Contact: Navdeep Sidhu
Media and Communications Officer
pressoffice@health.org.uk
Media and Communications Officer
Tel: 020 7257 8067
Leading lights celebrate Foundation focus
Twelve UK healthcare professionals committed to changing patient services for the better have been given a helping hand by The Health Foundation. These healthcare leaders of the future have been chosen as the latest winners of the Foundation's prestigious Leaders for Change scheme.
Previous winners have made great improvements to local services. These include creating a one-stop shop for short stay hospital patients in Scunthorpe that has unclogged their system and saved £300 per patient.
Among this year’s high achievers’ goals are to improve care for premature babies and tackle TB in London’s most marginalised people. The award winners represent a number of varied disciplines including nursing, physiotherapy, mental health, acute care and public health.
During the 12-month scheme, each award holder will follow a structured learning programme at Lancaster University Management School, fully funded by The Health Foundation. The programme is designed to equip them with the skills and knowledge to lead change and achieve lasting improvements in the quality of patient care. The winners will also receive a £3,000 training allowance.
Jan Walmsley, Assistant Director at The Health Foundation, congratulated the award winners by saying, “This is the fifth year we have offered this innovative award programme and we are delighted to provide support to these 12 talented healthcare professionals who impressed us with their dedication and commitment to transforming the delivery of healthcare services in their respective fields.
“We are confident that all 12 will make a significant contribution to improving patient care in their local communities and help make the quality of healthcare in the UK the best it can be.”
Dr Elaine Swan, Senior Teaching Fellow at Lancaster University Management School, added:
“Once again, we are pleased to be working with The Health Foundation on this important scheme and would like to extend a warm welcome to this year’s award winners. The Change Agents Skills programme will provide these busy healthcare professionals with the opportunity to develop their abilities in change management and the expert support needed to help them translate theory into practice.”
The next round of the Leaders for Change award scheme opens for applications in early February 2008.
