Angela Bradshaw was welcomed back by colleagues to be the lead speaker at our Quality Improvement workshop at Briar Court Hotel - attended by 33 colleagues.

The  workshop was the idea of Carole Hallam and Maggie Shepley - winners of the Gordon McLean Award at last year's Celebrating Success awards.  The award comes with a bursary to be invested on work projects.

They decided to use it to fund a workshop to help develop other nurses to be able to put their improvement ideas into action in their wards and departments.

Mel Johnson from the Improvement Academy and Lisa Fox, our Clinical Information Manager gave a practical account of how to shape ideas into quality improvement plans and the importance of measuring the changes.

Carole said: "Angela provided an excellent account of the role of leadership in making changes and how we all can use our influence to make improvements. The day evaluated really well with all the group making personal pledges on what they are going to improve in their workplace."

More about Angela, pictured left.

Angela's career started as a student in 1973 and took her to many areas including coronary care, midwifery and district nursing. She was Senior Nurse in Community (covered Diane's Ashton's maternity). In the 90s she was Deputy Director of Nursing before she moved into Organisational Development where she became Head of Patient and Public Involvement and head of membership. She now is involved with Mencap and the NSPCC and, recently, has trained to perform civil weddings in Kirklees.

What was it like to be a student nurse then?

"As a student we spent many nights in the Glebe pub (now the Wireworks) playing dominoes. You had to "live-in" in the first year and there was a strict "no boys" rule. When my brother came to help me unpack  I was asked in no uncertain terms "Who's he?" We had to be in for 1 am but Johnny's  (nightclub in Huddersfield) closed at 2 am. Difficult..... Once we were too late to get in so someone threw our nurses capes out of the windows to us and we slept in them in a car for the night in the car park.

What's it like performing wedding ceremonies?

You are creating social history writing that wedding certificate. I also see every couple as being very different, so it is very similar to being a nurse. That was how I cared for my patients. Every one of them was different with different needs. Every family is different.

Did you have a hero?

Yes, Sister Simon. I started SEN training yet she saw the potential in me and switched me to SRN training. She just told Matron Simpson: " This is Cooper (we were called by our surnames then) she needs to sit her entrance examination." I can still hear her saying it.  She saw in me what I never did or never knew about myself."

The NHS is 70 next year. How does that make you feel?

The NHS gave me my immunisations, then it gave me my career, my children.... and an awful lot of fun. Also we should never forget all the people who have and continue to make the NHS what it is and show so much commitment to caring for patients.

 What makes a good leader?

Successful change needs effective leadership. At the event at Briar Court all colleagues were really engaged in Quality Improvement and there was a lovely interaction throughout the day.