Clinical Leadership

The quality of clinical leadership is vital in creating a culture in which patient safety improvements can be made and sustained. Strong clinical leaders are essential in ensuring that the vision of the board is communicated into all clinical areas and that the concerns of frontline staff are escalated upwards to drive innovation. This category looks to identify and reward a clinical leader from any discipline who has shown a clear commitment to patient safety, which has resulted in demonstrable improvements and cultural change among their team and clinical area.

Specific entry criteria

• Patient safety is a clear and visible priority for the individual and is communicated to all staff;
• There are strategic priorities and goals in place to enhance patient safety, which are regularly monitored and reviewed;
• There is a demonstrable leadership culture that focuses on improving quality and patient safety and provides an environment where continuous improvement in harm reduction becomes routine throughout the organisation;
• The clinical leader welcomes feedback from their team and has a system by which suggestions for improvement are listened to and acted upon.

Evidence of impact

• The clinical leader can demonstrate how they have led the achievement of clear and measurable outcomes specific to patient safety;
• There is evidence that the staff who report to this clinical leader have a deep understanding of and commitment to patient safety throughout the organisation
• The success of the leader's project in improving patient safety can be demonstrated.