Andrea Page
Associate Professor
School of Nursing and Midwifery
- Email:
- andrea.page@bcu.ac.uk
- Phone:
- +44 (0)121 331 6055
Andrea is a registered nurse for people with a learning disability, with 30 years plus experience in this field. Prior to joining Birmingham City University in 2000, she was a community nurse for people with a learning disability. Throughout her career she has always had an interest in how challenging behaviours are managed (and has written training resources and policies on this subject). As a direct result of her Masters, parents and siblings of children and adults with a learning disability who present with challenging behaviours are now taught breakaway techniques.
Andrea's interest in how children and adults are held for procedures which they are unable to give consent to (but need to have) began in 1998 when she helped develop an awareness policy for staff and people with a learning disability who needed to have blood taken to assess the therapeutic levels of medication.
Her interest in preventing postural distortion began as a student nurse and has continued to develop as professional knowledge in this area has continued to expand.
Current Activity
Andrea is a module leader and lecturer on nursing modules and issues relating to the care of people with a learning disability, the clinical holding of 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, The Royal Wolverhampton NHS Trust , Chester University, Worcester University , 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).
Andrea is Vice Chair for the steering group writing the Nursing and Midwifery application for Athena Swan Bronze Award, the purpose being to promote gender equality, representation, progression and success within the School.
Qualifications
PhD, MSc, PG Cert, RNLD, RT, SFHEA
Memberships
Fellow of the Higher Education Academy
Research
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.
Current research Projects
Andrea is 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.
Andrea is in the process of setting up a referral system and data base of techniques with Studio 3 trainers to review any holding techniques used.
She is working with The Royal Wolverhampton NHS Trust to introduce the Clinical Holding website and techniques into practice during Spring 2020.
She is the project lead for research investigating parent perception of applying low arousal research. This research is starting in January 2020.
She is also part of a research team completing an evaluation of a Sensory Pod within the elderly rehab unit of The Royal Wolverhampton NHS Trust. This evaluation will begin in March 2020.
Publications
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
McDonnell, A, A., Milton, D., Page, A., Kendall, S., Johal, T, K., O’Connell, A (2018) The Low Arousal Approach: a Practitioners Guide Special Report September 2018, Sussex, Pavilion Publishing and Media ltd
Page, A., Elven, B., McDonnell, A, A., Warren, A., Vanes, N., and Seabra, S (2019) Holding children and young people for procedures: ethical guidance for children’s nurses working in the United Kingdom. 31(4);28-33