About Us
In 2007, NHS Education for Scotland (NES) acted as a key partner in the establishment of the Scottish Clinical Skills Strategy and, in partnership with the Scottish Funding Council (SFC), jointly supported the establishment and development of the Clinical Skills Managed Educational Network (CS MEN).
Under the stewardship of Prof Jean Ker, the Regional Champions, Service Leads and the core team, the CS MEN has delivered against all its key performance indicators, including the development of online educational resources, the development of a quality assurance self-reporting system, faculty development, an educational research and development programme and the piloting and evaluation of the Mobile Skills Unit (MSU).
This success is due in no small part to the hard work and cooperation of all our partners across Scotland and we thank everyone for their support. We are excited about the next phase of development and believe there are new opportunities to work together with all stakeholders to coordinate the delivery of clinical skills education to the maximum benefit for all of Scotland.
Following the publication of the Scottish Government Quality Strategy, NES has now committed to continue to support the development of the CS MEN and the MSU by integrating their function, processes and support staff within NES. This commitment brings welcome stability and continuity for the CS MEN in challenging times, but the challenge now is for the whole Scottish Clinical Skills community to work with NES to ensure that the next phase of the Scottish Clinical Skills Strategy continues to promote excellence and innovation in clinical skills education, whilst making strong links to Patient Safety and delivering tangible outcomes for the Scottish Government's Quality Ambitions. We believe that there are new opportunities to work together with the Clinical Skills Units, NHS Board partners, Higher Education Institutions and all key stakeholders, to coordinate the delivery of clinical skills education to the maximum benefit for all of Scotland.
About clinical skills
Clinical Skills are defined as any action, performed by an healthcare worker involved in direct patient care, which impacts on clinical outcome in a measurable way. These include:
- Cognitive or 'thinking' skills (such as clinical reasoning and decision-making) including self awareness
- Non-technical skills (such as teamworking and communication)
- Technical skills (such as clinical examination and invasive procedures)
About the Scottish Strategy
The Scottish Clinical Skills Strategy was launched by the Minister for Health, Ms Nicola Sturgeon, on 28 September 2007, with the following aims:
- For Scotland to become a leading player in quality assured clinical skills education in both the UK and internationally
- For consistent standards for clinical skills education to be practised safely to meet clinical diagnostic and governance requirements
The implementation of the strategy is through the Scottish Clinical Skills Alliance, the Managed Educational Network and the NES Programme Board:
Contact Us
Related Information
Evaluation of the Pilot of the Mobile Clinical Skills Unit:
Evaluation of the Pilot of the Mobile Clinical Skills Unit 2011 (pdf)
Delivering a Quality Skilled Workforce:
Report and Recommendations for Health Boards on Clinical Skills Education by CS MEN (March 2011) (pdf)
