Clinical Development Team Take Top Award

The Clinical Development Team at physiotherapy specialists Ascenti have taken the trophy for Learning and Development Project of the Year at the national Our Health Heroes awards.

Today (20th November) more than 200 guests, including Baroness Dido Harding and Prerana Issar (Chief People Officer at NHS Improvement), gathered for the fourth annual Our Health Heroes awards at London’s Science Museum.

Organised by Skills for Health and headline sponsor Health Education England, the national awards, which were hosted by Dr Dawn Harper and included a performance by former doctor turned writer Adam Kay, celebrated unsung healthcare heroes from across the UK.

The Clinical Development Team at Ascenti, a national network of more than 300 physiotherapy and wellbeing specialists, is made up of National Lead Clinician Nick Worth and Clinical Training and Development Lead Alison Day.

Together, Nick and Alison have designed and rolled out an industry-leading clinical development training programme that provides physiotherapists with additional tools to equip them to deliver exceptional patient care.  

They introduced 130-plus hours of annual continued personal development (CPD) time which includes one-to-one, group and virtual training sessions, roadshow events and a new banding framework.

The programme also includes a reformed appraisal process that is based on core values and calls for the physiotherapists to provide evidence of exceptional patient care and satisfaction.

Following the implementation of the new process, satisfaction rates have increased from 97 to 99 per cent, while online ratings have substantially improved from 2.9 to 4.4 out of five.

Alison Day, Clinical Training and Development Lead at Ascenti, commented: “This award means such a lot to the Learning and Development Team.

“Our focus has been on supporting clinicians to be better, happier and more fulfilled; to be more critical-thinkers and more self-evaluative and to support patients and deliver the highest quality care.

“We are so pleased with the results so far and absolutely delighted to have won this award!”

John Rogers, Chief Executive at Skills for Health, said: “The Learning and Development Team award was a popular category, with 90 entries this year, which just goes to show that healthcare professionals like those who make up the Clinical Development Team at Ascenti are regularly going the extra mile.

“Congratulations to Nick Worth and Alison Day on being named winners; this award is a testament to their hard work and commitment to the Ascenti team and their patients.”

The Learning and Development category is sponsored by Kissing it Better, a healthcare charity and training provider working to end isolation in older people by bringing the generations together.

Susan Walls, Project Director at Kissing it Better, said: “Team Ascenti’s physiotherapy training package has been shown to make a measurable difference in clinical settings.

“They’re a worthy winner of an incredibly close-fought contest. Overall, we were blown away by the calibre of nominations for Learning and Development Project of the Year; it’s brought to light some amazing work from around the country and proves just how important the Our Health Heroes awards are.”

Laura Roberts, Director at Health Education England (HEE), said: “As the headline sponsor for Our Health Heroes 2019, we want to congratulate everyone who made it to the shortlist and further offer our congratulations to the winners of this year’s awards.

“It is clear from the high standard of nominations that healthcare teams continue to play a vital role in delivering safe and compassionate care for all.”