eNews December: Spotlight on... Dr Paul Grundy

Describe your role in one sentence 

My role is to create a more effective, more efficient and safer environment for patients.

What are your main challenges and how do you overcome them...
Like other clinical leaders, my main challenges are the growing tensions between expectations of the hospital and NHS commissioners to deliver greater productivity with an ever diminishing resource.

We have an ongoing strategy for looking at making ourselves more effective and efficient which is focused on pathways of care and reducing the length of hospital stay.

What is the most difficult challenge you see doctors facing in their role as leaders?
The balance between being busy clinicians and leaders of departments: I’ve been successful by gaining the respect of colleagues and leading by example. I have introduced pathways of care which were shown to be effective. It’s always a difficult balancing act to work out how much time I have to dedicate to each part of my job though.

Why did you join FMLM?
I’ve never had any formal leadership training as it wasn’t part of the curriculum when I studied.

I joined FMLM for my own education and personal development.  It’s exciting to be part of a leadership community and I wanted to meet similar minded people with similar interests from whom I can learn something. I learn better from an interactive networking environment.