I have a wide-ranging clinical and academic background initially in emergency care as a nurse, researcher and manager. More recently I have undertaken evidence reviews, evaluation planning and reporting of clinical and service innovation projects across the East Midlands for Health Innovation (HIEM). Since joining HIEM have worked on improvement and innovation  projects across Public Health, Mental Health, Technology Enhanced Care Services, Primary and Secondary Care services and Leadership training.  My evaluation work supports the central HIEM aim of achieving rapid adoption and spread of innovations with demonstrable impact for NHS patients. My main interest is how to create integrated quantitative and qualitative evaluation evidence that is useful to NHS implementers and quality improvers: I love numbers but they are simply not enough!

There is still a lack of opportunity for NHS clinical staff to acquire the analytical and improvement skills they need to support their clinical and leadership work. As a nurse in the late 90s I needed to leave clinical work behind to acquire academic skills. NHS staff from all disciplines need greater access to academic and quality improvement training within the NHS as well as closer working relationships with academics and evaluation specialists outside it.

Healthcare innovation is an immensely complex undertaking: it is the application of science and technology to patients and staff as they endure some of life's worst experiences. I believe that improvement work should observe a “maxi-min” principle (apologies to John Rawls):

For any innovation we implement we must maximise and demonstrate its effectiveness AND  identify and minimise its unintended consequences.

This is why converting the wealth of NHS implementation and improvement work into applicable, shareable learning, is an urgent priority.