On Saturday the 19 October IGHI Health Policy and Digital Health Leadership students and staff enjoyed a day out in Hyde Park and South Kensington, for the IGHI Education Wellbeing Walk.
A group of 18 staff, students, families and partners were treated to a fantastic walk and historical narrative by Teaching Fellow and SWIPE co-founder Joe Kerr. Joe was a fantastic narrator, engaging the group on the history of Imperial and other great institutions dedicated to art and science, that together established Abertopolis over 170 years ago. It was a fascinating, light-hearted time, including a 90 min talk in the park, and concluding with lunch at the nearby Queen’s Arms pub.
We asked Suchita Joshi, current MSc Health Policy student, to share her thoughts about the event:
IGHI staff, students and families gather at the Albert Memorial
Jazz Walker, a Year 2 Health Policy Master’s student and Biological Capabilities Policy Advisor at the UK Health Security Agency, attended our recent in-person student workshop and shares her experience of the MSc programme.
Why did you apply for the Health Policy MSc programme?
Jazz: I applied for the programme mostly for career progression reasons. I’d gone through education—originally, I did an English degree—and then I got into health policy.
One aspect that drew me to it is that, particularly in the policy world, you don’t often gain experience outside of your job’s specific focus. It’s really difficult, especially in busy areas, to get opportunities to branch into other fields.
Personally, I found the finance and economics section quite interesting. Due to the way my career has progressed, I’ve always kind of avoided working on those areas. But this programme provided a nice, non-pressured way to learn about those elements of the job without needing to seek permissions for work shadowing. My organisation is keen to promote learning and development, but I personally haven’t found their traditional pathways very effective for learning this type of information.
I found the Health Policy MSc programme more helpful because it requires you to work on a problem statement, rather than just absorbing theory that’s delivered to you, with no practical application. It provides a way to demonstrate how you’d approach and apply these examples in real situations. Those are the key things I value: gaining skill sets I can’t acquire in my job. It’s been very interesting, and I’m pleased to be able to work with people from diverse backgrounds on the course.
How is the programme going so far? What did you enjoy the most or found most impactful?
Jazz: I think it’s going really well so far. I particularly enjoyed last year’s module on Health and Society, as it connected to my work at the time, which was related to threat relevance. Having an entire module focused on various threats helped me better understand the organisation I was working in. This was especially useful because my employer is funding my studies to help me bring broader awareness to other areas I might work in.
Gaining these learnings and insights pushed me to apply more of them in my work. This has enabled me to present stronger ideas by incorporating those considerations and working through them, and has strengthened my relationships with analysts in that area. I can now demonstrate that I’m using the same assessment criteria they would use, saying things like, ‘I evaluated this’ or ‘I’d recommend approaching it this way’ or ‘This is how I’d like to see the results—does that align with the right approach?’ Having their agreement has further helped build these connections.
How do you think this programme will further help you in building your career?
Jazz: I think simply being recognised for doing the Master’s has already been really helpful for my work. It’s helped me connect with industry and academia, showing them that there’s genuine dedication behind what I’m doing. In an environment where people often jump between fields, having a solid foundation in the subject area is really valuable.
Pushing myself to think critically and write papers in a more traditional, academic style has also been useful. I had definitely fallen out of practice with writing academic papers, so it’s been great to get back into that process and focus on building a stronger evidence base. Rather than just relying on the specialised technicians in my organisation, I’m doing self-directed research again. This has been particularly helpful in areas I’m working on, as it’s taught me how to evaluate sources more critically. It’s not just about thinking, ‘Well, it’s in an academic journal, so it must be true,’ but about noticing potential biases that might affect credibility.
I think this stronger evidence base, along with the ability to perform desk research and self-reflection, will be incredibly useful for my future career.
Have you experienced any challenges so far? And if so, how has the academic team supported you?
Jazz: The academic team has been very helpful throughout the course. Particularly at the start, when I was working on two tasks simultaneously in my job, being able to reach out and express that things were challenging gave me the reassurance I needed to manage things through. They explained the possibility of getting a short extension, or if I needed a longer one, they could guide on providing evidence of what I was working on. Their support has been invaluable!
I found the drop-in sessions especially useful, knowing I could jump in and ask, ‘I have one question; my mind can’t quite get where I’m going with it. Am I thinking about it right?’ Getting confirmation and advice on where I might need to push further or focus more on that track was really helpful.
The way the lessons are structured is also refreshing compared to other universities I’ve attended. They truly listen, and you can see that reflected in how the course has evolved.
For example, I appreciated having the opportunity to reflect through the course’s reflective learning journals in my first year; however, I found it challenging to keep up with them due to time constraints. What’s great is that the academic team listened to our feedback, acknowledging the timing pressures, and made adjustments accordingly in our second year. Unlike other academic settings where you’re simply told to ‘just do it,’ it’s nice to be in a place where they listen and adapt the course as it progresses.
What advice would you give to new applicants?
Jazz: I think it’s important to consider your timings. Planning ahead on how you’ll approach each part of the course can make the assessments less challenging. If you tackle the work gradually, following along with the unit organically, it will make a difference. Personally, thinking about how I’ll apply what I’m learning to the assessments has been beneficial.
Also, remember to take time for yourself. It’s important to keep up with your reading, but too much pressure can be overwhelming. The required and optional readings are already outlined for you, so focus on those, and spend extra time on topics that interest you or could enhance your essays.
