Usha is a Renal Registrar with the Yorkshire and Humber Deanery and previously took time to work as a Leadership Fellow at the AHSN Improvement Academy.

Usha was the project manager for the Regional Mortality Case Record Review Programme. This was a challenging yet exciting role. She suppored Acute and Mental Health trusts regionally in embedding the use of a validated systematic mortality review methodology in their clinical governance structure. Usha facilitated the training of front line staff in using the Structured Judgement Review (SJR) methodology and also chairs the regional mortality steering group meeting. She also supported Trusts in the QI work resulting from the thematic analysis of their mortality reviews.

Usha is a core team member of the National Mortality Case Record Review Programme (NMCRR) which is being delivered nationally across England & Scotland by the Royal College of Physicians in partnership with the Improvement Academy.

She also worked closely with the renal teams in Bradford & Leeds. Usha is involved in a portfolio of renal projects.

Usha shared some reflections after her year working with the Improvement Academy as a Clinical Leadership Fellow:

“The two years I spent at the IA as a clinical leadership fellow has been a great learning experience with fantastic career and personal development opportunities. I was able to work closely with some of the best regional and national healthcare leaders, gaining invaluable insight into broader policy decision making, implementation and evaluation.

During my time at the IA I was the mortality programme lead, working with 13 acute and 5 mental health trusts, supporting the uptake of a standardised mortality review method to enable organisational learning
and improvement of care delivery systems. As part of this work I went on to set up a relatives and carers involvement subgroup working with lay representatives to develop a flexible framework for better engagement with the bereaved. I also set up a separate Mental Health Mortality Review programme which has influenced the soon to be launched national programme by RCPsych.

I was delighted that my work on the Yorkshire and Humber mortality review programme was recognised with three national patient safety awards nominations; BMJ QI initiative of the year award, RCP Excellence in Patient
Care award and HSJ Patient Safety award.

During these two years, I was also core team member for the National Mortality Case Record Review programme working with the Royal College of Physicians in the standardisation of mortality reviews across England and Scotland. As part of this programme I worked with DATIX to develop the programme’s data collection and analysis platform, developed an elearning package and put together the national mortality review implementation toolkit. Other achievements include become a QI trainer, obtaining a post graduate certificate in medical leadership and being awarded a bursary for a Masters in Patient Safety from Imperial College London which I am enjoying immensely.

In a nutshell, my two year fellowship with the IA has not only transformed me into an effective healthcare leader but has also allowed me to develop expertise in patient safety and quality improvement.”