Student paramedics have been gaining experience of working in care homes as part of an NHS Education funded project.

Over a dozen University of Huddersfield students spent two weeks at Hill Care Group in the Huddersfield area as part of the Paramedics in Social Care Environments (PISCEs) project.

Lynda Hodgkinson, development and governance director for the Hill Care Group, who helped organise the placements, said: “Being involved in the PISCEs project has been a great opportunity to provide insight to the student paramedics of what happens on a day-to-day in our homes.

“The students have all engaged brilliantly with their placements and we hope this is the start of an opportunity to work collaboratively with the University of Huddersfield further, supporting the development of future paramedics and other health care staff.

“Our care homes have also benefitted greatly from the placements, with really positive feedback given by the home managers.”

Tamsyn Weston, head of paramedic practice education at the University of Huddersfield, said: “The PISCEs project is something that I truly believe will help the paramedics of tomorrow.

“Since the majority of being a paramedic is talking and connecting to services users and their friends and families, the PISCEs project gives the learners the chance to practice these fundamental skills whilst also learning about social care and the impacts they have upon residents’ lives.”

The PISCEs project was run with the cooperation of Kirklees Care Association (KirCA), which represents independent, voluntary, community and social enterprise providers of social care in Kirklees.