In a bold move to further develop clinical excellence, Connect Health, the UK’s largest, independent provider of integrated community MSK (musculoskeletal), rheumatology and pain services, is delighted to announce the appointment of Ash James as National Clinical Education Lead
The role will see Ash spearhead a market-leading approach to colleague development and clinical excellence through The Academy.
With over 10 years’ experience working across a range of MSK settings including within clinical leadership and senior management roles, Ash is currently completing a PhD at Manchester Metropolitan University and is a media spokesperson for the Chartered Society of Physiotherapists.
His appointment is a significant step in the establishment of Connect Health’s National Clinical Academy which will build on the company’s established learning and development strategy, setting a high bar for maintaining excellence across its clinical workforce. The Academy will incorporate existing and emerging programmes including the Graduate Development Programme (GDP), Accelerated Development Programme (ADP), APP Development, Advanced Clinical Practice (ACP) apprenticeships as well as clinical supervision, R&D and audit frameworks – all under one roof. This will further enhance the benchmarking of clinical education and delivery at a national level and consequently the ability to positively impact patient outcomes.
Steve Nawoor, Deputy Director of Clinical Delivery & Consultant Physiotherapist, Connect Health said:
“People are our biggest asset and appointing a National Clinical Education Lead of Ash’s calibre represents a fantastic opportunity to take our approach to professional development of our colleagues to another level. Ash’s significant expertise will enable us to develop the clinical aspect of The Academy as our central platform and resource. The fundamental cornerstone will then be the alignment of our quality improvement plans [QIP] which triangulate with guidelines, evidence and research.”
Ash James commented: “I am incredibly excited to start in the role of National Clinical Education Lead for such a forward-thinking and innovative company as Connect Health. I am most looking forward to working with its outstanding group of clinicians throughout the UK and it is my goal to provide them with the opportunity to become the best-educated group of professionals in the musculoskeletal space.
“I will try to implement a pathway structure that allows for continued, targeted development that is a mix of face to face interaction with peers, patients and senior colleagues along with self-directed learning through the innovative use of technology. I want Connect Health to continue to be leaders in the delivery of outstanding patient care nationwide and hopefully I can add something to the team to help us achieve that.”
Ash is passionate about the delivery of evidence-based care, at an individual clinician level as well as through the way services are set up and managed. As part of the PhD he is examining how to conceptualise how to manage lower back pain in the workplace, increasing Ash’s fascination with research and its application to clinical practice, something that he will be sure to try and inject into his new role.
;
