CVD Academy

Applicants should be registered as a GP, pharmacist or nurse working in NCL, NEL or MSE with an interest in cardiovascular disease prevention. All applicants should either be working on a project focusing on CVD prevention in BP, cholesterol, type 2 diabetes or Chronic kidney disease (CKD) or have an idea for a project that can be initiated and worked on throughout the duration of the Academy. It is important that the theory taught within the programme is utilised on a specific project to ensure the knowledge and skills are embedded and any potential barriers to change are addressed.  

Please note this is not a clinical programme – the CVD Academy aims to upskill clinicians on how to implement innovations in their practice/ PCN.

Successful applicants will be asked to complete pre-work before the programme which should take no more than 2 hours.  

There 30 places are available and we will aim to appoint around 10 participants per ICS. 

 

The Academy will commence in January 2025 and complete in December 2025 and will include: 

• 4 x face-to-face sessions:

• Launch of programme 
• Mid programme sessions x2
• End of programme event 

• Enabling change: virtual sessions including held during lunchtimes for 60-90 minutes focussed on implementing change with topics to be defined in response to participants’ learning needs, session could include:
• Behaviour change
• Health Inequalities
• Evaluation design
• Influence at work
• Leadership
• Patient engagement
• Clinical best practice: 4 x virtual sessions held during lunchtimes for 60-90 minutes.  These will include dedicated time with an expert panel to respond to any specific queries around management of each condition. Content will include:
  • Diabetes  
  • Hypertension  
  • Cholesterol 
  • CKD 
• Learning from each other and building a peer network via community of practice sessions:
  • Individual support from UCLPartners with regular 1:1 sessions throughout the programme

Participants will be expected to attend a compulsory minimum of 75% of sessions to obtain a certificate at the end of the programme and dedicate a minimum of 5-6 hours per month to the progress of their project.

NB: Please carefully consider if this is feasible with your current workload.

Exact dates of the programme can be found here

• A full list of dates can be found here
• Thursday 30 January 2025: Launch of UCLPartners CVD Academy 
• Thursday 11 December 2025 – End of programme shared learning event & poster presentations

Please read the information for participants

Frequently Asked Questions  

Q. What is the aim of the CVD Academy? 

A. The aim of the CVD Academy is to provide primary care clinicians with the knowledge, skills and networks to be able to lead and implement an innovation that will reduce heart attacks, strokes and other forms of cardiovascular disease. 

Q. What will I get from the Academy? 

Benefits of joining the Academy include: 

• Gain knowledge and transferable skills on how to lead change and innovation projects.  
• Update knowledge on management of cardiovascular conditions (diabetes, hypertension, high cholesterol, CKD). 
• Gain continuing professional development (CPD) (accredited by CPD UK). 

• Engage and build relationships with others in order to share perspectives, be curious about differences and build a network of peers. 
• Access to a range of excellent speakers and professionals 

Q.   Is there a cost to join the Academy? 

A. There is no cost to join the Academy. 

Q.  Will I be backfilled/ receive payment for participation in the CVD Academy? 

A. No, there is no backfill / payment available for joining this programme. 

Q. I have accessibility issues, how will these be managed? 

A. UCLPartners will work with you to ensure that the venues for the in-person sessions are accessible and will support you where possible. Please contact us on cvdacademy@uclpartners.com to let us know about specific support requirements.  

Q. How long does the CVD Academy last? 

A. The programme will last 12 months, from January 2025 to December 2025. 

Q. Is the CVD Academy CPD accredited? 

A. Yes, CPD certificates will be provided if a minimum of 75% of sessions are attended (all clinical sessions need to be attended).

Applicant eligibility  

Q. My role is not listed in the Information for Applicants, am I eligible? 

A. This programme is currently only open to GPs, pharmacists and nurses working in primary care.  

Q I’m a junior primary care professional, can I still apply? 

