Birmingham and Solihull Trainee Nursing Associates Partnership is delighted to announce that its Experts by Experience Connector Project has been shortlisted for Pilot Project of the Year at the HSJ Value Awards 2021. This recognises the outstanding dedication they had given to making things better across Birmingham and Solihull during an extremely challenging year for the NHS. The Partnership comprises Birmingham and Solihull Mental Health NHS Foundation Trust, University Hospitals Birmingham NHS Foundation Trust, The Royal Orthopaedic Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, Birmingham Women’s and Children’s NHS Foundation Trust and Birmingham Community Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust.
The Nursing Associate role was introduced in 2017 to bridge the gap between registered nurses and health care support workers. The Expert by Experience Connector project enables Trainee Nursing Associates to develop their understanding of person centred care. Expert by Experience Connectors (EBECs) are people who have experience of accessing services as a patient or carer. Each Trainee Nursing Associate is matched with an Expert by Experience Connector and they have one to one meetings every three months during their two year programme. The project has been piloted for the last year and due to its success has now being rolled out into all future TNA cohorts, within the Birmingham and Solihull partnership.
Sue Hartley, Executive Director of Nursing at Birmingham and Solihull Mental Health NHS Foundation Trust, said:
“The Expert by Experience Connector project has strong links with the Nursing and Midwifery Council guidelines regarding person centred care and service user and carer involvement. Our partnership is made up of five NHS trusts within Birmingham and Solihull and we are all extremely passionate that our Trainee Nursing Associates provide the best care that they possibly can during their training and beyond.”
Feedback from trainees has been very positive with comments including:
“It has helped me to understand what is meant by good patient care and it has made me realise that the smallest gestures mean a lot to people.”
“The conversation helped to develop my knowledge of some conditions I have never been exposed to or cared for in my career.”
“It was a pleasure meeting with my Expert By Experience Connector. She was very open and I know that some things she said will stay with me throughout my career.”
The judging panel comprised a diverse range of highly regarded figures across the NHS and wider healthcare sector. To be shortlisted as a finalist for these awards, despite tough competition from hundreds of brilliant applicants, is a mark of real achievement . The Birmingham and Solihull TNA Partnership has been selected based on its diligence, ambition and the positive impact that the project has had within Birmingham and Solihull.
HSJ editor Alastair McLellan comments: “We would like to congratulate the Experts by Experience Connector Project on being shortlisted in the Pilot Project of the Year category for the HSJ Value Awards 2021. This year’s finalists have not only contributed to the continued fight against the covid-19 pandemic within the NHS but have also been exceptionally dedicated to enhancing healthcare across the UK. We are honoured to be recognising and celebrating their outstanding work after what is, no doubt, the most challenging year in the history of the NHS. We are looking forward to welcoming them to the ceremony in June."
The full list of finalists for the 2021 HSJ Value Awards can be found on https://value.hsj.co.uk/
