Frontrunners is an innovative transformation programme designed to support staff to drive forward meaningful change in their current work environments while preparing for the transition to the new hospital.
After many months of planning, the Cambridge Children’s Hospital project team was delighted to welcome its first cohort of staff into the Frontrunners programme. Held at the Innovate Cambridge (opens in a new tab) venue, this cohort brought together staff from Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust (CUH), Cambridgeshire and Peterborough NHS Foundation Trust (CPFT), and Cambridgeshire Community Services.
Frontrunners is a transformation programme based on a highly successful initiative at the new Mary Elizabeth’s Children’s Hospital in Copenhagen. It is open to staff from all professional levels and disciplines at our partner organisations CUH and CPFT, as well as paediatric staff working across the region. The programme invites staff to consider a challenge or area of improvement in their current service, then supports them to lead on ideas and innovations that will inform new ways of working at Cambridge Children’s Hospital.
Together we are creating the building blocks of our future integrated workforce and new models of holistic, exceptional care for children, young people, and their families.
Kelsey Graber, Senior Project Manager, Cambridge Children's Hospital
Through the programme, staff receive training in implementing quality improvement initiatives and have dedicated time during five in-person workshop days to collaborate with a diverse array of professional colleagues on tackling their individual projects. There are also opportunities for participants to learn from others such as the children’s hospital team, experts in technological innovation and AI, and patient and family advocates.
Kana Mayagi, a plastic surgeon at Addenbrooke’s Hospital, described the experience as a great opportunity to be involved in trying to shape the direction of Cambridge Children’s Hospital.
It’s great to be here, to be listened to by the team who are developing the hospital and its structure.
Kana Mayagi, Plastic Surgeon, Addenbrooke's Hospital
The first two days saw the Frontrunners participants given a deep dive into the Cambridge Children’s Hospital project, followed by networking and learning about each other’s proposed transformation ideas. Creative activities, including LEGO building, were used to break the ice and instigate conversations about their unique areas of work.
Suzanna Watson, consultant clinical psychologist at CPFT, said it was fantastic to bring staff from the different organisations together in one room.
The exciting thing is bringing together the expertise of the people in the room with the children’s hospital team to think about how we bring care closer to home, how we work across the region and across organisations, for the children and families that we see.
Suzanna Watson, Consultant Clinical Psychologist, CPFT
Through Frontrunners, staff can start to test and embed new ways of working, aligned with the Cambridge Children’s Hospital vision of integrated mental and physical healthcare, ensuring the future of Cambridge Children’s Hospital is shaped by the experiences and expertise of those who know it best.
Senior project manager Kelsey Graber, who is managing the scheme, said it was exciting to see how the Frontrunners progress over the coming months.
It is fantastic to finally have such motivated staff in the room who are keen to think collaboratively about our future children’s hospital, and how we can start to test, iterate, and improve upon our current services to learn what works best.
Kelsey Graber, Senior Project Manager
Hear what our first Frontrunners have to say about the experience
Link: https://youtu.be/TtYfj1mq0P0