Posted on: 20 September 2024
In 2019 I was the successful candidate for a system leadership post in nursing for the West Yorkshire Association of Acute Trusts (WYAAT). Up until this point, I had worked in a variety of nursing roles in cardiology at Calderdale and Huddersfield NHS Foundation Trust. In my new role I needed to communicate and engage effectively with a wide variety of stakeholders and professionals, to navigate the different structures across organisations and build successful relationships through influence.
Moving into a system leadership role was and still is an evolving learning curve and I sought coaching to help guide my transition and development. Coaching is very personal and can be emotive and so finding the right coach for me was important. I found someone who was an experienced coach from my host organisation, who I had not previously worked with, and did not share the same profession. This meant they didn’t come with any preconceptions or judgements. We had an initial chat, which I now know is the ‘building rapport’ stage of coaching, to see if we could work together, discussed ground rules (contracting), and set initial goals.
One of my earliest goals was to learn how to communicate effectively with a senior executive. This might seem small, but it had a massive impact on my role and development. I had a variety of objectives that we worked through together and the sessions enabled me to explore various scenarios, analyse what was really happening, prioritise what was possible and not dwell on what I could not achieve or what had not previously worked.
Coaching enabled me to navigate the ‘why, how, what, where and when'. I was lucky enough to be able to access coaching at various times in my leadership role, however, looking back I would have benefitted from coaching earlier in my career, to help me make the right choices first time and transition more smoothly from my clinical environment to a role in leadership.
Coaching had such a positive impact on me that when an opportunity to apply for an accredited course to become a qualified coach came up, I jumped at the chance. When I qualify, I will be able to provide coaching to others and my journey will have come full circle, with my first coach becoming my coaching supervisor.
My favourite quote about coaching is: “a coach has some great questions for your answers; a mentor has some great answers for your questions”. There is a right time to access coaching, which only the coachee will know. When you are ready, explore what coaching offers are out there, internally, externally, or across our region, and commit to doing the work. Please feel free to contact me if you have any questions – clare.
Thank you for reading
Clare
Condolences shared following passing of Dr Rob Sapsford
Colleagues and organisations across West Yorkshire would like to share their sincere thoughts and condolences with colleagues, peers, family and friends of Dr Rob Sapsford, following his sudden death this week.
Rob has been part of the Cardiology team at Leeds Teaching Hospitals for 30 years and is known and loved by a huge number of colleagues across West Yorkshire. Over his career he touched the lives of thousands; not just his very many patients who loved him, but also countless colleagues and generations of young doctors.
Dr Magnus Harrison, Chief Medical Officer at Leeds Teaching Hospitals said: “It is with immense sadness we share the news of Dr Robert Sapsford’s sudden and unexpected death. Rob has been such an important part of our team at Leeds for nearly 30 years, and his loss will be felt throughout his team and the wider organisation. We will remember Rob for his kindness, his calm manner and his immense dedication to his patients. Our thoughts are with Rob’s wife, his children, family and friends, and our colleagues who have enjoyed working with him for very many years".
Community champions lead the charge in cardiovascular disease awareness
In a groundbreaking initiative, community champions across Kirklees have made significant strides in raising awareness about cardiovascular disease (CVD). The campaign, led by Third Sector Leaders (TSL) Kirklees and which aims to improve understanding and support for CVD, has reached thousands of residents through a series of targeted activities and community engagements.
In a two month period, community champions, conducted 1,340 one-to-one conversations and 67 group visits, reaching a total of 669 people. They also performed 461 blood pressure readings and thanks to ‘community conversations’ funding went along to four smaller community groups, extending their reach to an additional 222 individuals. See ‘the difference our partnership is making’ pages for the full story.
Halifax man says his life was saved by blood pressure screening as part of partnership campaign
It’s Sunday 4 August. Halifax Panthers are about to take on Wakefield Trinity and Steve Whitaker, Volunteer Match Day Operations Manager, is going about his duties at the Shay Stadium as normal.
He sees there is an offer for free health checks as part of the regional ‘Find Out How You Really Are’ campaign and thinks he might as well take part, despite feeling perfectly fine and well. Little did he know that decision potentially saved his life.
During the check the team of healthcare students from the University of Huddersfield found that Steve had very high blood pressure and advised that he should see his GP within 48 hours. Steve spent six days keeping a blood pressure diary before being admitted to hospital with a blood pressure reading of 217/145. He stayed in hospital for 5 days before being discharged with medication and guidance to make lifestyle changes that would help reduce his blood pressure.
