QI network

Cath joined NHS Elect as Associate Director in October 2022, helping to nurture the skills and confidence of NHS people learning to use Quality Improvement (QI).

Background

Cath first started as a part-time clinic receptionist during university (2001) and has been working in the NHS ever since! Cath loves helping others to learn and grow, and to make a difference together.

Experience

Cath is an Improvement Advisor and an Organisational Development Practitioner. She also mentors, providing 360 degree feedback, facilitating MBTI, coaching the Affina Team Journey, and applying Acceptance Commitment Therapy (ACT) in the workplace. Facilitating groups and teams is one of her favourite parts of the job – particularly Liberating Structures.

Recent accomplishments

Cath’s previous roles include Improvement Advisor at East London NHS Foundation Trust (ELFT) through the Covid pandemic. She supported QI coaches, developing virtual facilitation skills and working with service users to shape the future of services together. She was also Organisational Development Manager through the acquisition period at Frimley Health NHS Foundation Trust, with a focus on organisational values, staff engagement and building effective team-based working.

How she can help you

• Quality Improvement – building capacity, capability and developing strategy and infrastructure, including service user involvement
• Facilitation and workshop design
• Personal development - through mentoring and 1:1 facilitation of the Health Care Leadership Model 360 degree feedback tool (via the NHS Leadership Academy)

Having worked in various senior NHS management roles, Robin combines a realistic outlook with the latest change management thinking to achieve results. He has a genuine understanding of the competing demands of operational health care management and the challenge of meaningfully engaging clinicians in quality improvement. He is an accomplished facilitator and enjoys the challenge of working with teams to bring about improvements for patients and staff. A graduate from the NHS management training scheme in 2002, he has an MSc in Health Care Policy and Management.

Robin leads the quality improvement faculty at NHS Elect and is passionate about supporting organisations to design and deliver organisation-wide QI improvement initiatives.  Robin is a trained coach and supports quality improvement coaches across the NHS.  Robin has supported hundreds of teams across the country and enjoys facilitating team away days, workshops and development sessions.  Having worked in the NHS since 1997, Robin understands the challenges NHS staff face and is excited to be leading the Happier Working Lives programme for NHS Elect, which uses quality improvement tools to improve working lives across the NHS. Robin is an expert facilitator with passion for service improvement, service redesign and coaching.

Nicola has over 30 years’ experience working in a variety of senior leadership and operational roles in the NHS. As a Director at NHS Elect, she supports teams to develop change management and quality improvement skills. Nicola has also been part of a multi-disciplinary team delivering national improvement programmes.

Nicola has been using coaching and mentoring skills throughout her professional career and holds the ILM Level 7 Diploma in Executive Coaching and Mentoring. Nicola has worked with a broad range of senior leaders from a variety of professional backgrounds in the NHS. Her empathic style quickly enables her to create a safe space in which clients share their issues. Nicola uses a broad range of coaching interventions to support her clients through professionally challenging situations enabling them to analyse, reflect, plan and achieve their potential and career objectives, using their own resourcefulness.

Nicola has an MBA and is a member of the Association for Coaching.