Using data and evidence to make decisions and influence
2019. Six month Ministry role supporting the Ministry of Health, Zambia to develop National Quality Improvement and Performance Management Strategy.
- Analysed international data on quality of care and population health, aligned Zambian national policies to international evidence and contributed to the World Bank funding and focus presentation, clarifying the current problem and securing the World Bank loan needed to co-designing solutions.
- Undertook health data analysis and horizon scanning to identify the top six low cost /no-cost health interventions for the highest return on the quality of life and human capital development. Presented as Cabinet paper to inform national priorities.
- Sense checked the proposed approach and recommendations with 200 stakeholders ranging from national heads of non-governmental organisations (NGOs) to civil society representatives and health workers.
- Produced outline strategy for pan Africa World Health Organisation event ensuring Zambia was the first African country to use the WHO framework for planning this new strategy.
- Zambian National Strategy launched June 2020 and I am named as a contributor
- Authored book on Quality of Healthcare in Low and Middle-Income Countries for free use (in press)
2019 Ministry of Health and WHO Jordan
- Worked alongside WHO and Ministry of Health to facilitate a panel of experts from government and healthcare to identify the need, gain insights into WHO approaches to care (HEART Programme) and decide on a national approach to non-communicable disease management.
- Summarised findings and gained consensus to present to WHO and Jordanian Government as recommendations for level of care to be offered, risks associated with this and actions needed to implement the plan.
March 2020 COVID management in resource-poor settings
- Worked with Primary Care International colleagues to swiftly produce educational resources requested by resource-poor countries.
- Analysed WHO resources to write (within 7 days) an evidence-based educational resource.
- My contribution was the content to support the management of mental health during COVID pandemic within a four day turn around whilst in lockdown in New Zealand.
Building and managing relationships and partnerships
Arts health programme
- 2001 – present.
- Using innovative methods to harness customer and patient insight to develop high quality and effective services.
- Utilised the arts to create dramas to enable stakeholders’ voices to be heard by the most senior decision-makers.
- Worked with the health sector and arts sector, service users and system leaders to make visible the invisible health challenges.
- Built trusting and collaborative partnerships to articulate and address the issues too hidden to deal with or too difficult to say. (To date; dementia, depression, isolation, cancer, middle class, middle-aged, middle England, alcoholism, and domestic violence).
- 2018 Presented at All-Party Parliamentary Group to challenge current approaches and share research findings.
- 2020 Presented play on hidden alcoholism at House of Lords to influence thoughts on current priorities and approaches to alcohol policy and alcohol use.
- 2020 Interview as part of arts in health programme published as a podcast by Human Story Theatre. Explaining why the arts in health work, how and why I commissioned the play DRY and the impact this has had on people’s awareness, health behaviour and services provision.
Project and Programme Leadership
- 2013 – 2020 NHS England South.
- Defined need, designed intervention and led a programme of work to introduce medical re-validation for 3000 GPs and 16 health systems.
- Utilized implementation science and lean project methodology to motivate team and monitor processes and outcomes.
- This programme was identified nationally as an exemplar, within budget and on time and exceeded national targets for patient engagement, clinically lead and clinical engagement in an appraisal.
- 2016 Revisited project cycle and review of processes bringing together an expert panel of patients, academics, clinicians and managers.
- Review of evidence and recommendations informed change in national approach.
2019 Zambia. National conference organisation management
- Conference to identify best practice (led initial academic abstract committee) and wrote summary speeches for Directors and Minister of Health.
- Created multi-professional and cross-sector and country networks and ‘community of practice’ for quality.
- Received personal accolade and an award from Minister of Health for innovation and contribution to health (He said I have the head of a lion and can lift elephants)
Capability building
2019 NHS@2030 programme for senior leaders of new models of care
- Designed and delivered development programme to enable others to lead the redesign of Primary Care.
- Lead a diverse team to identify evidence (statistical analysis) and articulate their own experiences (storytelling) to build capability and new models of care.
- 30-minute interview published nationally as part of the programme for innovations in healthcare outlining the design and delivery of my innovative Leadership 2030 programme.
2006-2017 Designed and delivered masters educational programmes
- To enable senior clinical leaders to horizon scan, analyse data, build teams to improve health services and outcomes.
- More than 200 senior leaders participated and are now in leadership posts across the health system.
- Evaluation of one programme resulted in an International Award and follow up publication 2017 – present.
- Professor at the University of West London delivering Masters teaching on health policy and system design.
- 2009 – 2020 Accredited Coach on NHS Leadership Academy Register.
Communication and interpersonal skills
- Experienced and confident communicator with excellent written, public speaking, and teaching skills and working at a national level and across stakeholder groups, organisational sectors and health systems.2007.
- Wrote General Practitioner training curricula content used by all GPs in the UK.2000 – 2020.
- Authored chapters in medical education books and published articles plus multiple international conference presentations.2002 – present.
- Led on the development of innovative approaches using the arts to improve policy and improve health.
- Interview as part of European horizon scanning on health policy challenging how policy is created and what is used to inform this.
- Interview challenging the policy and identifying the pitfalls of personalised (targeted and genetic) medicine
- Guest interview on Kenyan Business News discussing introduction of Universal Health Care and the issues for slum dwellers and Kenyan economy.
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