Leading innovation in health care 

“Innovation has always been at the heart of nursing, and it is an absolute priority for the RCN”, said Theresa Fyffe, Director of RCN Scotland, and Chair of this event.

Hosted by Council member David Cardwell, speakers were Dr Ann McMahon, Research and Innovation Manager at the RCN, and Karen Naya from the Office for Public Management (OPM). A video presentation was shown from Jill Nicholls, Heart Failure Specialist at NHS Tayside.

The event focused on a supported learning programme to drive nurse-led innovation, funded by the Burdett Trust for Nursing and led collaboratively by the RCN and the OPM.

“Our focus is on process-based innovations to improve patient experience, efficiency, and influence decision makers”, said Anne. “This includes doing things differently, and doing different things altogether."

Showcasing a number of nurse-led innovations, the event highlighted a successful case study from Jill Nicholls, who, with the help of the programme, redesigned care services in Tayside for high-risk older people with multiple chronic conditions to achieve improved outcomes and efficiencies.

“There is an increased demand for public services to demonstrate value”, said Karen. “We empower nurses with the skills and expertise to participate in discussions, and to ensure patient care is always at the heart of decisions.”

For more information about the programme visit www.opm.co.uk/evaluation