People experiencing homelessness have shorter life expectancies, poorer physical and mental health, and less access to healthcare than the general population. For women experiencing homelessness, the average age of death is 43 – two years younger than men and nearly half the life expectancy of women in the general population. Many homeless women are survivors of abuse, and more research is needed to provide specialised, female-led support for this group in safe, trauma-informed spaces.
However, the Marylebone Project told us that current research practices can be harmful for the women who take part. Short-term projects where researchers ask participants to answer personal questions and recount traumatic events without taking the time to build trust and rapport do not offer a safe environment for women to authentically share their experiences.
To address this, we have worked together to develop a project which aims to understand how we can meaningfully involve women experiencing homelessness in the design and delivery of our research to ensure it is relevant and safe for participants, while also protecting the mental wellbeing of the women and researchers involved. To do this, we will draw on the psychologically informed practices used by frontline homeless services to protect the mental wellbeing of their service users and staff.
Below, Miriam Kennedy and Chatsuda Chierakul, lead applicants for the project, share what makes this project special and what they hope to get out of it.
Miriam is Centre Manager at the Marylebone Project, the UK’s oldest and largest women’s homelessness organisation with 112 beds and a women’s-only drop in that’s open 24/7, 365 days a year. Chatsuda is a general practitioner and the Training, Education, and Research Lead for Central London Healthcare, a federation of 33 general practices in Westminster caring for over 275,000 patients.
Why did you want to be part of this project?
Miriam: At the Marylebone Project, we deeply value women’s experiences of the world, and we aim to give space for women to use their voice and share these experiences. We support women who are impacted by homelessness and crisis, and they are often hidden in the stats regarding homelessness in the UK. Women face very unique challenges in regard to homelessness. We know how important research is in order to stop homelessness and violence against women, and we wanted to be part of a project which would be holistic, psychologically informed, and where women were at the heart of the research.
Chatsuda: Two of Central London Healthcare’s practices are homelessness practices, and London has the largest homeless population in Europe. Several of our practices are also located in and around the Marylebone area. As primary health care professionals, we are somewhat aware of the difficulties facing women experiencing homelessness, and we already do work with other organisations including adult safeguarding leads and IRIS advocate educators to try to improve the care we offer, but there is still plenty of room for improvement. There is also a significant lack of research with this population, and this project looks at how this can be changed.
What makes this project different from research projects you’ve been part of in the past?
Miriam: I think the main difference is time. So far, our women have been offered much more time and care in this research project. Their ideas, experiences, and stories have not been plucked from them to fill in stats in Excel sheets. Instead, there has been open conversation; safe spaces and hospitality have been offered. Women have felt very safe and the sessions together so far have been more about sharing and listening than accumulating data. Women have left the sessions feeling heard and seen.
Chatsuda: At Central London Healthcare, we have been involved in an extremely wide variety of research projects. We have been involved in some trials which have been open to people experiencing homelessness, but this project is different in that it is designed specifically for women experiencing homelessness, and it is a collaboration between many different organisations who haven’t worked directly together before.
What do you hope to learn and achieve through this project?
Miriam: Our aim is that our women will feel empowered to share their experiences, know their value, and gain knowledge and understanding of how research can be offered in a way which nurtures and cares for the participants. We aim to highlight the issues women face in healthcare and for positive change to be made.
Chatsuda: Ultimately, we all want to be able to improve care and wellbeing for women experiencing homelessness. Enabling research with this population would help with that goal. By reaching out to these women in an approachable way, this should help us better understand what would make the biggest different for them.
The Health Policy MSc at Imperial College London is led by the Institute of Global Health Innovation. Mizan Musahid, a Health Policy Master’s student, shares his experience of the programme.
Mizan Musahid, Health Policy MSc student
What’s your academic background? What did you study for your undergraduate degree?
Mizan Musahid (MM): I studied Law for my undergraduate degree, which developed my skills in critical thinking, structured analysis, and crafting arguments which are key skills for effective policy development. During my studies, I also took part in pro bono work, providing commercial and criminal legal advice to individuals who couldn’t afford costly legal fees. This experience deepened my commitment to ensuring access to justice for all, not just those who can afford it.
Why did you apply for the Health Policy MSc at Imperial?
MM: Part of the Policy and Strategy specialism within the NHS Graduate Management Training Scheme required studying the Health Policy MSc at Imperial, as it is essential for my development as a healthcare policymaker. The comprehensive curriculum at Imperial perfectly aligns with my goal of gaining a deeper understanding of health systems and policies. This program equips me with the knowledge and skills needed to navigate the complexities of health policy, enabling me to make informed decisions that can improve healthcare delivery and equity.
“The course has given me a deeper understanding of healthcare systems and equipped me with tools to help me think strategically about policy development, stakeholder engagement, and how to address social determinants of health.”
– Mizan Musahid, Health Policy MSc student
What do you enjoy most about the course?
MM: I particularly enjoy the interdisciplinary approach, which draws on various areas such as economics, public health, and behavioural science. The course has a dynamic structure, combining theoretical learning with real-world case studies that resonate with my current work in the NHS, where policy decisions have direct impacts on healthcare delivery.
What course topic has been most interesting to you so far, and why?
MM: The “Health Systems and Policy” module has been the most eye-opening. It challenged my assumptions about healthcare, teaching me the complexities of health systems and the importance of stakeholder analysis. Understanding how various components like hospitals, healthcare professionals, and financing mechanisms interact to achieve system goals has broadened my policy perspective.
