Connect Health appoints clinical education lead to drive forward clinical academy

The UK’s largest provider of integrated community MSK (musculoskeletal) and pain services, Connect Health, has appointed Ash James in the newly created role of National Clinical Education Lead.

It’s a role that will spearhead the company’s approach to colleague development and clinical excellence through its National Clinical Academy.

With over 10 years’ experience working in MSK clinical leadership and senior management roles, Ash is currently completing a PhD at Manchester Metropolitan University and is a spokesperson for the Chartered Society of Physiotherapists.

The National Clinical Academy will build on Connect Health’s learning and development strategy, setting a high bar for excellence across its clinical workforce.

It will incorporate existing schemes such as the Graduate Development Programme (GDP), Accelerated Development Programme (ADP), Advanced Clinical Practice (ACP) apprenticeships as well as clinical supervision, R&D and audit frameworks.

This will help to improve the benchmarking of clinical education and deliver at a national level and consequently the ability to positively impact patient outcomes.

Steve Nawoor, deputy director of clinical delivery & consultant physiotherapist at Connect Health, said: “People are our biggest asset and appointing a National Clinical Education Lead of Ash’s calibre represents a fantastic opportunity to take our approach to professional development of our colleagues to another level.”

Ash added: “I am incredibly excited to start in the role of National Clinical Education Lead for such a forward-thinking and innovative company as Connect Health.

“I am most looking forward to working with its outstanding group of clinicians throughout the UK and it is my goal to provide them with the opportunity to become the best educated group of professionals in the musculoskeletal space.

“I will try to implement a pathway structure that allows for continued, targeted development that is a mix of face to face interaction with peers, patients and senior colleagues along with self-directed learning through the innovative use of technology.

“I want Connect Health to continue to be leaders in the delivery of outstanding patient care nationwide and hopefully I can add something to the team to help us achieve that.”