90 Seconds with Dr Paul Gilluley

 15th September 2016

We spoke to Dr Paul Gilluley, Head of our Forensic Services at ELFT,  about his role and his thoughts on quality improvement…

Thank you for agreeing to be interviewed today. Firstly, could you give us a brief summary of your role and what a typical day at work is for you?

I am Head of Forensic Services which means I have clinical and operational responsibility for the adult secure mental health services at East London Foundation Trust.  I am not sure I have a typical day.  Part of the week I am based at Trust HQ in management meetings and then I spend a few days at John Howard Centre.  One day per week I provide clinical input for the PIPE at HMP Swaleside.

What do you enjoy most about your role?

I enjoy the variety of the role and the fact that no two days are the same.  Most of all however I enjoy the challenge of improving our services and how we can make things better for both staff and patients.

What do you do in your day-to-day work to support us to continually improve?

One of my most important roles in making sure we are continually improving is to motivate and acknowledge staff and patients input in making services better.  We have some really fantastic staff in this Trust which makes my job an absolute pleasure.

Do you think it is important for the leaders of this Trust to embrace quality improvement? Why?

I am a great believer that no matter how good we are we can always do better and the best people to show us how to do this are those on the front line. Quality Improvement gives us a structure to do this hence it is important that leaders in the Trust are on board.   

What would you say to someone who feels that QI is a box ticking exercise and is unsure about the benefits of QI to us as a whole Trust and themselves individually?

I have heard this said before but then once someone has involved themselves in a project and actually seen the results their attitude change from my experience. I think it is important we acknowledge people’s views but also ask then to give it a try to test it out.   

Do you have a story of something inspiring that has occurred through QI?

Watching how the self catering project at Wolfson House spread was truly inspiring. Listening to the enjoyment patients gain from the Bridge Club is also impressive!    

What do you see as the biggest challenge to embed quality improvement, and what can we do to tackle this?

The think I hear most frequently is “TIME”.  Where do you find the time? How do you prioritise this?  How do we stop seeing this as something extra?

Where do you see us as a Trust in 3 years’ time?

In 3 years I hope to see QI as part of our everyday work in all parts of the trust and in each individual’s work day.

Finally, could you sum up what quality improvement means to you and why you feel it is so important to us as a Trust to embrace.

No matter how good we are we can always do better!