WEDNESDAY, 26 JUNE, 2019

For immediate release. Photographs attached: 1 – Dr Nico Grunenberg, Meg Park and Dr Stuart Doig, 2 – Meg Park, 3 – Dr Stuart Doig and 4 – Dr Nico Grunenberg with their quality improvement project posters

New Tayside Quality and Safety Fellows

Three members of NHS Tayside staff have recently graduated from a national healthcare quality improvement programme.

The Scottish Quality and Safety Fellowship (SQSF) is a one-year programme of distance learning, coaching and residential seminars to develop quality improvement and leadership skills.

Lead nurse for elective medicine Meg Park, consultant forensic psychiatrist Dr Stuart Doig and GP Dr Nico Grunenberg took part in the 11th cohort of the Fellowship.

All fellows run a quality improvement project at their place of work, applying the skills learned and bringing back challenges to share learning with the group. 

Meg Park, who is based at Ninewells Hospital, said, “I have had the wonderful opportunity to participate in the Fellowship this year. The programme has supported joint learning within the cohort and offers networking and rich learning opportunities.

“I feel that this Fellowship has enhanced my skills and abilities within quality improvement, alongside many other aspects of leadership, coaching and team working. I look forward to applying these within NHS Tayside and further supporting quality improvement work in the future.”

Dr Doig, who works at Murray Royal Hospital in Perth, said, “The Fellowship programme is outstanding in terms of the quality of teaching and support given to the fellows. Meeting and working with talented people from diverse clinical backgrounds who work in Scotland and overseas is a real strength of the programme.

“For me, the Fellowship has not only increased my knowledge of the science and methods for improvement but has also changed how I work on a day-to-day basis. It has given me a new perspective and enthusiasm for improving services for patients and the work life of our staff.”

Dr Grunenberg, from Forfar’s Ravenswood Surgery, said, “The Fellowship has given me the confidence, skill and enthusiasm to reshape my approach to quality improvement in general practice. 

“The GP contractual landscape is now strongly focused on quality improvement through cluster working and the Fellowship programme has not only influenced my own practice and cluster working but also allowed me to take up a facilitating role in QI in Angus.

​“I have a particular interest in joint decision making and patient co-production and am planning to visit some overseas centres of excellence in these areas to further help shape service delivery.”

Over the last 11 years the SQSF has developed more than 220 fellows across Scotland and beyond, including fellows from Ireland, Northern Ireland, Canada, Denmark and Norway. The programme enhances individual capacity for leadership in patient safety and quality improvement.

NHS Tayside has 11 fellows, spanning many professions and specialties, including pharmacy, nursing and medical staff in medicine for the elderly, acute medicine, emergency medicine, surgery and anaesthetics. These fellows support the delivery of goals and ambitions in relation to patient safety and quality improvement.

The national clinical lead for the Fellowship programme is Ninewells consultant in emergency medicine Dr Shobhan Thakore, a cohort 7 Fellow who is now helping shape the future of the Fellowship.

Contact:

Louise Wilson

NHS Tayside Communications

(01382) 740718