Next month the IHI/BMJ International Forum for Quality and Safety in Healthcare takes place in Amsterdam and we are looking forward to joining a small delegation from ASPH and our local, partner organisations at the conference.
These kind of forums are invaluable for sharing ideas, meeting like-minded colleagues from other organisations and finding inspiration.
Last year, one of our colleagues from ASPH, Sakina Jaffrey (Clinical Nurse Leader for Theatres and Day Surgery at Ashford) was fortunate to be able to attend the IHI National Forum which is held in Florida, US. We asked Sakina to share her learning and thoughts on attending the conference and to describe how this has inspired her to make changes in her own work.
My name is Sakina and I am the Matron for Day Surgery and Theatres at Ashford Hospital. Last year I was awarded a scholarship and as a Florence Nightingale Scholar. I was delighted to be able to use that scholarship to finance my attendance at the Institute of Healthcare Improvement National Forum 2017 in Florida.
The sessions available to delegates were numerous and covered a wide variety of topics. I was keen to use the opportunity to learn about what interests me personally, but also to hear about subjects I had never considered before.
‘Joy in Work’ was the topic of many sessions and in the current climate of pressure in the NHS and our on-going staff retention challenges, I felt compelled to attend and learn more about this subject.
It was reassuring to learn that it is not just the NHS that is struggling to retain health care professionals. Retention of staff and preventing burn out is an international issue.
The IHI White paper ‘IHI Framework for Improving Joy in Work’ explains why joy in work is so important. The sessions I attended expanded on this and discussed the need to nurture the compassion of healthcare staff, which can lead to more effective care, with innovate solutions being the answer!
The National Forum also provided opportunities to see how other organisations work, such as the Florida Zoo, Sea World and hospitality industries.
I visited the zoo and heard how they run their emergency drills, utilise colour coding for venomous and non-venomous snakes and also engage with the local community. This was both fascinating and inspirational and I hope to be able to share this learning at ASPH.
The forum also generated a number of ideas for initiatives that I would like to try, such as a training pathway for Band 6 nurses to help with practical skills of managing a shift. Would a manual of role and responsibilities be helpful to new and experienced staff with the introduction of Nursing Associates? Would our emergency equipment benefit from a colour coded system?
These are just a few concepts that I brought back from the forum and I look forward to working with others to try these out in the coming months.
I would definitely recommend attendance at an IHI Forum for anyone in a similar role to me. Although it was the largest event of that kind that I have ever been too, it was a great place to network, to see how other organisations adopt changes, and to open your mind by taking a step back from the daily grind.
Thanks,
Sakina – @MatronJaffs
Be the Change 