The course has given me a deeper understanding of healthcare systems and equipped me with tools to help me think strategically about policy development, stakeholder engagement, and how to address social determinants of health. This knowledge has been directly applicable to my roles whilst working in the NHS.
What has been most challenging about the course?
MM: One of the biggest challenges has been the analytical components, especially those related to health economics and evidence-based policymaking. Coming from a non-quantitative background, I initially felt apprehensive about engaging with data and statistics.
Before starting the programme, I wish I had known the importance of having a foundational understanding of economics and statistics. Having a background which leans towards qualitative subjects, the analytical components, especially in health economics and evidence-based policymaking, were initially challenging. Modules that required the use of quantitative tools like meta-analysis or health technology assessments felt overwhelming at first. I also didn’t anticipate how crucial understanding data would be in crafting effective health policy, especially when addressing health inequalities and resource allocation. Having some prior knowledge would have made these aspects more manageable from the outset.
However, through modules focused on analytical tools like meta-analysis and health technology assessment, I’ve become more confident in using these methods to inform policy decisions.
What do you hope/intend to do after you graduate?
MM: After graduation, I intend to continue working as a policymaker in health, with a focus on reducing health inequalities. My goal is to address systemic inefficiencies and create more equitable access to healthcare, particularly for underserved communities. By applying my policy expertise, I hope to shape policies that promote fairness and sustainability, ensuring that everyone, irrespective of their background, has access to quality healthcare.
And one final thing you would like readers to know?
MM: I’d like to highlight the value of group working with a diverse set of peers from various professional backgrounds such as medicine, public health, and social work, has opened my eyes to different perspectives on complex issues. This has expanded my understanding of healthcare challenges and offered alternative perspectives to health policy issues.
For instance, discussing case studies with someone who has a background in public health has enriched my understanding of the practical implications of policy decisions, while insights from a social work perspective have emphasised the importance of considering the human element in policy design.
Moreover, I’ve found that these interactions have helped me build a professional network, that I anticipate will be invaluable in my career.
It can be challenging to fit movement into your work week, with deadlines, meetings, and long to-do lists constantly demanding your attention. Hear from IGHI staff about how they integrate movement into their busy schedules and their top tips on how you can do the same!
Meet Anna: The netball enthusiast and fair weather cyclist
Anna (in the middle) with her netball team, just after they had won the league
Anna Lawrence-Jones, a dedicated mother and Public Involvement Lead, admits that juggling work, family, and household chores often leaves little room for personal fitness. However, she has been making the most of the good weather and buying a Lime bike pass to cycle 20 minutes to Liverpool Street to get her train a few times a week. She sometimes even combines movement with quality time with her husband, by going for a coffee and a cycle to get some extra time together.
Anna also loves playing netball, and plays in a social league every Tuesday evening (and has been playing with some of the girls for over a decade!). In fact this season they won the league, with the winning goal scored in the final second! She makes sure to block out this time in her husband’s diary, so even his colleagues are well-aware of the non-negotiable “POD (parent on duty)” time.
For Anna, movement isn’t just physical – it’s therapeutic. The simple act of being outdoors, soaking in nature without digital distractions, offers her a serene space to destress and reflect. Her top tip is to integrate movement into your work environment by switching one-on-one meetings to a walk down the canal.
Meet Clare: The morning runner and strength trainer
Clare McCrudden, Policy Fellow at IGHI, is a self-proclaimed morning person who loves to start her day with a burst of energy and time to clear her head. Her passion for movement shines through in her commitment to strength training and running.
Clare at run club Friday Night Lights
This year, she’s taken on the ambitious goal of running one half marathon each month – a challenge that keeps her motivated and accountable, even if it comes with a few second thoughts! Clare is running the Royal Parks Half Marathon in October for charity and enjoys mixing up her running routes, including going to running clubs such as Friday Night Lights, which is a fun way to catch up with friends too.
But for Clare, staying active isn’t just about the workout session. She believes that the small things we do throughout the day are just as important. Whether it’s taking the stairs instead of the lift at work or getting off the bus at a stop early, Clare is always finding ways to add extra steps to her day. She’s a firm believer in the importance of regular breaks from the desk and screens to keep both the body and mind refreshed.
Clare believes, “Little by little goes a long way.” She encourages everyone to go easy on themselves and do what they can, anything is better than nothing. Making movement social, like getting a group together for a quick walk, can be especially helpful when motivation dips – particularly in the darker months. These small bursts of activity not only lift spirits but also can help everyone return to work feeling lighter and more energised.
Meet Inês: The early bird and cycling enthusiast
For Inês Baptista, Research Manager to Professor Darzi, IGHI Co-Director, the key to staying consistent with her fitness routine is starting her day early. She makes sure to get her workout done first thing in the morning, setting a strong foundation for the rest of the day. Commuting by bike is another clever way Inês integrates movement into her daily life – ensuring she stays active even during her commute. At work, Inês uses a standing desk, which naturally encourages more movement throughout her day.
Inês cycling from the Portuguese mountains to the ocean
Exercise is more than just a physical activity for Inês; it’s a way to stay healthy, active, and in a good mood. The endorphins she gets from her workouts keep her feeling energised and positive, making it a vital part of her daily routine. Exercise is also a therapeutic escape – a way to maintain her mental well-being and stay grounded.
