Directors’ Den 2013

A total of 31 applications have been received for the second round of our new staff initiative Directors’ Den, based on the TV series Dragons’ Den.

Directors’ Den encourages staff to be innovative and suggest ways in which they can improve their own services—the ‘carrot’ for the winning entries is that they are given funding to turn their ideas into reality.

Shortlisted applicants will be announced in early 2013.

Directors’ Den panellists including the then Trust Chief Executive Heather Lawrence, Chief Nurse Therese Davis, Director of Human Resources Mark Gammage, Non-Executive Director Sir Geoff Mulcahy and Health Service Journal Editor Alastair McLellan allocated funding of more than £200,000 to five projects when the successful applicants to the first round of Directors’ Den were announced in April 2012:

• Annabel Bryant (Midwifery Development Lead) & Shereen Jones (Intrapartum Matron)
  Two linked proposals to promote natural birth:
• ‘The Nest’, an area where low risk women can establish their labour in peace with the reassuring presence of a trained peer supporter (doula)
• 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 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.