#Astrid Fairclough – Dorset Care Record

Our Programme Director Astrid Fairclough was part of a Health Service Journal (HSJ) webinar earlier this autumn, that looked at the progress of shared care records and plans for their future

Run in association with Orion Health, Astrid joined a small panel of experts from Doncaster and Derbyshire to consider the progress that has already been made on shared care records and – importantly – where we might go from here.

Convenor Claire Read said what was quickly clear was that, regardless of starting point, there had been consistent advances on shared care records in recent months.

The Dorset Care Record was launched in March 2018 and Astrid Fairclough spoke of how the pandemic had brought about “astronomical increases in use”. Continue reading “Shared Care Records – Reviewing Progress and Planning Next Steps” →

Seven years ago, our Programme Director Astrid Fairclough was seconded to the then Department of Health to lead the Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) programme. Working closely with NHS Digital, the team delivered world leading statistics about FGM and the FGM Information Sharing System. Last year, with the support of a Winston Churchill Memorial Trust fellowship, Astrid travelled to Kenya, Egypt, Sierra Leone and Australia to look at the personal and emotional side to FGM. The report was published last week, and Astrid is now embarking on the next stage of her work – sharing her findings with colleagues across the NHS and those working to End FGM.

I’ve been lucky enough to have made a career in the NHS, but never when I joined my local PCT straight after school did I imagine that some 15 years later, my employer would supported me to complete an international research Fellowship. But last year, I travelled to Kenya, Egypt, Sierra Leone and then Australia, and I have just published my report recommending how we can improve how we tackle female genital mutilation (FGM) in the UK.

Within this article, I’d like to both share a little about the research and also share about the Winston Churchill Memorial Trust, the remarkable organisation who gave me a grant to complete this opportunity.

Continue reading “From an NHS project job to remote Sierra Leone; an unexpected but incredible development journey” →