When cycling, Inês finds motivation in the fresh air and the chance to be outdoors, often accompanied by her favourite music or podcasts. Whether she’s riding to work or tackling a HIIT session, the knowledge that exercise is good for her health keeps her motivated to push through. Inês’ advice is straightforward and powerful: “You’ll never regret it, so do it!” This is a reminder that while it can be challenging to get started, the benefits of movement always make it worthwhile.
Incorporating movement into a busy work week may seem challenging, but as our colleagues have shown, it can also become a rewarding part of your routine. Whether it’s cycling to the train station, joining a social sports team, or taking a brisk walk during lunch breaks, movement is more than just exercise – it’s a chance to connect with others, enjoy the outdoors, and take a mental break from the demands of the day. By starting small and finding creative ways to blend activity into your schedule, you can make movement a natural and enjoyable part of your life.
Last week, over 100 students from the most recent Cohort of the Digital Health Leadership Programme (DHLP)came togetherfor the first time to kick off their learning journey.
Digital Health Leadership Programme Cohort 7 in York
The two-day Forum in York gave students the opportunity to learn about expectations for the year, meet the academic team, and network with peers. Day 1 included talks and interactive sessions on individual strengths, while Day 2 focused on the collective, with participants engaging with their peer support groups.
Commissioned by the NHS Digital Academy at NHS England, the DHLP empowers health and care leaders to drive digital transformation in the NHS. The programme is delivered by a partnership of Imperial College London’s Institute of Global Health Innovation, HDR UK and Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust. The programme is targeted at individuals who are working in a role where they are required to drive and implement practical digital transformational change within their organisation or system.
Now in the seventh year of delivering the programme, we are pleased to be onboarding a diverse cohort of digital leaders and aspiring ones across the health and care spectrum. This includes an equal split between clinical and non-clinical digital roles, with good representation across midwifery, nursing, pharmacy, AHPs and other medical professions.
In this blog post, Cohort 7 students shared their motivations for applying for this programme and what they think the impact will be, as well as their impressions about the event.
Enhance digital skills and become better leaders
Enohi Odogu – Intelligence Partner
‘’I joined this programme to expand my knowledge in the digital health field, grow my network, and learn something new that I can apply in my organisation and the wider community. I aim to transfer that knowledge to my colleagues, or at least have them feel my impact in some way.
‘’As part of this event, we’re learning new things about ourselves—as managers, as leaders—and discovering what we need to do to become better people.’’
Jeffrey Loren Zurbano – Digital Clinical Nurse
‘’I have the opportunity to be a great contributor in my team, so I need to upskill myself, my leadership skills, especially around digital landscape.
‘’These two days have been really empowering. Meeting my peers and the teaching fellows ignited my passion to be a great leader and bring about changes in the digital landscape and the NHS. I’m very happy to have each of my peers in the different groups. we have many different opinions, which I appreciate, as I enjoy being challenged with my ideas.’’
Alice Butler – Lead Digital Midwife (continuing student)
‘’I completed the Postgraduate (PG) Certificate in Digital Maternity Leaders previously and now progressed to the PG Diploma. I was seeking further training and community for clinicians who found themselves in similar roles to mine, to support my work and gain more knowledge.
‘’My original training was as a midwife, not in digital health, so I found myself in this niche of healthcare that I really enjoy and want to learn more about to see what the impact is.’’
Jo Williams – Diagnostic Workforce Lead
‘’I can absolutely see how the data and systems we use within the workforce haven’t caught up with the rest of the digital world. So, I’m hoping to gain from this course not only opportunities to enhance my leadership skills and support my career development, but also to advance the workforce systems and help our diagnostics staff become more digitally enabled and ready for the future.
‘’Since I had to defer for a year, I was very impressed by how supportive the team was when I wanted to start again this year. The Forum today has been outstanding, and I am thrilled to be here!’’
Translate learning into tangible outcomes in my workplace
Dr Myra Malik – Anaesthetist and DCIO
‘’I’ve taken on some more senior leadership roles in digital, and I felt I needed to gain more expertise to perform better in those roles. I decided to come to Imperial to do that, and to translate that learning into tangible outcomes and see effective change happen in the organisation I work for.
‘’It’s been great meeting others in the cohort and the new peer support group I’ll have this year. I’m sure there will be some ups and downs that we’ll need to support each other through.
‘’My favourite session was the strengths assessment. It emphasised the importance of viewing yourself not through a deficit lens, but rather through a positive perspective on what can be improved. Using your natural talents and strengths can help in areas of your life where you don’t feel as strong, which I find quite pivotal.’’
Prabha Vijayakumar – National Chief AHP Information Officer
‘’I would like to gain an academic understanding of the programme and how we apply clinical informatics in the broader AHP-related field. Being appointed as the first Chief AHP Information Officer has provided me with the platform to raise the profile of AHPs within the digital agenda across the NHS, so I am motivated by this.
‘’It’s fantastic to meet all the colleagues who have joined the program, as well as the academic staff. I am impressed with the facilities here and how organised and supportive the team is!’’
‘’I’ve been involved in many digital health projects in my Trust, and I’m eager to improve stakeholder engagement and collaboration among executive teams, clinical teams, and IT to effectively deploy digital health systems.
‘’Networking with like-minded people in different roles has been the best part for me. I believe this can drive change and facilitate knowledge sharing across the NHS, helping us work collaboratively instead of in silos. That’s how we can learn from each other and accelerate progress in digital health for the UK and NHS. The insights on leadership styles, CliftonStrengths, and the reflective learning session were particularly valuable to me.’’
