First Children’s Hospital in Europe to be Pathway to Excellence accredited

Nottingham Children’s Hospital is recognised nationally and internationally for our standards of care excellence. We produce research that has the potential to change clinical practice around the UK and across the world, and we’re leading the way in a number of new innovations to further improve clinical practice and patient and staff experience.

To further this, we have become the first children’s hospital in the UK and in Europe, to achieve the Pathway to Excellence accreditation.

Certified by the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC), the largest certification body for advanced practice registered nurses in the US, the accreditation is of national significance and an international marker for care excellence.

The Pathway to Excellence programme is interested in the experience of working at NUH, and specifically within Nottingham Children’s Hospital.

The accreditation means that Nottingham Children’s Hospital is internationally recognised as an excellent place for nurses to work, with high job satisfaction, professional opportunity and retention, which enables our staff to deliver outstanding patient care.

The Pathway to Excellence program is recognised globally as enabling nursing excellence, instilling a strong sense of professional pride and offers proven strategies to help ensure that the care that we deliver to our patients is of the highest standards.

This achievement is not only of national significance but it is also a significant time for us, and will more than consolidate NUH’s position on the map, nationally and internationally.

This journey was funded by Nottingham Hospitals Charity

You can read the full story on how we achieved the accreditation and what it means to patients and staff here

 

How does the accrediting process work?

The Pathway to Excellence programme is interested in the experiences and practices of our staff. A 28 question survey was issued to every Registered Nurse working in our Children’s Hospital, with the questions focussing around six standards that assess various aspects of nursing practice.

The six standards are:

  • Shared decision making
  • Leadership
  • Safety
  • Quality
  • Wellbeing
  • Professional development

While the accreditation applies to Nottingham Children's Hospital as a whole, the ANCC has clear guidelines about who can be involved in the surveying process. The survey was only issued to Registered Nurses, as this registration aligns with the ANCC’s definition of nursing.

Successful accreditation is dependent upon us reaching a completion target, and the results showing agreement with best-practice care excellence.

We appreciate the vital part that all members of the Children’s Hospital play in providing outstanding care for our patients and their families. We are very clear that our accreditation reflects the efforts of every individual involved in patient care and experience, regardless of your role or registration status.

We’re currently in the process of introducing a new recognition scheme – the TULIP (Touching Unique Lives in Practice) badge – which will better recognise the contribution of colleagues across NUH who directly and indirectly provide outstanding care to our patients, their families and carers. You will soon see nomination forms on our wards and in departments, giving patients the opportunity to thank support staff working in all roles.

What are the accreditation process timeframes?

Our accreditation survey will be issued on 16 June and it will run for three weeks, with the accreditation to follow later in 2020 if we are successful.

In February 2020 we also submitted evidence to the ANCC. This was evidence of excellence against the accreditation’s six standards: Shared decision making, leadership, safety, quality, wellbeing and professional development.

What are the benefits of the Pathway to Excellence accreditation for me?

This accreditation gives us an international platform to showcase the exceptional innovation and research happening in our area.


It means we can position ourselves as a destination of choice, both in the UK and globally. We can clearly evidence that we are a forward-thinking and ambitious children's hospital, bringing our profile in-line with some of the most recognisable institutions in the UK.

At an individual level, the accreditation benefits each and every member of our children's hospital team and NUH as a whole. You will be working at an internationally-accredited Children’s Hospital, opening up further opportunities for your future career progression and ongoing development.

Pathway to Excellence video

Shared Governance

We support a Shared Governance approach at Nottingham Children's Hospital. 

The Shared Governance model of leadership encourages personal and professional development whilst focussing on improving patient safety, patient experience and staff experience.

Nottingham Children's Hospital is proud to have the following Councils:

  • PCCU
  • Surgical 
  • Neonatal
  • CAU/E37

You can read more about Shared Governance at Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust here.

Any questions?

If you have any questions about our Pathway to Excellence journey, or you’d like further information or advice, please do get in touch. Email pathwaytoexcellence@nuh.nhs.uk to contact our Pathway to Excellence Team.