Bright ideas shortlisted for Directors’ Den

Six applications from frontline staff have been shortlisted for Chelsea and Westminster’s new initiative to encourage innovative ideas to improve the experience of patients—Directors’ Den.

This is an exciting new competition, based on the hit TV show Dragons’ Den, which gives staff the opportunity to see their ideas become reality because the winning applicants will win funding to implement them with support from members of the Directors’ Den panel.

A list of 48 applications for the first round of funding has been whittled down to a shortlist of the best six applications which the staff who came up with the ideas will present to the Directors’ Den panel on Thursday 19 April.

Who’s on the shortlist and what are their ideas?

• Annabel Bryant (Midwifery Development Lead) & Shereen Jones (Intrapartum Matron): This application includes two linked proposals to promote natural birth—‘The Nest’, an area where low risk women can establish their labour in peace and tranquillity with the reassuring presence of a trained peer supporter (doula), and training to enable midwives to incorporate complementary therapies into their midwifery practice.
• Laura Hoare (Paediatric Inpatient Administrative Co-ordinator) & Noel Palmer (Jupiter Ward Manager): A new website for patients of the new Chelsea Children’s Hospital at Chelsea and Westminster to make it a fun, interactive resource for children, young people and their families.
• Carol Dale (Learning & Organisational Development Manager): A new mandatory training video for all non-clinical staff working in the Trust which could be accessed at work or at home via the Trust website, incorporating a questionnaire to be completed as evidence that staff have done their training.
• Cherry Brennan (Interim Maternity Inpatients Matron, Zoe Macgrath (Interim Postnatal Ward Lead) & Lena Karam (Antenatal Ward Lead): A 'campaign for peace' in Maternity to make it easier for women to speak to staff who are responsible for their care by replacing the current noisy and inefficient call bell system with a new system of communication fobs which women can activate to request assistance.
• Sophie Graeme-Baker (Specialist Registrar, Radiology): Improving the training of staff in ultrasound-guided biopsy skills in Radiology by purchasing ultrasound simulators which allow trainees to practice on dummy patients.
• Serena Venticonti (Friends Patient Support Co-ordinator): Development of a Patients' Oasis in the hospital, an indoor garden for patients and relatives to create a relaxing and healing environment away from the ward.

Who’s on the Directors’ Den panel?

The shortlisted applicants will present their ideas on 19 April to a judging panel including:

• Heather Lawrence, Chief Executive
• Therese Davis, Chief Nurse and Director of Patient Experience and Flow
• Mark Gammage, Director of Human Resource
• Sir Geoff Mulcahy, Non-Executive Director
• Alastair McLellan, Editor of Health Service Journal

Details of the winning applications will be published on this website and in the June edition of our hospital magazine Trust News.