A leading nurse in research from Lancashire Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust has won a place on a prestigious Florence Nightingale Leadership Programme.
Nearly 600 applicants nationally applied for the highly sought-after course – and our very own Deepsi Khatiwada, made the final cohort of 44 scholars to develop her career as a future leader in healthcare.
The programme, named the Florence Nightingale Windrush Leadership Programme, is funded by Health Education England and provides bespoke leadership development opportunities for nurses and midwives (band 5 – 7) who are descendants of the Windrush generation or from a BAME background working in the NHS in England.
As part of the application and selection process, Deepsi had to demonstrate her commitment to the healthcare profession and her motivation to influence improvements in patient experience and health outcomes. She submitted an abstract titled ‘Patient and Public Research Awareness and Experience – Promoting Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion in Clinical Research’ as a part of the programme.
Deepsi, whose abstract was selected as one of the winners, was nominated for the programme by Sarah Cullen, Nursing, Midwifery and AHPs Director at Lancashire Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, who said: “Deepsi is an exceptional nurse who has aspirations to develop her career as a healthcare leader. Deepsi’s scholar award is a testament to her commitment to the NHS and her professionalism and resilience. On behalf of everyone at Lancashire Teaching Hospitals, I would like to congratulate Deepsi on this fantastic achievement.”
Deepsi was recently invited to present her project on the Florence Nightingale Foundation celebration day which was held remotely due to COVID restrictions. Her presentation attracted excellent feedback including “Amazing project, leader and speaker, very inspirational, beautifully executed, You’re enough. Brilliant”.
RADA training, one of the programme trainers on developing an individual’s presence and personal impact, commented “You are a phenomenon! Your energy and willingness to show your vulnerability is the stuff of transformational leadership”.
Deepsi Khatiwada, Research Nurse, said: “As a staff member of LTHTR, I am extremely honoured and humbled to have had the opportunity to be a student and now alumni of the Florence Nightingale Academy. I am incredibly grateful to Sarah Cullen, Director of Nursing, Paul Brown, Head of research, and Nichola Verstralen (Research Matron), for their support and belief in me.
“I am deeply indebted to research participants and patients who inspire and enthuse me with their courage, compassion, resilience, and hope – the ultimate weapon in the fight against any illness.
“Research is not just a job for me – it is a vocation and I am privileged to be part of an excellent research centre. I am committed to using the skills learned from the programme to facilitate accessible and equitable research delivery, by addressing the visible and invisible impediments. I will do my best not only to maintain but also promote participants’ hope, faith, and belief in research.”
You can find out more about the Florence Nightingale Foundation here.
