It is called "Protected Learning". The aim is to provide half a day of protected time when staff can take part in professional development: anything from learning new skills that will directly help them look after patients to brushing up on the latest developments in healthcare.

It's not just for GPs, nurses and clinical pharmacists,  all of the practice team including receptionists, IT and admin staff will be invited to take part.

The first Protected Learning day will be on Wednesday May 23rd. On that day the 22 practices will be unable to offer routine appointments from 1pm-6.30pm, but patients who have an urgent problem and who need to speak to a doctor or nurse should still call their surgery. There will either be a message to advise what to do next or they will be put through automatically to the local 111 and Out of Hours GP service run by IC24 who will be providing cover.
Protected Learning time already takes place in many other areas of the country, including other parts of Norfolk and Waveney and fits in with the much wider NHS programme of continuous professional development and mandatory training which everyone in the NHS is required to undertake.

May 23, 2018