Meet our Partners

Below you can read more about the work our partners have been involved in and the difference they have made in our hospitals.

Dolf

"Hello my name is Dolf and I am a partner at Leeds Hospitals. I became a partner as I wanted to give something back to the organisation who have looked after me and my family when I had two serious spells in LTHT.

I am involved in a variety of areas, for instance the Discharge Collaborative where I work with a group of different healthcare staff. including Doctors, Nurses, Pharmacists, Data Managers etc. We are trying to get patients home quicker and earlier in the day so they can recover in the comfort of their own homes and also free up much-needed beds! I have also been involved in the setting up of the Covid vaccination hub at Elland Road and a project to improve the effectiveness of taking on staff in the Estates & Facilities department. I also served on the board of the new Electronic Discharge Advice note development.

I see my role as “outside eyes” to these Quality Improvement projects, representing what patients might find important but also using expertise from my previous career. I find that the staff treat me as an equal and listen to my views, which makes being a partner a very satisfying thing to do. "

Liz

“Hello my name is Elizabeth Milner. I joined the Falls collaborative as QI Partner after my mother’s death due to a fall whilst in care and because of my experience as a patient, carer and lifelong career in nursing.

The aim of this enthusiastic committed multi professional team is to reduce falls and the impact of harm to patients, their families and staff. This is being achieved by the cumulative effect of multiple tested small interventions suggested by frontline staff - no idea is too small! The team has produced a video to raise patients’ awareness of the risk of falls when in hospital.

My role is that of a ‘critical friend’ to help improve and contribute to the development of new initiatives using my life experience. I feel my views are welcomed and valued by the team. The success of the Falls Collaborative was demonstrated by a significant reduction in falls pre-Covid and this was recognised by winning a Patient Safety Award. To help meet the challenges of the pandemic the Collaborative met virtually and I continued to participate in its work. I believe that the ongoing focus on falls has helped mitigate some of the disruptive impact of the pandemic on patient safety."