RGU) were encouraged to undertake extended, paid clinical placements, or enter professional practice earlier than planned. This unparalleled policy intervention was introduced to address concerns that the NHS would be overwhelmed by the ongoing pandemic. Other policy measures implemented at that time included closing down or scaling back routine health and social care, and rapid redeployment of health and social care staff to areas considered business critical e.g. intensive care. Therefore, students entered a health and social care system in a state of significant flux, exposing those individuals to increased risk of unintentional, psychosocial harm. This mixed methods study sought: (1) to investigate the lived experiences and coping strategies of RGU health care and social work students during the Wave 1 COVID-19 pandemic period; and (2) to explore the role and acceptability of online group technologies and other forms of support, which were helpful in building individual resilience and supporting health and wellbeing during this time

An investigation of health and social care students' and recent graduates' clinical placement and professional practice experiences and coping strategies during the Wave 1 COVID-19 pandemic period: supplementary report.

During the first COVID-19 pandemic wave in 2020, nursing, midwifery, pharmacy, allied health and social work professional students from Robert Gordon University (RGU) were encouraged to undertake extended, paid clinical placements, or enter professional practice earlier than planned. This unparalleled policy intervention was introduced to address concerns that the NHS would be overwhelmed by the ongoing pandemic. Other policy measures implemented at that time included closing down or scaling back routine health and social care, and rapid redeployment of health and social care staff to areas considered business critical e.g. intensive care. Therefore, students entered a health and social care system in a state of significant flux, exposing those individuals to increased risk of unintentional, psychosocial harm. This mixed methods study sought: (1) to investigate the lived experiences and coping strategies of RGU health care and social work students during the Wave 1 COVID-19 pandemic period; and (2) to explore the role and acceptability of online group technologies and other forms of support, which were helpful in building individual resilience and supporting health and wellbeing during this time. This report contains supplementary appendices for the main report, which can be found on OpenAIR: https://rgu-repository.worktribe.com/output/176445

Understanding and supporting NHS employees with long COVID return to and remain in work: key barriers and facilitators.

Long COVID (LC) is a debilitating illness with complex and dynamic symptoms, affecting all aspects of personal and work life. The process and implications of returning to work following chronic illness have been considered across various conditions; however, published literature exploring LC is sparse. Person-environment fit (PEF) theory has been used to unpick the employer-worker dynamic in the process of returning to work, providing an analytical framework that offers both an understanding of and practical means for supporting this process with a view towards a positive outcome for both parties. We apply this framework to NHS workers suffering LC, utilising PEF theory as a lens through which to provide a sociological perspective for interrogating experiences of returning to and remaining at work, while experiencing symptoms that are often fluctuating, complex and debilitating. Findings are based on a longitudinal, in-depth interview study, exploring impacts of LC on 50 NHS Scotland workers in clinical or ancillary roles. This study highlights the importance and interplay of key factors facilitating successful return to work: improvements in symptoms; specific supports and understanding; workplace flexibility; and considerations around professional role and identity. Understanding and addressing these factors is imperative, as around 10,000 NHS employees in UK are off work because of their LC, at a time of acute crisis in the NHS with understaffing and unprecedented demand. Key outcomes around how workplaces must adapt to facilitate reintegration of workers experiencing LC are discussed, and some additions to theory are proposed to allow for further application to understanding the impact of LC upon return to work