The Patients First Programme provides support and facilitation to clinically based nurse-led teams to help them to develop, implement and evaluate locally focused innovations that improve patient care in any healthcare setting across the UK.
Over a period of 12 months, the Patients First Programme provides:
- Help to keep a central focus on the patient and/or service users and the issues that matter to them the most
- Advice on developing effective project plans/proposals
- Encouragement to identify and make links with people who may be able to offer support locally
- Access to practice development tools and resources
- A workshop programme of support and development that will bring together the nurse-led teams to explore and enable effective strategies for developing and changing practice and provide opportunities for networking and sharing
- Facilitation in the workplace to enable the development of knowledge and skills in leading and facilitating sustainable changes in practice and improvements in care
- Peer mentorship linking up team leaders with those who have completed similar initiatives
- Support with publishing and active dissemination
- Bursary of up to £5000
Who can apply?
Clinically based nurses and nurse-led teams who have identified with patients an aspect of care that needs to be improved and who can demonstrate a commitment to:
- Using a variety of approaches to inform and evaluate the development of practice leading to sustainable improvements in care
- Working in ways that enable the inclusion and participation of patients and other key stakeholders in all aspects of the project
- Using a collaborative and systematic approach to development and improvement
Find out more
To date, 40 project teams have been recruited; (7 in autumn 2009, 8 in February 2010, 15 in November 2010 and 10 in November 2011). You can find out more about the current Patients First Projects by clicking on the link. A number of project teams have now completed their final reports; to read the summaries of their work, view Volume 6 of the Dissemination Series by clicking on the link.
An evaluation of Year One of this programme that identifies outcomes for patients, participants and practice is available by clicking here.
Closing date 19 September 2012
The RKE Operations team can help you with your application.