13 May 2024
An interview with our Clinical Advisory Board Members
Join us as we sit down with key members of our Clinical Advisory Board here at Speed Medical; as we discuss the importance of nursing expertise for International Nurses Day on Sunday, 12th May 2024.
Hi everyone, thanks so much for taking the time to speak with us today. Could you start off by letting us know how long you’ve been with Speed Medical as members of our Clinical Advisory Board?
Member 1: I’ve been with Speed Medical for over 15 years now and Chief Medical Officer. I’ve been on the Clinical Advisory Board since the inaugural meeting.
Member 2: I believe I’ve been on the Clinical Advisory Board for about 5 years.
Member 3: I’ve been a Clinical Advisory Board member since 2017/ 2018.
Member 4: Hi! It’s great to contribute to this blog to celebrated International Nurses Day. I joined the Clinical Advisory Board in 2018.
And what are your particular specialisms?
Member 1: I focus on General practice and lifestyle/sports medicine with a focus on health span.
Member 2: My area of specialisms includes Clinical Psychology, Medico-legal reporting, and psychological treatments.
Member 3: My specialisms include Trauma and Orthopaedics.
Member 4: I’m a Chartered Physiotherapist, recognised as a consultant since 2019. My areas of specialism related to bone, muscle, and joint (MSK) presentations. My day-to-day role involves combining my clinical practice with executive leadership and in turn I have a particular interest in clinical governance: risk, safety, quality etc.
Looking back over your prior experience in the industry, what led you all to join our Board?
Member 1: The desire to really improve the quality in Medicolegal reporting. Speed is in the perfect place to be an exemplar to drive standards high and ensure the best possible quality of reporting. There is also the opportunity to support our expert be the best they can be.
Member 2: I was invited due to my extensive expertise in medico-legal reporting.
Member 3: The desire of Speed Medical to improve the quality of medical reports produced by their panel of experts. I felt that my learning and experience in this field could help other colleagues better perform their duty to the Court by writing better quality reports.
Member 4: Building on the above really, both an interest and expertise in clinical governance and quality – maintaining and ensuring high-quality care. Speed Medical developed the Clinical Advisory Board to ensure an independent view and assurance mechanism of the quality of care provided by their panel. To be able to use my expertise to promote safety, outcomes, and experience in a different clinical setting was what appealed to me.
And what was it that made Speed Medical itself stand out to you?
Member 1: Speed Medical is a large and very well-respected MRO. They have huge experience in the market and are trusted by experts. There’s a clear culture to do the right thing, supported by the Executive and Director teams.
Member 2: I had carried out medico-legal reporting as an expert and was impressed with Speed’s communication.
Member 3: I’ve had a long association with Speed Medical since 2008. They focus on quality and have good engagement with medical experts. They also have a strong desire to build long lasting professional working relationships.
Member 4: The focus on quality within their market – the medicolegal physiotherapy setting is one with a reputation of variable quality. There’s a commitment from Speed Medical to ensure that their panel operates with a focus on quality. By utilising an independent board, they really stand out. This is a commitment that goes beyond tokenism.
Excellent, thanks everyone. Could you tell us a little more about your roles as members of our Clinical Advisory Board. What are your responsibilities?
Member 1: As CMO, I chair the board ensuring we get the most we can from the sessions. I also work with the Exec team to cover pertinent issues for the industry and to help us drive quality and innovation.
Member 2: I am responsible for the governance of Psychology experts at the on-boarding stage, auditing of expert’s reports, advising on complaints and responding to Speed Medical team members about any aspect of psychology.
Member 3: I advise on quality of medical reports produced by other experts. Perform regular audits of medical reports as per the standards set, help resolve complaints from solicitors, and help resolve areas of contention with medical experts in so far as part 35 rules are concerned. I also take part in educational activities, performance review of experts who produce suboptimal reports despite audit feedback and provide clinical input in matters within my expertise.
Member 4: I oversee the internal audit of the physiotherapy panel and provide advice to Speed Medical on topical clinical and governance matters to inform their business decisions.
Each year on 12th May, people around the globe celebrate International Nurses Day. But what does makes this day important for you in particular, and why does it resonate?
Member 1: Nurses are the absolute backbone of the NHS. A hugely diversified and skilled profession, working tirelessly to support patients. The role is immensely challenging and can often be both physically and emotionally draining. It takes a very special kind of person to be a nurse, as the role is rewarding but equally challenging. Much of the work nurses do can go unnoticed… until they aren’t there, with the gap they leave being immense.
Member 2: Nurses are obviously a crucial part of the provision of mental health services!
Member 3: 12th May is chosen to celebrate the day as it is the anniversary of the birth of Florence Nightingale, the founder of modern nursing. Nurses are the epitome of empathetic care for our patients. Without nurses our NHS and in fact the entire medical speciality would not exist. I work with some incredibly dedicated and hard-working nurses. This day helps us celebrate their achievements and hard work. It also helps draw the attention of society to the contributions of nurses in modern healthcare.
Member 4: As a Physiotherapist, I know the value and importance of working effectively within and with a multi-disciplinary team. Having worked closely with Nursing colleagues for many years, it’s great to stop, step back and formally recognise the great work they do across all clinical and healthcare settings.
How do you interpret the 2024 International Nurses Day theme of “Our Nurses. Our Future”?
Member 1: The NHS and wider system cannot function without the teams of dedicated nurses we are so lucky to have. It’s an opportunity to reflect on the amazing work our colleagues do that we all too often take for granted. Supporting our nursing workforce is critical for the future.
Member 2: Hopefully it provides more emphasis in training of high-quality nurses to support the NHS.
Member 3: Without good nursing care, medicine as we know ceases to exist. It is the foundation upon which good medical care can be delivered to patients.
Member 4: I interpret this as recognising the importance our nursing colleagues, past, present, and future. With a population that is getting older, less active, less healthy – we’ll all be relying on nurses to support us to maintain a quality of life for as long as possible!
What would you like to see come from the wide-spread awareness of International Nurses Day, what do you hope this event will achieve?
Member 1: I’d like to see the diversity of nursing roles celebrated and explored. It’s a hugely wide-ranging profession covering all facets of health from primary care to surgery, and mental health to emergency care.
Member 2: More appreciation, more recruitment, more training places, more understanding of the nurse’s role in shaping healthcare.
Member 3: Better salary scales for nursing and improved awareness of the profession.
Member 4: I hope this provides a clear and important recognition and sense of appreciation for all nursing colleagues. Healthcare has been a challenging place to work for many years, small acts such as International Nurses Day are a great way to signal that all their hard work is valued.
What are your thoughts into the recruitment process of nursing. Traditionally nurses are predominantly women, but do you think it’s important to introduce more men into the nursing sector?
Member 2: I think that more diversity is always progressive and ensures widespread needs are appropriately met.
Member 3: Yes. I believe the demographics is already changing!
Thanks so much for your time, everyone, and we look forward to celebrating International Nurses Day with you all this year.
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