MK College students in Compassionate Care Competition 

As part of National Carers Week, 12 Health and Social Care students from Milton Keynes College participated in a ‘Compassionate Care Competition’ with PJ Care, a specialised neurological care provider, in their training suite in their Head office in Bletchley.  

The students had four different activities to complete, covering Care Planning, Communication, Basic Life Support and Infection Prevention and Control. They had the opportunity to work with different professionals and gather evidence for their portfolios and use this as part of their study programme hours.  

At the end of the day a worthy winner – Level 3 Health and Social Care Student Sophie Parker – was awarded a trophy and a £50 voucher provided by PJ Care. 

Jana, a student at MK College who took part in the competition, said: “The benefit of the PJ Care activities was to give a hands on experience which helped in developing our learning on how to do CPR, how to use the AED, planning an activity plan and how to communicate and deliver information in a clear and effective way as this will help us to develop confidence to talk to team members we don’t know. This will expand on our teamwork skills and will increase in confidence when dealing with a situation and feeling in control when carrying out an activity. I really enjoyed this experience and learned a lot from it”. 

Alexander Balicki, Head of Training at PJ Care, commented: “We’re proud to support Milton Keynes College in their efforts to assess student skills in a Healthcare Skills Competition. By doing so, we’re investing in the future of our workforce and the wider community. Ensuring students have the necessary skills to succeed in the workforce benefits everyone, from the students themselves to the businesses that hire them. It’s a win-win situation that can only lead to a stronger, more prosperous society”. 

Kieran Grimes, Executive Head of Access to HE and Adult Innovation at MK College Group, added: “What a great event! Our learners shone and demonstrated fantastic enthusiasm for the activities and the feedback they received after each round. We’d like to say a huge thank you PJ Care for the event and for working with our students to help them develop the knowledge and skills that are required within the industry. We hope to hold the event with PJ Care again next year, so that more students can benefit from this competition”. 

To find out more about Health and Social Care at Milton Keynes College, visit Care Professions – MK College