‘This programme is pushing me out of my comfort zone’
Holly Paris – Associate Clinical Director
‘’I work in primary care in an area of high social deprivation in the UK. When you work in a place with such deep need, digital change is one of the obvious equalizers. But how do you make that happen? I’m here to understand what we need to do better to implement change at the ground level.
‘’What I saw happening today was many people making an effort to go beyond speaking with those they already knew or had sat next to. This created a really convivial vibe, which was great for setting up peer groups. That’s one of the most inspiring things I’ve noticed—how the learning over the last six cohorts has allowed this to happen fairly organically.’’
Ahmed ElSayed – Clinical Systems Change Lead
‘’My first motivation is engaging with more people from different backgrounds, from clinical to project management. My second motivation is gaining hands-on experience rather than just theory. Third, I am interested in learning and stepping out of my comfort zone.
‘’I want to get the most out of this course and apply the principles I learn here both in my personal life and within my team. I believe that if I don’t change, nothing will change.
Ben Jeeves – Associate Chief Clinical Information Officer
‘’I was looking for something that would impact my work and challenge me on different levels. After the last two days, I am certain that’s exactly what I will get. The past two days have been intense, giving me lots of stimuli and challenges—all the things I was hoping for. I hope this will continue for the next 12 months.
‘’The insights from the strengths assessment have definitely been a key highlight for me. I believe that’s a ‘gift’ that will continue to provide value, a resource to go back to and learn from, offering ongoing reflections.‘’
The launch event for the Collaborative Research for Online Postgraduate Studies Network (CROPSNet) took place on Tuesday 10 September 2024, with over 30 higher education professionals from six different UK institutions in attendance. The network is the first of its kind, and the success of this initial event has provided a very strong springboard for future CROPSNet activities.
CROPSNet emerged from the work undertaken by the Student Wellbeing in IGHI Postgraduate Education (SWIPE) team (Dr Christa Hansen, Dr Annie McKirdy, Joe Kerr, and Julien le Jeune d’Allegeershecque), who have been working to improve the way in which the IGHI support the mental health and general wellbeing of its online students. In the scope of SWIPE’s projects, the team realised there was a lack of both guidance and peer-reviewed research not only on the topic of the mental health and wellbeing of online postgraduate taught (PGT) students, but also on the topic of how to best deliver online PGT programmes. Furthermore, there was no forum for professionals involved in the teaching and delivery of online PGT programmes to share best practice and collaborate.
Launching CROPSNet
CROPSNet aims to bring together professionals involved in online PGT programmes to share best practice, discuss current issues, and collaborate on projects or research ideas to improve the evidence-base for online PGT teaching. The launch event focused on “The Mental Health & Wellbeing of Online PGT Students”. The SWIPE team from IGHI were first to present, providing an overview of the work they have undertaken since early 2023 and the resulting report. Jenny Husbands, Teaching Fellow and Senior Tutor at Imperial’s School of Public Health, then delivered a session on “Pastoral Support for large PGT Online Programmes”. Attendees then took part in a group discussion to share their experiences on organising online socials for online PGT programmes, as well as their thoughts on the particular challenges faced by students undertaking online PGT study.
The agenda from the launch event
The next presentation was delivered by Dr Julie Langan-Martin, Course Director for the MSc in Global Mental Health and Director of Education of the School of Mental Health & Wellbeing at the University of Glasgow. Dr Langan-Martin’s talk provided valuable information and guidance on “How to Approach the Teaching of Sensitive Topics in Online Settings”. As CROPSNet aims to not only foster collaboration among higher education professionals, but also with students engaged in online PGT study, event organisers were delighted to then welcome Damian Larkin and Connor Qui to take part in a student panel. Both Damian and Connor are students on the IGHI’s online PGDip in Digital Health Leadership, and attendees were able to listen to them discuss their experience of being an online PGT student and how it impacted on their mental health & wellbeing.
In the event’s final presentation, Jenny Crow, Digital Education Team Manager at the University of Glasgow, shared insights from her PhD research on “The Role of Belonging in Online Postgraduate Education”. CROPSNet coordinator Julien le Jeune d’Allegeershecque then ended the day with some closing comments and information on future plans.
The CROPSNet team wishes to thank all of the presenters who were involved in the launch event, as well as the audience who were engaged throughout the day and provided valuable contributions. The CROPSNet team are now aiming to build on this excellent start by developing an online presence and providing a space for CROPSNet members to connect and collaborate.
Join the network
Anyone interested in joining the network and keeping up to date with its activities can do so by signing up for the CROPSNet newsletter. For general questions about the network or the work of the SWIPE team, please contact SWIPE@ic.ac.uk or jlejeune@ic.ac.uk.
Attending hospital appointments is essential for patients to access the medical care they need to maintain and improve their health. Across North West London, individuals living in the most deprived areas and from ethnic minority groups face a variety of barriers to attending outpatient appointments at Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust. The focus of this collaborative project between IGHI’s Helix Centre and the Trust was to understand why people miss their appointments and to co-design solutions with community members that help them to attend.
Going to the first outpatient appointment can help prevent a chain reaction of health inequity. By attending diagnostic appointments (such as scans), individuals help to ensure timely diagnoses and interventions, which can lead to better health outcomes and more effective treatment and management of their conditions. Trust data showed that people living in the most deprived areas of North West London or people part of a Black, Mixed or Other ethnic groups are more likely to miss their outpatient appointment. In this project, we worked with local community members throughout the project, who were linked to these groups, to ensure the project and any intervention were designed appropriately.
