QI Blog: November 2019
Dr Reena Basu, Trust Doctor and Paediatrics Ambulatory Urgent Care Fellow at Bradford Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, reflects on her time undertaking a Health Education England leadership post.
The Power of Networks
Paediatric training can sometimes feel like a one-way track, heading towards the end destination of ST8. We work in busy environments, often with gaps on rotas, focusing on the ward and the acute care we provide, involved in departmental audit work but not beyond this. As an ST4 in general paediatrics the Health Education England (HEE) leadership post I am currently undertaking has been a huge eye opener into the vast work going on behind the scenes of not only the running of a paediatric department, but maintaining services across a region.
During the start of my post one of the aims for the year was to help develop a Paediatric Ambulatory Care network in the local region, driven by a supervisor passionate in this area of paediatrics. Together, we organised the first regional ambulatory care network meeting. The meeting was supported by our local integrated care system (ICS), the West Yorkshire and Harrogate Health and Care Partnership, and through collaboration with them we brought together 100 stakeholders with an interest in paediatric ambulatory care.
This was a fantastic networking opportunity where stakeholders represented the 6 acute trusts in West Yorkshire, patient groups, the voluntary sector, and paediatricians from outside our region. The day was a platform to share ideas on how to better develop paediatric ambulatory care and also showcase the work going on both nationally and in our local region, which was inspiring to see.
The transition from being a full time clinical member of staff to non clinical has had its challenges, but it has been an invaluable experience in understanding how our systems work and how to go about improving them for the future of paediatric care. The meeting in particular has left me hopeful, and inspired to try and make changes and to collaborate with others to do so… teamwork really does make the dream work.
Dr Reena Basu
Trust Doctor and Paediatrics Ambulatory Urgent Care Fellow
Bradford Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
