1        Scope of the BACHP Professional Development Fund

BACHP recognises the importance of professional development and education. To support ongoing development of cardiovascular nurses and Allied Professionals, a proportion of membership funds will be made available annually to the BACHP Professional Development Fund (PDF). The PDF provides an opportunity for BACHP members to secure financial support for professional development. This includes, but is not limited to:

  • Funding to support attendance of a national or international conference relevant to cardiovascular care (for example: BACHP Annual Conference, British Cardiovascular Society Annual Conference).
  • Funding to support study days relevant to cardiovascular health professionals.
  • Funding to complete educational relevant cardiovascular modules or training.

The BACHP Professional Development Fund application form offers members the opportunity to apply for funding to enhance their knowledge and skills in cardiovascular care. This is a competitive process covering all activities which aim to support cardiovascular health professionals in their continued professional development.

2.       Notes for Guidance

The Professional Development Fund is open to all BACHP members who:

  • Are a current BACHP member with an annual subscription mandate in place
  • Want to undertake a professional development or educational activity to enhance the knowledge and skills in cardiovascular care.
  • Can demonstrate the value of their proposed development or educational activity.
  • Can demonstrate how they will use the skills and knowledge gained to benefit patients with cardiovascular disease.

The purpose of the Professional Development Fund is to:

Support cardiovascular health professionals’ ongoing professional development by investing in relevant educational activities that will develop cardiovascular knowledge and skills to enhance the care of patients with cardiovascular disease.

Funding available:

  • Funding will be allocated on a per-applicant basis. 
  • For national educational activities or conference attendance, applicants may apply for funds up to the value of £250.
  • For international educational activities or conference attendance, applicants may apply for funds up to the value of £500. 
  • Any applications that exceed this amount will be considered but will require a strong and appropriate rationale.

Application process

  1. Applications for funding are open all year round.
  2. For applications to be considered, applicant must complete the BACHP Professional Development Fund Application Form in full.
  3. Applications will be reviewed by at a panel of BACHP Council Members.
  4. Applicant will be informed of the outcome of the review process normally within four weeks of application submission.
  5. Applicants should provide information to justify the value of the funding requested, and how this expenditure will benefit patients with cardiovascular disease.

Outcomes of applications will be forwarded to applicants and categorised as one of the following:

  • Application successful (full): The full amount will be awarded.
  • Application successful (partial): A partial amount of the funding requested will be awarded.
  • The review panel will not fund the request but provide the applicant with feedback and invite them to resubmit the application.
  • Application unsuccessful: The review panel will not fund the request at this time, a reason for this will be provided in the feedback.

If the application is successful:

  • The applicant will receive an email from president@bachp.ord.uk to notify them of the funding application outcome.  
  • Successful applications will be reported in the following issue of the BACHP Newsletter. 
  • The applicant will be required to submit a receipt as proof of payment for their chosen event, prior to BACHP PDF funds being allocated.

If you have any questions about completing the application form, or would like to discuss the funding awards in more detail, please do not hesitate to contact admin@bachp.org.uk

3        Terms and Conditions

Please note that these Terms and Conditions apply to all BACHP Professional Development Fund applications:

  • Applicants must be current members of BACHP with an annual subscription mandate in place.
  • Applicants who received funding from the PDF in the last two years will not be eligible to apply.
  • Application forms must be complete. Applications forms must be of a high professional standard and display information clearly. Incomplete application forms will not be evaluated.
  • It must be clear from the application that the Scope of the BACHP PDF has been considered.
  • Funding received from the BACHP PDF must be used for the professional development activity outlined in the application only.
  • Successful applicants will be required to write an article for the BACHP newsletter following their funded professional development activity. A report of up to 1000 words should include a summary of their learning and how that impacts on their clinical role, clinical service, and their patients. Support with writing is available from BACHP Council members.
  • Successful applicants will receive 50% of the funding on approval and the remaining 50% on receipt of their written report. 
  • The written report must be submitted within 4 weeks of completing the professional development activity. If the 4 week deadline cannot be met, the applicant must inform the Treasurer and Honorary Secretary at admin@bachp.org.uk as soon as possible.

Travel expenses and accommodation costs must be reasonable:

  • First and business class transport will not be funded.
  • Standard and economy class transport will be considered.
  • Reasonable and cost-effective accommodation costs will be considered. BACHP does not fund subsistence.
Members of BACHP Council are eligible to apply for funding from the BACHP PDF.
  • Funding requests for attendance of the annual British Cardiovascular Society Conference are not permitted. It is expected that BACHP Council members will apply for the BCS Grant to support attendance of the BCS. 
  • BACHP Council members will be excluded from the review panel and discussions of their personal funding applications.

4        Reporting Requirements

Within 4 weeks of completion of the professional development activity, successful applicants must provide a written report to admin@bachp.org.uk. The report of up to 1000 words should include:

  • a summary of their learning, and 
  • how the education activity and learning are likely to impact the care of cardiovascular patients, their clinical role, and/or clinical service, and 
  • how this learning has been shared with colleagues.   
Support with report writing is available from BACHP Council members. If the 4 week deadline cannot be met, the applicant must inform the Treasurer and Honorary Secretary at admin@bachp.org.uk as soon as possible.

5        Evaluation Criteria

  • The application will be reviewed by a panel of BACHP Council members who will be asked to score each application independently on the following criteria.
  • This application is relevant to the Scope of the BACHP PDF. This application clearly outlines how this funding will help the applicant to access a relevant professional development or educational activity.
  • This application clearly demonstrates ways in which the applicant, their clinical service, and cardiovascular patients may benefit from the proposed professional development activities.
  • The application shows clear value for money and the budget is well-justified.