Meet one of the Public Steering Group members
“My name is Phayza and I am a community member involved with Imperial College and as part of the Strategic Lay Forum at Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust. I was one of the eight people recruited to the Public Steering Group, bringing together diverse voices to shape the project.
“As someone deeply involved in community development and public health promotion, I was eager to contribute my insights to this initiative. My background gave me a unique perspective on the systemic issues faced by minority and disadvantaged populations in accessing healthcare. This opportunity was not just a professional duty but a personal mission to amplify the voices of those often unheard.” – Phayza, Public Steering Group member
Phayza (left-hand side) and other community members at one of the co-design workshops
Gathering insights from people who had missed appointments
The Helix Centre team interviewed over 25 patients who had missed appointments in several clinical specialtiesand staff to understand why people could not attend. Through these interviews, we learned thatvarious factors contribute to why someone might miss an appointment, including caring responsibilities, work responsibilities, travel difficulties, distrust with the NHS and communication issues (such as not receiving appointment details via text or letter). We are sharing these findings as widely as possible with relevant groups. The Helix team shared the barriers back to Trust staff to ensure that they were aware of the issues faced by their patients. We recently published an academic paper outlining the barriers, co-author by a Public Steering Group member, Chris. We also worked with the Public Steering Group to design a poster (below) that visually communicates the attendance barriers, which we are sharing with public members involved in the project and a wider audience.
Moving from barriers to solutions
Poster titled ”What makes it harder for patients to attend hospital appointments?”. It visually depicts the seven barriers that public members highlighted and describes what Imperial College London has done with these learnings. Credits: Pip Batey
We ran three co-design workshops with local community members from groups facing inequity, to come up with ideas that address the barriers people face attending hospital appointments. We worked with the Public Steering Group to decide which barriers should be prioritised and brought to the workshops, along with reviewing the workshop materials to ensure they were engaging. The workshops were held in local community spaces that people were familiar with, for example the White City Community Centre. The Public Steering Group helped with recruitment for the workshops, by promoting it in local networks, such as the Black and Minority Ethnic Forum newsletter (which Phayza is linked to). A diverse range of people with different knowledge and experience participated alongside NHS staff, with everyone learning from each other. Of the 23 workshop attendees, 16 were from ethnic minority groups and 9 lived in the most deprived areas of North West London.
“What I liked most about the workshops was working together and being very listened to. I appreciated all the effort which had been put into them” – Workshop attendee
The workshops were a melting pot of ideas and experiences. Building on the barriers we heard from initial interviews, people shared and discussed the issues they and their family members had faced attending hospital appointments and proposed solutions. At the next workshop, we developed the ideas further and had to think about whether the idea was feasible. For the prioritised ideas, we further developed what they could look like and shared this back to the workshop attendees for their feedback.
Testing the final ideas in a research study
The ideas taken forward from the workshops address barriers around paying for transport, travelling to appointments and fear of attending appointments. The solutions we developed include extra message reminders sent to patients before their appointments, which connect them to clearly designed web pages with information about how to get to their appointment, whether they’re eligible for travel cost reimbursement or what to expect at their appointment. We are testing these additional tailored reminders in a research study to see if they help people to attend their appointments and plan to roll out any successful changes across Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust.
Highlighting the impact of public involvement
The Public Steering Group influenced the project throughout, from reviewing interview questions to co-designing the language used in the texts and websites sent to patients in the study. When we were planning the interviews, Mohamed (a member of the Public Steering Group) reviewed the interview guide and suggested that we might have more success with recruitment if we talk about the impact the study could have at the start of the conversation with the patient instead of at the end.
“By beginning with the wonderful impact the study could have that you have given in the end it may in my opinion give the researcher a soft landing and a willing-to-participate interviewee/patient.” – Mohamed, Public Steering Group member
When we were prioritising themes to take the workshop, the Public Steering Group raised transport as a critical barrier to attending hospital appointments, initially not prioritised by the team. This suggestion significantly shaped the project’s direction, resulting in several final interventions aimed at improving support around transport.
Another example of a key recommendation from the group, was to ensure that appointment reminders that are being sent as part of the research study include a phone number for patients to call if they have questions or need to reschedule their appointment. This simple addition ensures that people without access to digital tools can still manage their appointments effectively. Another suggestion was to soften the language in the study’s appointment reminders to adopt a more supportive tone that encourages patients to attend.
“We suggested to change the text message language to ‘Let’s make it easy for you to plan your journey’ to make it warm and supportive” – Phayza, Public Steering Group member
Unfortunately not all of the ideas generated from the workshops could be taken forward, such as having ‘community health navigators’ supporting people with rescheduling or attending their appointments. However, we shared all the ideas back to Imperial NHS Trust to see if they could be adopted in other projects, and the Trust are continuing to use the insights from the project as part of their work to improve outpatient experience for patients.
Learning from this approach
We came up with several ideas about how the approach could have been improved, and have applied these changes in more recent projects with Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust. The team had organised paid childcare for one of the workshops which was during the half term school break, to allow parents to bring their children to the workshop. However, we could have also made this even clearer when advertising the workshops along with other supports that would help people to attend, such as carers or interpreters.
The Public Steering Group suggested that we recruit patients to interview by ringing them beforehand to schedule a call in advance, as opposed to asking to speak with them then and there. This new approach would have led to more in-depth conversations, as people could speak to us at a time that was convenient for them. We have used this method in another Trust project called Waiting Well, as well as offering the interviewee a choice of whether the interview is in-person (in a location chosen by the patient) or on the phone or on a video call.
