News

Zircadian Consulting Limited is a new clinician-led healthcare consultancy specialising in clinical workforce and service re-design that will help NHS trusts to meet the QIPP (Quality, Innovation, Productivity and Prevention) agenda. The clinical consulting team is made up of high profile, qualified doctors and nurses with varied clinical and managerial backgrounds. Through service and workforce review and redevelopment, Zircadian Consulting will empower organisations to raise the quality of care delivered to patients, maximising productivity and efficiency while fully embracing and exploring innovation.

 

The managerial experience within the team at Zircadian Consulting covers acute teaching hospitals, strategic health authorities, primary care trusts and healthcare consultancy firms. Members of the team also have specific experience in paediatrics, general practice, public health, surgical specialities and emergency medicine.

 

Matthew Bluck, Director of Zircadian Consulting Limited commented, “Workforce development is a major issue for healthcare organisations. Now more than ever it is critical for NHS trusts to ensure that their clinical staff are working in the most efficient way, enabling them to continue to improve the services they provide for patients.”

 

Joining Matthew Bluck on the management board at Zircadian Consulting are Dr. Yasmin Ahmed-Little as Non Executive Director, Dr. Deborah Kendall as Medical Director and Dr Henry Carleton. Dr. Mona Stokes and Dr Masood Ahmed are joining Zircadian Consulting in the positions of Senior Consultant and Managing Consultant respectively. Chris Broome also joins the team as Junior Consultant to provide expert legal advice.

 

Matthew Bluck has an extensive track record of workforce development covering both consultants and junior doctors and has been involved in many NHS and allied projects in this area.

 

Dr. Yasmin Ahmed-Little has a passion for developing leadership capacity within the NHS, particularly among junior staff. In 2008 Yasmin led the team of junior doctors that won the HSJ Award for Workforce Development and that were shortlisted for The Secretary for State Award.

 

Dr. Deborah Kendall is an experienced clinician, currently leading a multi-centre clinical drug trial. Deborah was the medical advisor to the team led by Yasmin that won the HSJ award.

 

Dr. Mona Stokes is a fully trained GP, and has worked on issues regarding doctors’ hours, training and recruitment. Dr. Masood Ahmed is one of a handful of medics with a detailed knowledge of the Working Time Directive (WTD) and the New Deal contract for doctors in training and is a published author on the subject.

 

Services provided by the new consultancy, which is an off shoot from Zircadian Limited, the leading supplier to the NHS of Doctors’ workforce management solutions, include:

• Medical consultant workforce reviews

• Consultant team job planning facilitation

• Clinical healthcare projects and project support

• Service pathway reviews

• Workforce development training and facilitation
  

• Medical staffing training and support
  

• Junior doctor rota design
  

• Trust executive junior doctor pay banding appeal support
  

• Nursing workforce skill mix and productivity reviews
  

• Allied health professional and scientific/technical staff reviews

 

Dr. Deborah Kendall said, “At the moment, there are no other consultancies able to provide the level of workforce expertise offered by Zircadian Consulting. Zircadian Consulting is led by qualified clinicians with a broad experience across many aspects of NHS organisations. We anticipate that our services will enable trusts to redevelop their workforces to work more efficiently while continuing to improve the safety of services offered to patients."

 

Meet the team:

 

Matthew Bluck , MA, RN, Dip HE, has extensive knowledge of medical workforce development including both consultant and junior doctor contracts, the European Working Time Directive, the ‘Hospital at Night’ project, Modernising Medical Careers, and the ‘Skills for Health’ and ‘New ways of Working’ programmes. Prior to joining Zircadian Matthew held a split post working for a Strategic Health Authority Medical Workforce Development Team and a Children, Young People and Families Network.

 

Dr. Yasmin Ahmed-Little, MBChB, MA (Merit), is a Fellow of the National Leadership Council, a Leadership Fellow at the Health Foundation and national Vice-chair of BAMMbino 2009-2010 (junior doctor division of the former British Association of Medical Managers). Yasmin has a passion for developing leadership capacity within the NHS, particularly amongst junior staff, supporting leadership succession planning in the NHS. In 2008 Yasmin led the team of seven junior doctors that won the HSJ Award for Workforce Development, and that were shortlisted for The Secretary of State Award.

 

Dr. Deborah Kendall, BSc(Hons) MBChB MRCPCH, is an experienced clinician with a dual CCT in General Paediatrics and Paediatric Endocrinology and Diabetes. She is currently leading a multi-centre clinical drug trial and writing up her MD at the University of Manchester. Deborah has a significant track record in NHS management and medical workforce development working as a project director for the NHS North West Junior Doctor Advisory team, responsible for junior doctor workforce issues at 38 acute trusts across the region. Deborah was medical advisor to the team led by Yasmin that won the HSJ Award in 2008.

 

Dr. Mona Stokes, MBChB, MRCS(Ed), DFSRH, MRCGP, is a fully trained GP with experience of both hospital and primary care environments. She has worked on issues regarding doctors’ hours, training and recruitment at a regional and national level. Having worked in the health service for over 10 years, both in frontline services and administration, Mona has built a keen interest in producing safe, effective service improvements and efficiencies. She has been involved in service redesign processes and targeted support to trusts in difficulty. Mona is highly interested in the interface between management and clinicians, particularly in engaging with individuals to effect change.

 

Dr Masood Ahmed, MBBS, is one of a handful of medics with a detailed knowledge of the Working Time Directive (WTD) and the New Deal contract for doctors in training and is a published author on the subject. As Associate Medical Director of the West Midlands Deanery Action Team Masood was the Deanery lead for the first stage of implementing WTD for over 4,000 junior doctors. As Chairman of the BMA Junior Doctors' Committee Negotiating Team, he led on the current Specialist Trainee pay scales negotiations. He has worked in close partnership with the Skills for Health Workforce Projects Team and the NHS North West EWTD Medical Development Team, in tackling the challenges of the WTD.

 

Chris Broome LL.B (Hons) LL.M, joins the team as Junior Consultant. Before joining Zircadian in May 2009, Chris worked for a multi-national company as a Regional Training Officer whilst studying for his Law degree. Chris has a Merit award for a Masters in Medical Law and Bioethics.

For more information on Zircadian Consulting please email: dee.enright@zircadian.com or call 020 8946 8199.