NHS Chief Executive innovation review
I was delighted to attend the Mary Seacole Leadership and Development Awards at the end of October to celebrate the achievements of the winners from 2010/11 who were each presented with certificates for completing their innovative projects. We also heard the announcement of who had been successful in the awards and have included details of the winners in this edition.
There is some fantastic work going on – it is through events like this that we have a great opportunity to acknowledge the contribution made by individuals to improvements in care. Indeed, the whole process supports and encourages individuals to implement imaginative and creative solutions to what are often quite challenging obstacles, achieving better health outcomes and improving the quality of care for patients and their carers.
It has been a great privilege to be involved over the last few years and I wish all those involved the very best for the future of their work. I would like to encourage all nurses, midwives and health visitors to apply for these and any other awards and scholarships that are open to them in the future. It is a great way of testing out good ideas and putting innovation into practice. That is something we want to do more of across the NHS.
In March 2011, the Government published its Plan for Growth which announced the NHS Chief Executive would review how the adoption and diffusion of innovations can be accelerated across the NHS. The NHS Chief Executive asked Sir Ian Carruthers OBE, Chief Executive, NHS South of England to lead the review on his behalf. Sir Ian and the review team embarked on a wide-ranging consultation exercise. This involved issuing a call for evidence and ideas and meeting with hundreds of individuals. Sir Ian and I held meetings with a number of senior nurses and midwives and took the opportunity to listen and learn. The discussions were very fruitful and while we are already providing high quality and innovative care, there is still much to be done to ensure this is universally received.
The NHS Chief Executive will publish his report shortly, which will inform the strategic approach to innovation in the modernised NHS. Clear leadership for innovation in the clinical community will be critical to make this happen.
In the meantime, I would like to draw to your attention to the second Florence Nightingale Foundation Conference in March 2012 – Sharing Innovation, Delivering Solutions (read the details in this edition) which will provide an opportunity to spread innovation and best practice in healthcare.
Best wishes,
Christine Beasley
Chief Nursing Officer