“For the interviews and workshops, the team also could have utilised the Trust’s interpreting services so that we could hear from people who would prefer to speak other languages. I am pleased to hear that the team has taken forward all these ideas in other projects.” – Phayza,Public Steering Group member
Empowering community members to shape future initiatives
By involving community members from under-represented and under-served groups throughout the project, we helped to ensure the messages we are testing in our research study were appropriate and accessible.
We are still waiting on the results of the trial, which will be out later this year. We hope to see improvements in hospital appointment attendance, and if so, these interventions can be rolled out more widely at Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust and beyond.
We know people are waiting a long time to receive treatment. We also know people living in less advantaged areas experience health inequalities. Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust and the Helix Centre carried out a project, funded by the North West London Integrated Care Board, to understand the challenges faced by people living in less advantaged areas while waiting for orthopaedic treatment and to design tailored support initiatives that might help people to live well while waiting. To do this, we interviewed 7 patients to understand their experience of waiting for an orthopaedic procedure. Then we held a workshop with 8 patients at the Bush Theatre to design support ideas in response to the key insights from the interviews.
To ensure this project was informed by those with lived experience, we recruited two public partners to work with us throughout the project. In this blog post, our public partners Abiola Awojobi-Johnson and Mieko Wertheim tell us about their experience of being involved.
Why did you want to get involved in this project to help people live well while waiting?
Abiola: I’ve got lived experience of being on waiting lists for a very long time – literally years! I felt it was really important to be a lived experience voice for the wilderness of waiting: the physical and emotional impact of waiting when there’s no end in sight. When there’s no date set, you can feel forgotten, and I really wanted to be part of a project that would help with that.
Mieko: I’ve been on waiting lists for almost 50 years – all my married life. So I’m kind of used to it – I’ve been patiently waiting and didn’t even think about how things could be better. But I like any problem solving role, so if there is a way to improve things, that would be nice.
Patients met at the Bush Theatre to discuss how we can help support people to live well while waiting for an orthopaedic procedure.
What did you hope this project would achieve?
Abiola: I liked that this project wasn’t about trying to jump the queue or make the wait quicker, although that would be nice. This project was about how to wait well, and that’s what attracted me to it. We all know what the NHS is dealing with, the fallout from COVID and how hard everyone is working, so what I was interested in exploring was how we can wait well. As we know, our physical and mental health are so closely related, and if people aren’t feeling great while they’re waiting because they can’t walk down to the shops or go to the park or walk their dog, that’s going to have a knock on effect on their mental health as well. So, my hope with this project was not so much about shortening the wait, but thinking about how we can still have a good quality of life while waiting.
How were you involved in the project?
Abiola: Our role was first and foremost to provide the lived experience voice. We helped come up with the interview questions, reviewed the recruitment materials, read through the interview transcripts to pick out themes that were important from a patient perspective, and played a big role at the workshop where we got involved in discussions with our peers. So really just being involved from the get go.
And can you give an example of how your involvement impacted the project?
Mieko: English is not my first language, so when I was reviewing the interview questions, there were some questions that were hard to understand. I worked with the team to make the language a lot more clear. Also, at the workshop, I was friendly and helped the participants feel more relaxed and comfortable speaking.
Abiola: For me, there were a couple of things. With the interviews, I suggested adding a question around the impact of waiting on patients’ relationships with their family and friends. As a carer, this was important to me and it was something the team said they wouldn’t have thought to include otherwise.
The other thing was my idea of a ‘window to well-being whilst waiting’. The idea was to look at the positive things one can do while waiting, so that we approach the waiting process from a different perspective. I got the idea from a project with prisoners, where people went to prison and came out with a degree three years later. I wanted to borrow that way of thinking and recognise that we can’t speed up our wait, but we can change what we do while waiting so that it aligns with our values and interests. That could be taking up a new hobby, learning a new language, or doing some volunteering – just something positive you can do that takes the emphasis off the wait. I feel really proud to have created that idea, and I’m so glad to see that it has manifested into an actual outcome that is being taken forward by the Trust.
“I think it’s really important that people get involved, and I hope researchers can create accessible and meaningful opportunities for them to do so.”
– Abiola Awojobi-Johnson, public partner
What parts of the project did you most enjoy?
Mieko: For me, it was exchanging ideas from different points of view. I thought the team did a brilliant job of recruiting a wide variety of people with different ages, genders, ethnicities, and experiences. Some people were waiting for treatment because of an accident, for others it was chronic pain. And I learned how different each of their experiences was, and their different philosophies around waiting and the variety of emotions they felt.
What worked well on the project?
Abiola: The underpinning model of co-production guided everything, and that was the most important thing. To me, co-production is about feeling authenticity. I’ve worked on a few projects, and you can always tell when there’s a true authenticity in working alongside people. If you can see the lived experience experts as a peer or a colleague, then I think that’s a true model of co-production. If you’re still categorising us into the carers, or the patients, or the ones who are waiting, then that’s not a true model because you’re still thinking about ‘us and them’.
Mieko: This was my first time being so involved with a project. I’ve taken part in workshops before, but this was very different. You have to look at things from different aspects, and at the start I felt I didn’t know the answers, so it wasn’t easy. But I think my confidence grew throughout the project and now I feel more comfortable leading discussions and sharing my lived experience, instead of taking on a more passive role. It was a very good experience.
