Andrea is a module leader and lecturer on foundation nursing skills modules and issues relating to the care of people with a learning disability, the clinical holding of children and young people for medical procedures and postural care for people with distorted body shape, for level 4, 5, and 6 undergraduate students within the Faculty of Health, Education and Life Sciences.
Her teaching interests include:
- Clinical holding for procedures
- Basic and life support for children and adults with a distorted body shape
- Learning Disability Nursing
- Postural care approaches to help prevent distortion of body shape
- Student academic partnership schemes
- Clinical simulations in relation to nursing
- Low arousal approaches to manage behaviours which challenge
- Clinical skills as they relate to people with a learning disability and or distorted body shape
- Physical techniques to manage behaviours
Andrea works collaboratively with colleagues in the Faculty of Health, Education and Life Sciences, Birmingham Children's Hospital, Studio 3 (which promotes the ideals, philosophies and benefits of non-aversive behaviour management when working with people who present with challenging behaviours), and Simple Stuff Works (who work to protect body shape for people with movement difficulties).
She is part of the Value Added Curriculum group supporting a number of students completing projects around intensive interaction, postural care, low arousal strategies to manage challenging behaviours and the student academic partnership group supporting the redesigning specific lesson plans.
Research interests
Andrea is interested in developing the knowledge, research and training that we offer students within the Faculty of Health, Education and Life Sciences, to bring about new ideas and practices which can improve the quality of life of individuals and carers in clinical settings, their own homes and in residential settings. For example:
- Basic life support for people with a distorted body shape
This app, developed with Stefan Cash, will provide carers of people with a distorted body shape the latest, most relevant, advice available which can downloaded and accessed from an iPhone, tablet or android device.
- Moving and handling issues
Andrea developed 'Virtuar', a moving and handling software package that provides online training via a virtual environment with her colleague, Stephen Wanless. Virtuar has recently been shortlisted for the 'Best Midlands Collaborative Education and Business Design' (Birmingham Made Me – Millennium Point June 2013).
- Holding of children for clinical procedures
Andrea has developed a website containing a library of holding techniques which aid learning, memory, retention of skill and the discussion process about what technique would be appropriate for the infant / child / or young person and who will do the holding. This is a partnership project with Nicola Vanes and Alison Warren from Birmingham Children's Hospital. This website is available to other NHS Trusts, Higher Education Institutions, clinical staff, student nurses, student radiographers, play specialists and student dental nurses.
- Wellcome Trust
For the last two years Andrea has been the Principle Investigator looking at improving the experience of the child, parents and healthcare staff when using clinical holding for procedures within the CRF/NIHR at Birmingham Children's Hospital. This is a partnership project with colleagues from the CRF/NIHR and Studio 3.
As well as being part of the Mental Health and Learning Disability Team, Andrea is part of a Clinical Skills and Simulation team and enjoys teaching clinical nursing skills to all nursing students and developing the nursing skills to meet the health needs of people with a learning disability.
With her colleague, Cathy Liddle, she developed resources around specific national issues which are relevant to health students. In 2012 this was around 'Death by Indifference' and in 2013 this was around caring for someone with dementia.
Current research projects
Andrea is working with Studio 3, Simple Stuff Works, The Royal Orthopaedic Hospital NHS Foundation Trust and The Royal Wolverhampton Trust to improve care for individuals in the areas of postural care in particular seating provision, autism and learning disability.
With my colleague, Stefan Cash we are working in collaboration with St Giles Organisation, Australia and Virgincare, Devon to develop bespoke training addressing Basic Life Support for people with a distorted body shape, develop case studies and evaluate the impact of this training.
Shinnick, A., & McDonnell, A, A., (2003) Training Family Members in Behaviour Management Methods, Learning Disability Practice 6(2): 16-20
Shinnick, A., & Arkell, S., (2003) Update on Oral Candidosis, Nursing Times, 99(48): 5243.
Valler-Jones, T., & Shinnick, A., (2005) Holding Children for invasive Procedures, Paediatric Nursing 17(5):20-2
Shinnick- Page, A., Cash, S., & Seabra, S., (2008) Holding Children for Invasive Procedures Paediatric Nursing 20(5), 35
Cash, A., & Shinnick-Page, A., (2008) BLS for people with Learning Disabilities Paediatric Nursing, 20(8):38-9
Woodcock, L., & Page, A., (2009) Managing Family Meltdown - The Low Arousal Approach and Autism. London, Jessica Kingsley Publications
Page, A., & Wanless, S., (2009) Moving and handling in the community British Journal of Community Nursing, 14(12): 530- 532
Wanless, S & Page, A (2009) National Back Exchange Conference Sept 2009 - Rolling a patient: a Motion Capture View. Plenary session
Page, A., & Wanless, S., (2010) Pressure Ulcer Care and Moving and Handling Issues for the Wound Care Alliance. Wound Care Alliance UK (WCAUK)
Page, A., & Cash, S., (2011) Basic life support for people with profound and multiple learning disabilities Learning Disability Practice, 14(6):28-30
Page, A., & McDonnell, A, A., (2013) Holding children and young people: defining skills for good practice British Journal of Nursing, 22(20):1153-1158
Page, A., & McDonnell, A, A., (2015) Holding children and young people: identifying a theory practice gap British Journal of Nursing24(8): 378-382
Page, A.; McDonnell, A, A.; Gayson, C.; Moss, F.; Mohammed, N.; Smith, C and Vanes, N., (2015) Clinical holding with children who display behaviours that challenge British Journal of Nursing24(21):1004-1009
Page, A., (2015) Holding children and young people for clinical procedures: moving towards
an evidence based practice. PhD dissertation, Birmingham City University
Page, A, and Clayton, S., (2016) What is the current situation regarding knowledge on postural care amongst nursing students at Birmingham City University? http://www.pmguk.co.uk/journals/knowledge-on-postural-care-amongst-nursing-students-at-birmingham-city-university Posture and Mobility Group Journal published October 6th 2016
Page, A., Warren, A., and Vanes, N., (2017) Clinical holding an evaluation of a website developed through a collaboration between Birmingham City University and Birmingham Children's Hospital NHSFT Nursing Children and Young People, 29(2); 20-24
Page, A., Gayson, C., Vanes, N., Ashmore, P and McDonnell, A, A (2017) Sensing what's Important: determining parental preferences of children with Hunters
Syndrome/Sanfilippo syndrome for when they are receiving treatment in hospital Learning Disability Practice, 20(2); 17-21
Page, A., & Wakeman, M., (2017) Considerations nurses caring for people with a learning disability should think about when undertaking nursing observations - a framework. Learning Disability Practice
