Nurse-led Innovation Projects at Chelsea and Westminster Hospital NHS Foundation Trust

A three-year grant from the Burdett Trust for Nursing has created a first-of-its-kind Nursing Innovation Fellow position at Chelsea and Westminster Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, which has been awarded to Clinical Nurse Specialist, Debbie Van Der Velden. Specifically created to spearhead nurse, midwife and allied-health professional-led projects as part of the Trust’s CW Innovation programme, Debbie will develop a cohort of outstanding nurse-led transformative projects which will make a significant difference to patient care at Trust hospitals and clinics.

CW Innovation is a joint programme run by Chelsea and Westminster Hospital NHS Foundation Trust and its charity CW+. It works to fast-track new technologies and innovations to address the most urgent and fundamental challenges faced by healthcare organisations today. The programme has a portfolio of over 80 projects with partners ranging from technology start-ups to international blue-chips, all aiming to identify new, high-impact initiatives that improve patient care, patient experience and the way the hospitals are run.

Debbie Van Der Velden, Nursing Innovation Fellow at Chelsea and Westminster Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, explains: “I am already working on a number of interesting and innovative concepts with some of our clinical teams including ensuring that our patients stay hydrated; education for patients to enable effective use of our new digital platforms; a simple digital self-check process to ensure bedside safety in critical care areas, and many more. An ideas pledge event at the end of March generated 140+ ideas for improvement which is truly inspiring!

“Being part of the forward-thinking and innovative team at Chelsea and Westminster Hospital NHS Foundation Trust in this first-of-a-kind role to work with nurses, midwives, and allied health professionals to gather ideas, share best practice and promote ideas generation activities is incredibly motivating and rewarding.”

“This generous support and unique partnership will enable a step-change in new initiatives led by nurses, midwives and allied health professionals at our hospitals.” said CW+ CEO Chris Chaney. “Since its launch in 2019 CW Innovation has made a significant impact on how we provide care across our Trust and over the last year, our response to the COVID-19 outbreak has catalysed an acceleration in innovation and research. Through the Nursing Innovation Fellow, we now have dedicated capacity and expertise to capture transformative ideas and implement nurse-led projects that will enable rapid improvements to patient care and the running of our services.”