Livewell Southwest is monitoring the Coronavirus (COVID-19) situation closely and we remain well prepared. However a decision has been made to suspend all work experience at Livewell Southwest with immediate effect to protect patients, staff, visitors, and work placement students. If you are due to attend a placement please do not attend. We will be reviewing this decision over the coming weeks and months.
Please rest assured that we will seek to reschedule placements for students at a later date and when it is appropriate for activity to be reintroduced. We will update this web page when this becomes possible.
Please do not contact our clinical teams with work experience enquiries in the meantime, in order to reduce pressure on our staff.
This decision has not been made lightly, and we are grateful for your understanding.
As a leading employer in Plymouth, we have the opportunity to help shape and support the future workforce and allow some of our colleagues the chance to develop their supervisory and teaching skills. Getting involved in work experience shows that Livewell Southwest is committed to helping the community even further and fits with our moral, social and ethical responsibilities.
Work experience is one of the most important factors shaping young people’s perceptions of the world of work. It helps them to learn about a particular occupation, gain valuable personal skills such as independence and team work, and to understand the expectations of employers.
if you are seeking placement as part of your health studies please visit the student placement page.
How will this work?
Individuals on work placements will be supervised at all times. That is, they will be working alongside an allocated supervisor for the duration of their placement and will not be allocated work independently. The individual and their supervisor will complete and sign a Visitor’s Declaration on the first day of the placement which will last for the duration of their placement.
The duration of the placement will be no longer than a two week block or twelve sessions / visits (i.e. visit per week for twelve weeks). The twelve visits should be taken within one three month period.
Work Experience placement guidance
Ambassadors
Livewell Southwest has a group of over 30 Ambassadors who attend career’s events and make visits to schools to discuss their careers. They consist of professionals from the following areas:
- Mental Health Nurses
- Matrons
- Occupational Therapists
- Administration Staff
- Many more
If you are too young for a specific Work Experience Placement (within Mental Health, for example), but wish to learn more about that career, please contact [email protected] to see whether an Ambassador would be able to come in to your school to deliver a talk on their career path.
Employer’s liability certificate
Employer’s liability / public liability certificate (both covered in one certificate), click here
Role descriptions
CAMHS community team
Cardiac and respiratory team
Community children’s services
Community discharge team
Physiotherapy
Introduction package
Work experience testimonial
“All of the staff at the hospital were extremely kind, helpful and knowledgeable. Thank you for giving me this opportunity and allowing me to learn from them… I learnt what an important role nurses play in hospital care and also a nurse’s perspective on the issues affecting the NHS. I also observed how nurses deal with patients… which will help me in my future practice.” – Work Experience Student from Kingsbridge Hospital (May 2018)
“It’s always a pleasure to have sixth form students attending work placements as it not only provides them with good opportunity to see a real time functioning of MDT teams and also gives us a chance to learn from their inquisitive objective observations.” – Dr Naresh Buttan (Consultant Psychiatrist)
“Thank you so much for my work placement, I have learned so much about psychiatry and my interest in the subject has greatly increased.” – Work Experience Student from Plympton Clinic (March 2018)
Events
To view upcoming events, click here
Contact
Please note that we are currently updating our work experience programme.
If you have a specific department/area of work which you are particularly interested in, please look at our website and in the first instance contact the department or manager direct with your request or enquiry.
For further information or advice please email [email protected]