Doncaster physios praised for leadership, transformation and improvement initiatives

^{Awards finalist Heather Jackson, right, with Suzanne Rastrick, NHS England's Chief Allied Health Professions Officer}

Suzanne Bolam, head of therapy services at the trust, was nominated for the Leader of the Year award, in recognition of her strong and effective leadership across a range of allied health professions.

She told Frontline: ‘I was delighted to be nominated and it is a privilege for me to work with such a fantastic team of motivated and committed staff.’

Meanwhile Heather Jackson, the trust’s clinical lead for musculoskeletal (MSK) outpatient and physiotherapy practitioner services, was a finalist in the Improvement category. Her nomination was due to a number of initiatives, including the development of a knee pathway with GP and consultant colleagues, and a physiotherapy self-referral service that has improved patient flow and reduced missed appointments and waiting times. In addition, she has successfully set up clinical networks that include orthopaedic consultants, GPs, physiotherapists, radiologists and commissioners.

Workforce transformation

Ms Jackson’s work also gained recognition at the Chief Allied Health Professions Officer Awards earlier this year, where she was a finalist in the Workforce Transformation Leader category.

She was nominated for her various aspects of her work, including supporting advanced physiotherapy practice roles in secondary care, within spinal clinics and an emergency department, and for negotiating an ‘in principle’ agreement with a CCG for first contact practitioners in primary care.

Ms Jackson told Frontline: ‘The biggest learning for me over the last 18 months has been the merit in taking your ideas to commissioners and other stakeholders and showing them the possibilities.

‘With appropriate aims and evaluations, it has been very quick to show where these roles and services can add value. The achievements to date have been based on the commitment of skilled professionals who want to make a difference – and none of it would have been possible without the MSK physiotherapy and practitioner teams.’

Author: Robert Millett