New Community Nursing Innovation Projects Begin
24 March 2022
The most recent group of QNI Community Nursing Innovation Projects have begun across England.
The group of 12 projects are a diverse group representing two separate but connected themes – Gardens and Health, supported by The National Garden Scheme, and Personalised Care, supported by NHS England and Improvement. The Gardens and Health Projects are known as the NGS Elsie Wagg (Innovation) Scholarships (see note below).
The 12 nurse-led projects all aim in different ways to improve the health of a community or group of people in a particular location, using innovative approaches. All the projects benefit from a year of support by the QNI’s Innovation Team, and financial support to enable them to put their projects into action. Learning from the projects will help inform future developments in community healthcare.
A full list of the projects is attached below. Seven of the projects are funded with the aid of the National Garden Scheme and will be designated the NGS Elsie Wagg (Innovation) Scholarships. Five projects are funded by NHS England and Improvement, as part of the Personalised Care agenda. Two of the five NHS projects will additionally be designated as Elsie Wagg Scholarships, as their projects are also garden focused.
These projects will have a very substantial impact, both through the process of delivering them and in the outcomes for individuals in the community. I am also delighted that the standard of applications was very high and far beyond our expectations. The Elsie Wagg Innovation projects have a key aim to bring the health benefits of gardens and gardening to people and families who may never have had a garden or been able to benefit from gardening before. The programme is also very timely as we work to address the continuing physical, mental and emotional effects of the pandemic. I believe this is part of a wonderful new chapter in the life of the National Garden Scheme and in our partnership with the QNI.
George Plumptre, Chief Executive, The National Garden SchemeWe are looking forward to working with all the nurse project leaders and their colleagues who have such exciting ideas to improve the health of individual and population health in some very innovative ways. The projects are based in the north, south, east and west of England and include primary care, care homes, children’s services, homeless and inclusion health services, and dementia care and as such represent the huge strength and diversity of community nursing across the country and its potential to deliver lasting and meaningful benefits across the life course.
We are very grateful to the support received from NHS England/Improvement and from the National Garden Scheme that together has enabled us to offer such an innovative programme.”
The NGS Elsie Wagg (Innovation) Scholarships are funded with the support of the National Garden Scheme, which has opened private gardens of interest and character since 1927. Elsie Wagg was the QNI Council Member whose idea it was led to the opening of the first gardens for charity in 1927, which led to the creation of the National Garden Scheme as an independent charity and major healthcare funder. The scholarship programme in her named was launched by the two charities in 2021: https://www.qni.org.uk/explore-qni/qni-awards/the-ngs-elsie-wagg-innovation-scholarship/
The Personalised Care projects are funded by NHS England/Improvement, building on a partnership in delivering personalised care in the community over several years. For more information see: https://www.qni.org.uk/nursing-in-the-community/personalised-care/
The Community Nursing Innovation Programme
The QNI’s Community Nursing Innovation Programme (CNIP) is the successor to the charity’s Fund for Innovation Programme. The programme supports nurse-led projects that improve care for people in the community. Programme cohorts are normally themed for a particular area of community healthcare. The QNI has been supporting nurse-led innovations in the community for over thirty years and some 350 projects have benefited from support, leading to improved care for tens of thousands of individuals and families.
The QNI welcomes proposals to co-fund Community Nursing Innovation Programmes from healthcare provider organisations. For more information, to discuss your ideas or to apply, please visit our website: https://www.qni.org.uk/explore-qni/nurse-led-projects/partnerships-for-innovation/
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