Steve, 55, said: “I would like to pass on my thanks to the healthcare team for basically saving my life. Without the health screen I would have continued not knowing there was anything wrong. I’m keen to encourage others to regularly get their own blood pressure checked - a message I’ve already shared with all my family, friends, and networks.”
The campaign launched in 2024 to increase awareness of the risk factors for health conditions including diabetes, stroke and cardiovascular disease. Health screenings have been offered in person at several fixtures over the 2024 sporting season. Find out more about the campaign online.
Ministerial visit to Bradford District and Craven – Stephen Kinnock MP, Minister of State for Care
Our partnership hosted Stephen Kinnock MP, Minister of State for Care who visited us from Monday 16 September to Tuesday 17 September, to hear about the work we are doing around integrated care as well as some of our specialist services.
On the first day of his visit, the Minister of State for Care went to Horton Park Health Centre and spoke to colleagues from the Proactive Care Team (PACT) and specialist community dental service (run by Bradford District Care NHS Foundation Trust). Colleagues from the community dental service were able to share the positive outcomes for who are unable to access dental treatment by a ‘high street’ NHS dentist due to their additional needs. The service supports a range of people who have specific support needs such people with learning disabilities, challenging medical conditions and people who are housebound. The Minister learned more about the PACT model and the positive impact it has having on patients by providing responsive care within the community, contributing to people staying well at home.
On the Tuesday, the Minister visited Bradford Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust. Stephen met colleagues at the Command Centre, Europe’s first hospital command centre powered by artificial intelligence (AI) to provide real-time overview across the Trusts 800 beds before hearing more about the work of our Multi-agency Integrated Discharge Team (MAIDT), where health and social care professionals work alongside voluntary, community and social enterprise colleagues to ensure patients with complex needs can be discharged from our hospitals on the correct pathway in a safe and timely manner. Stephen was also able to hear first-hand about the Home First Assessment Support Team (H-FAST) project at Bradford Royal Infirmary which has been implemented following a successful pilot at Airedale NHS Foundation Trust. This is a partnership piece of work between the NHS and Bradford Council, with the aim of discharging people within 24 hours once they are medically fit to leave hospital, with an assessment undertaken (over a period of up to three days) within the individual’s own home to determine their immediate care and support needs.Therese Patten appointed to national role
Therese Patten appointed to national role
Therese Patten has been asked by Amanda Pritchard, Chief Executive for NHS England, to take on an additional role as National Director of Place Development. This role at NHS England will be alongside Therese’s role as Place Lead for Bradford District and Craven and Chief Executive for Bradford District Care NHS Foundation Trust. Therese will continue to serve as an executive member on the NHS West Yorkshire Integrated Care Board. This position will involve working with national colleagues to identify and share best practice operating models, including strong cross-sector partnership working, and how NHS England can best support the development of place-based work, building on the good foundations that we already have. The role will include advising NHS England on how to best support the development of placed based work and sharing best practice models to develop partnerships with local government, the voluntary, community and social enterprise sector (VCSE) and other relevant bodies.
Ian Holmes, Deputy Chief Executive and Director of Strategy and Partnerships, NHS West Yorkshire Integrated Care Board, said: “Our West Yorkshire Integrated Care System (ICS) has always been clear that strong partnership working in places and neighbourhoods are fundamentally important for delivering more integrated services, improving outcomes and tackling inequalities. I am pleased that Therese has been appointed to this key national role, providing an important opportunity to further influence place development nationally.
Making primary care better two wheels at a time
It’s week three of North East and Yorkshire’s Greener NHS Month and the emphasis turns to the importance of clean air for patient and staff health, integrating electric vehicles, clean air zones, and renewable energy.
In West and South Yorkshire, we are trialling an initiative to improve primary care and reduce carbon emissions. Clinicians, such as nurses and doctors, are using e-bikes for short trips, including home visits, to promote sustainability and support active travel. The initiative, led by paramedic Andy West in collaboration with local authorities, aims to enhance patient care, cut costs, and encourage healthier lifestyles among healthcare professionals and patients. The programme has demonstrated environmental and cost benefits, with plans for further expansion in the regions.
Find out more on our the difference our partnership is making pages. You can also catch up with Andy in conversation with our climate change lead and consultant anaesthetist Frank Swinton in a podcast recorded to mark Clean Air Day.
To learn more about sustainability efforts and upcoming initiatives, visit the NHS England North East and Yorkshire – Greener NHS pages. See our climate change pages for more tips to help clean up our air and check out how Bradford Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust is supporting colleagues through the Bicycle and Runners’ User Group.