Exemplar Case Studies: Nursing & 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.