Torbay and South Devon NHS Foundation Trust (TSDFT) has been selected as one of 14 NHS providers in the UK to take part in the internationally recognised Pathway to Excellence® programme.
Events have taken place initially at Torbay Hospital and in Brixham to officially launch the programme and to bring together organisational leaders to discuss what accreditation means for staff, patients and the local community.
Pathway to Excellence® is a global programme for nursing and midwifery standards and aims to create a positive working environment for nursing staff. It aligns with the Chief Nursing Officer for England’s national vision to establish an England-wide collective leadership model with a focus on transformational leadership, research and innovation. The programme has been recognised as ‘enabling nursing excellence’.
Successfully achieving accreditation will support the delivery of Torbay and South Devon’s health and care strategy and vision, while developing nursing talent and leadership and creating a great place to work.
Deborah Kelly, Chief Nurse at TSDFT, said: “The Pathway to Excellence® is a global programme which provides a nursing excellence’ framework, aiming to create a positive practice environment for nursing staff that improves nurse satisfaction and retention.
“Achieving Pathway to Excellence® will demonstrate our commitment to creating an environment where our staff can excel. It will also show that we are committed to continuous improvement, that we value and listen to feedback and that we strive to provide safe and excellent standards of care.”
Chantal Baker, Nursing and Midwifery Excellence Lead Nurse at TSDFT, said: “This programme is incredibly prestigious and in order to gain Pathway to Excellence® accreditation we need to demonstrate that we meet the six pathway standards for achieving excellence set out in the framework.
“The six pathway standards are: Shared Governance; Leadership; Safety; Quality; Wellbeing; and Professional Development.”
Rebecca Garside, Maternity Matron at TSDFT, said: “We are really excited to be part of this pathway to excellence journey. In our maternity unit we have started our shared governance councils which are run by our colleagues across maternity services, and led by those delivering day to day care to our patients.
“As part of our councils, we have made a change to where mothers are seen for their follow-up care after giving birth. The local hub was identified by our staff to benefit the families where women were travelling a considerable journey to be seen, when they could have appointments closer to home.
“In addition, shared governance, and in particular the safety council, identified equipment issues. From this, a list of equipment was identified by colleagues and the ward managers were able to organise replacement of items, including engraving the stethoscopes so clinicians could easily locate them.”
James Merrell, Emergency Department Matron at TSDFT, said: “In the Emergency Department, our nursing teams are the ones operating on the frontline of healthcare. This has put them at the heart of our pathway to excellence journey empowering them to become committed in protecting, promoting and improving care for all of our patients and staff.
“We have recently ventured on our journey of shared decision making, which has helped us shape the Emergency Department environment. This has allowed us to facilitate changes and operate in an environment that supports patient and staff needs and also promotes the highest of standards in care.”
