Our Head of Clinical Services @judiebbrell on final hurdle with Masters Degree in Leadership #andersonprog #HospiceCareWeek

Published on: 05/10/2015

wirral_hospice_judi_ebbrellI passed!

Friday was the dreaded ‘D’ day when I received the notification that I had passed my dissertation – the final hurdle in the Elizabeth Garrett Anderson MSC in Healthcare Leadership #andersonprog. The Elizabeth Garrett Anderson programme is one of the NHS Leadership Academy’s courses developed out of the realisation post-Francis Report of the need to develop a new type of leadership in the NHS. I am very proud of the fact that I have been one of the pioneering first cohort of students to complete the programme.

My personal leadership journey started in the NHS and when I moved to Wirral Hospice St John’s part way through. I questioned whether the course was still relevant and would equip me to lead within the hospice environment. Through reflection, one of the central components of the course, I soon came to the conclusion that the course content and skills I was developing would certainly help within the ever-changing and complex hospice world.

The programme was based around the following themes:

  • Ensuring that patients have good quality and safe experiences
  • Understanding how I, as a leader, make a difference to improving patient experience
  • Enabling others to give their best to improve the patient experience
  • Embedding behaviours that improve the patient experience
  • Making person-centred coordinated care happen
  • Making decisions based upon the best available evidence to improve the patient experience
  • Creating value for patients and the public

All of which are highly relevant to my work in the hospice. Even the ‘Golden Threads’ of quality, patient experience and equality and diversity that ran through the programme seem to fit perfectly with hospice care.

The skills and knowledge gained during the two years will equip me to develop services in the hospice that are high quality, truly meet the needs of our patients and families and ensure we are valuing and embracing the diversity of the community that we serve. Looking to the future my aim is to develop services in new ways in order maximise the use of our limited resource in partnership with others and ensure more people in Wirral are supported to live well and die with dignity in the pace of their choice where possible.

The final event of the course included day of celebration run by the cohort of students #egafinalevent1. Notably the day included two inspirational speakers whose words (for very different reasons!) will stay with me for a long time! Roy Lilly @RoyLilley described good leadership as be about being visible, having vision and empowering innovation and Tommy Whitelaw @tommyNtour urged us all to be the one who makes the difference.

Author: Judi Ebbrell, Head of Clinical Services
Twitter: @judiebbrell
Or contact Judi via Maxine Ashton, Secretary to Consultants / Head of Clinical Services on  0151 334 2778 / maxinea@wirralhospice.org