Patients met at the Bush Theatre to discuss how we can help support people to live well while waiting for an orthopaedic procedure.
Would you recommend other people get involved in these kinds of projects?
Mieko: Yes, you get a chance to get inside a project and get the inside story. And you see that there are people working hard to make things better, and it gives you a reason for hope. So, I actually do recommend these opportunities to my friends when I see them now. I share with them what I’ve done and what it’s like to be involved, and I encourage them to sign up.
Abiola: Yes, I think it’s really important that people get involved in projects like this. The lived experience voice is really important and should be at the heart of projects like this, so you can be a part of making a difference. And you get something out of it as well. It might seem difficult at the beginning, but once you get going there is such a sense of fulfilment. And there is a spiritual benefit of knowing other people are having a similar health experience to you. Usually, I could walk past a person on the street or sit next to them on the bus and not know that they are waiting for treatment as well, but this project allowed me to hear other people’s stories and feel like I was part of a silent army with a growing voice. There is a real strength and solidarity in that. So I think it’s really important that people get involved, and I hope researchers can create accessible and meaningful opportunities for them to do so.
The Health Policy MSc at Imperial College London is led by the Institute of Global Health Innovation. Laurence Woollard, a Health Policy Master’s student 2022-2024, shares his experience of the programme.
What’s your background? What did you study for your undergraduate degree?
Laurence Woollard (LW): In what now feels like another universe, I was originally pursuing a career in the music industry. I had studied Professional Musicianship at undergraduate level, finishing circa 2010. I then undertook a series of internships before landing a job offer at a music publisher in London. I reflect fondly on these times; the on-stage performance element as a gigging musician was a particularly important grounding in how to captivate and engage an audience’s attention, skills for which I have taken forward into my professional role and presentation delivery today.
What happened next? Why did you apply to study the Health Policy MSc at Imperial?
(LW): I entered the healthcare ‘arena’ through a lens of lived experience as being someone affected by the rare chronic bleeding disorder, haemophilia. Having initially volunteered for the national patient group, I developed a strong sense of personal agency and commitment to advocate on behalf of others impacted by my condition and other rare diseases. Since 2016, I have been engaging and partnering with various actors across the public, charitable and commercial sectors centring on patient involvement in healthcare decision making and research as well as demonstrating thought leadership on matters of empowerment and informed patient choice.
Laurence Wollard (right) with Aurelie Cnop, part of the Health Policy MSc teaching team
During this time, it became clear to me the importance of gaining a greater understanding of the relationship between health and health policy, both as a means of tackling existing and future health challenges in society as well as recognising the process in which economic and other public policies impact on people’s health. Moreover, I had personal ambitions of extending my advocacy work beyond a patient-provider focus to influencing health outcomes at a population level, using evidence-based policy making to drive change towards a more equitable paradigm for those impacted by rare conditions.
Therefore, a part-time Master’s programme felt the logical next step that would satisfy my learning needs as part of my professional development and provide the flexibility with balancing work, life and health demands. Imperial is renowned for its academic excellence and world-class experts, none more so than the Chair of the Health Policy MSc, Professor Lord Ara Darzi, who has recently been appointed by Government to lead an investigation into the state of the NHS. All in all, the course seemed to fit the brief!
MM: After graduation, I intend to continue working as a policymaker in health, with a focus on reducing health inequalities. My goal is to address systemic inefficiencies and create more equitable access to healthcare, particularly for underserved communities. By applying my policy expertise, I hope to shape policies that promote fairness and sustainability, ensuring that everyone, irrespective of their background, has access to quality healthcare.
‘’I joined this programme to expand my knowledge in the digital health field, grow my network, and learn something new that I can apply in my organisation and the wider community. I aim to transfer that knowledge to my colleagues, or at least have them feel my impact in some way.
‘’I have the opportunity to be a great contributor in my team, so I need to upskill myself, my leadership skills, especially around digital landscape.
‘’I can absolutely see how the data and systems we use within the workforce haven’t caught up with the rest of the digital world. So, I’m hoping to gain from this course not only opportunities to enhance my leadership skills and support my career development, but also to advance the workforce systems and help our diagnostics 
‘’I’ve taken on some more senior leadership roles in digital, and I felt I needed to gain more expertise to perform better in those roles. I decided to come to Imperial to do that, and to 
‘’I would like to gain an academic understanding of the programme and how we apply clinical informatics in the broader AHP-related field. Being appointed as the first Chief AHP Information Officer has provided me with the platform to 
‘’I’ve been involved in many digital health projects in my Trust, and I’m eager to improve stakeholder engagement and collaboration among executive teams, clinical teams, and IT to effectively deploy digital health systems.
‘’I work in primary care in an area of high social deprivation in the UK. When you work in a place with such deep need, digital change is one of the obvious equalizers. But how do you make that happen? I’m here to understand what we need to do better to implement change at the ground level. 
‘’My first motivation is engaging with more people from different backgrounds, from clinical to project management. My second motivation is gaining hands-on experience rather than just theory. Third, I am interested in learning and stepping out of my comfort zone. 
‘’I was looking for something that would impact my work and challenge me on different levels. After the last two days, I am certain that’s exactly what I will get. The past two days have been intense, giving me lots of 
The CROPSNet team wishes to thank all of the presenters who were involved in the launch event, as well as the audience who were engaged throughout the day and provided valuable contributions. The CROPSNet team are now aiming to build on this excellent start by developing an online presence and providing a space for CROPSNet members to connect and collaborate.
