In 2005 I applied for a Florence Nightingale Foundation Leadership Scholarship. At the time I was director of nursing at East Somerset NHS Trust (now Yeovil District Hospital Foundation Trust). I was delighted to be successful at interview and the bursary award for my scholarship year gave me the opportunity to pursue my interest in healthcare improvement.

At the start of 2006 I was appointed director of nursing at The North West London Hospitals NHS Trust. Following the Healthcare Commission Report (2005) into ten maternal deaths at the trust between 2002 and 2005, I was keen to understand the factors involved in reducing hospital mortality.

In December 2004 the Institute of Health Improvement (IHI) in Cambridge, Massachusetts had launched a campaign called Saving 100,000 Lives (IHI, nd). I was captivated by this campaign, as it brought together for me a set of ideas that crystallised my desire to be part of an initiative for healthcare improvement that was relevant and purposeful to my new organisation, role and professional practice.

The unique combination of the prestigious leadership scholarship, which entailed a generous bursary, and the campaign launched in the US allowed me to visit and focus my attention on learning more.

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This article by Elizabeth Robb is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial 3.0 License.