Exemplar Case Studies: Nursing and Midwifery Excellence in the Midlands

We are proud to be working in partnership with the National CNO
Policy and Strategy Unit at NHS England to support national
Excellence ambitions, establishing a collective leadership model
and ensuring evidence-based approaches in the development of
positive practice environments. Essentially, this work builds on the
learning from the CNO Shared Governance: Collective Leadership
programme and underpins the delivery of the CNO for England’s
Excellence programme.
In 2023 we formed the Midlands Nursing and Midwifery Excellence
Network to establish a Midlands-wide collective leadership model
with a focus on transformational leadership, research, and
innovation. We are committed to creating a culture of Excellence,
fostering positive work environments for our nurses and midwives
to flourish, and ensuring delivery of the highest quality of care.
Through consultation and co-design with the regional network, we
developed six pillars fundamental to embedding a culture of
Excellence, namely: Local Accreditation, Shared Professional
Decision-Making, Meaningful Recognition, Distributed Leadership,
Continuous Quality Improvement, and Research and Innovation.
As part of this, the DEFiNe (Determining Excellence Factors in
Nursing and Midwifery) study was commissioned to build on the
national evidence base and ensure Excellence work is underpinned
by robust evidence. Researchers conducted case study interviews
with Excellence leads from thirteen organisations across the
Midlands; it is the first time a comprehensive picture of Nursing and
Midwifery Excellence has been portrayed across the region, which
demonstrates our commitment to improvement work leading to
healthy work environments.
This collection of 39 case studies showcases the inspirational work
taking place across the region. Cases are organised and aligned
with each pillar of the framework. Our aim is to share learning
regarding what has been achieved, how this was made possible,
and the benefits to our staff, our patients, and our communities. We
want to share the principles of Excellence with all organisations, so
we can learn from, recognise, celebrate, and inspire each other.
We are excited to continue to drive this agenda forwards and grow
a collective culture of Excellence through shared learning.
Thank you to the members of the Midlands Excellence Network and
our case study participants for all of your fantastic contributions.