Mary Okoth is a participant on our "Leading for Better Outcomes" programme at NHS Hammersmith and Fulham. She has been selected to join the "Breaking Through: NHS Top Talent" programme by the NHS Institute for Innovation and Improvement. 21 people were selected from 200 applications. She puts her success down to her learning from our programme.
Participants from the South East Coast NHS Ambulance Trust enjoying a recent leadership programme workshop:
Rather than sending out Christmas cards to our clients, colleagues and the wider team last Christmas, we sent an e-card, and gave a donation to www.wishes4kids.co.uk 
, a Leicester-based charity that makes dreams come true for terminally ill children. The charity sent us a lovely letter of thanks, and told us details of who the money went to help.
The HSJ Awards for 2009 were announced at the Grosvenor House Hotel, London on Monday 30th November. In the Primary Care Organisation of the Year category, NHS Tower Hamlets were Highly Commended, and were Finalists in the Good Corporate Citizenship Category. In the World Class Commissioning Category, NHS Wakefield District were Finalists.
Healthskills would like to congratulate both healthcare organisations for these excellent achievements and look forward to continuing our work with them in 2010.
The Fantastic Four, aka the Healthskills Business Support team set off on an intrepid mission to Wiltshire on 12th September. Their mission: to leap out of an aircraft freefalling from 10,000 feet and land safely at Redlands Airfield five minutes later. And remembering to bring a parachute and tandem instructor.
After a thorough training session lasting, oh all of 30 minutes the team assembled, supremely confident and ready for action. They didn't realise that there was to be a considerable wait whilst all the nervous fliers were selected before them. But the sun shone, there was lots of family support and a giant picnic courtesy of Tess 'Delia' Knight plus baby Evan (eight months - Team Mascot) to keep us all amused, ensured that the time would whizz past.
Soon the moment arrived and Tess and Adi were asked to go first, followed thirty minutes later by Lucie and Fiona. Lucie said she didn't mind waiting as although her instructor did not in the end turn out to be George Clooney, he did say he would cancel the jump and take her out on a date!
Soon the assembled supporters were craning their necks and checking the sky to see who we could spot first. Then the team landed one by one, packed up their parachute with their instructors and made their way back to to the applause of family and friends and some well earned champagne. "Exhilarated", "Fantastic" and "Speechless" were some of the comments, the last by Tess who then couldn't stop telling us all about the experience!
Well done on a brave and enthusiastic team effort, and for the generosity of our sponsors which means that Cancer Research UK has benefitted by well over £1,000. Go to www.justgiving.com/fionahumphreys2 if you would like to contribute.
The Directors have a tough challenge to beat in 2010!!!
We are delighted to announce that Healthskills will be working with Humana at Leicester City PCT from October this year. Our work will revolve around facilitating the organisational development of the PCT Commissioning Executive and Clinical Cabinet. Anne Tofts, Healthskills Managing Director noted “this is an exciting piece of work to be involved in and we are delighted to be working with Humana in taking the PCT forward.”
We are very pleased to be able to congratulate two of our valued clients on their recognition in the Queen’s Birthday Honours. Chief executive of NHS East Midlands, Barbara Hakin, was made a dame for services to healthcare, and Alwen Williams, chief executive of Tower Hamlets PCT was awarded a CBE for her contribution to the health service.
Both have made incredible contributions to the NHS including leading two of the best performing NHS trusts in the country. We have worked with both Barbara and Alwen supporting service transformation and organisational development since the inception of Healthskills in 1996; its very well deserved recognition for two women who embody great NHS leadership.
Healthskills work with this group was established on the basis of a grant from the London Network to set up a series of learning sets for healthcare professionals working with homeless people or people living in temporary insecure accommodation.
An initial launch meeting took place in July 08 and a set of needs were identified which set the course and direction for the learning set (supervision group)
The initial project has now been completed but it is hoped that the good start that this group has made will continue into 2010.