A. Yes, we do not have a requirement for applicants to have been qualified for a certain number of years. However, we ask that all applicants have authorisation from their line manager to participate in this programme and to confirm that you will be supported to complete a transformation project in their place of work.   

Q. What do participants need to consider before applying? 

A. Each participant will need to ensure they: 

• Can attend the sessions (dates to be published). 

• Have, or are willing, to take on a CVD prevention project/ innovation as part of the CVD Academy. 
• Have the support from a senior colleague for you to make time for Academy sessions and for leading your project. 
• Attend the regular 1:1 catch-ups (3x sessions with one of these sessions including your line-manager/ clinical lead).

Q. What if our GP Practice is small and we cannot release staff to attend?  

A. Sessions have been planned, in the main, for lunchtimes to make it as convenient as possible to attend.  The majority of sessions are also virtual so there is little need for travel times. Academy participants are asked to commit to joining the sessions (dates and times to be published ). A minimum requirement to be eligible to join and complete the Academy is to ensure 75% of sessions are attended. 

Q. Will we be working with other practices/ PCNs?  

A. Yes! The CVD Academy is open to primary care colleagues from NCL, NEL and MSE to enable a collaborative approach to learning, collective problem-solving and peer mentoring for your project.   

Q. What will my practice/ PCN get out of taking part? 

A. The aim is to increase your capability and skills to lead and implement change projects and innovations that will reduce mortality from heart attacks, strokes and other forms of cardiovascular disease. Organisations will:  

• Be able to work towards QOF targets via implementation of the change project.  

• Gain insight into new ways of working.  

• Reduce the risk of morbidity and mortality for patients with CVD.  

• Be well placed to implement future innovations.  

Q. What kind of projects would I work on? 

A. Participants are expected to work on a CVD prevention focused project whilst on the Academy.  Projects need to be focused on CVD risk factors e.g. Diabetes, hypertension, cholesterol or CKD. The project could be one that the applicant is already working on or a project that you would like to start with the support of the Academy.  The UCLPartners team can support you to identify a suitable project.  Examples of potential projects include implementation of a lipids pathway or a data approach to identify patients at risk of CVD e.g. CVDACTION.  All projects should have a focus on how to reduce health inequalities in the cohort of patients most affected by that condition.

We would like a range of transformation projects being implemented throughout the duration of this programme and we encourage applications from those interested in CVD prevention through management of diabetes, hypertension, high cholesterol or CKD. 

We would also like to hear from applicants who are currently implementing or would like to implement one of the UCLPartners innovations e.g., CVDACTION, Proactive Care Frameworks.  You can view the posters from last year here.  

Q. I’m not sure what is meant by health inequalities or how I can address this in my project.

A. We will cover the topic of health inequalities in the programme and how you can identify the right patient cohort to focus on depending on which condition you are working on.

Q. Will there be information on patient engagement?

A. Yes. We will have a session on patient engagement and patient representatives will be part of our steering group to shape and advise on the design of the sessions

Q. How can someone register interest in applying? 

A. If you would like to apply, please complete the application form. 

Interviews and selection 

Q. When will I find out if I’ve been shortlisted for interview? 

A. You will receive an email by Wednesday 20 November 2024, confirming whether you have been invited to interview.   

Q. I wasn’t shortlisted for interview, can I get feedback on my application? 

A. Unfortunately, due to the volume of applications we receive, we don’t generally provide feedback at the application stage. 

Q. I can’t make any of the interview dates that have been advertised, can I attend on a different date? 

A. We will be interviewing Monday 25 November to Friday 29 November, all interviews will need to take place during this time.

Q. Can I pick a specific interview date? 

A. Possibly. Please let us know when you submit your application if there are any interview dates that you cannot attend, and we will do our best to accommodate all requests. It will be on a first come first served basis.  

Q. I still have more questions how can I find out more? 

A. Please email us: cvdacademy@uclpartners.com.