Ket Points:

• Leading innovative projects
• Cross organizational working
• Developing trust and sustainable relationships
• Managing risk
• Meeting challenges

The NHS Direct telephone triage and clinical assessment service was a new and innovative nurse led service when Dr Jean Challiner joined them in 2002. The organisation was well liked by patients but met many challenges from other parts of the NHS. It also had its own internal challenges, reorganising structurally from 22 separate sites to a single virtual organisation and at the same time growing significantly in terms of call volumes and web based enquiries.

Initially as a site Medical Director and then Medical Director for Clinical Development, Jean engaged with internal and external stakeholders to evidence the effectiveness of the service and to develop operational flows and clinical assessment processes to achieve better patient outcomes. She introduced clinical audit into the organisation and, although difficult, also across organisational boundaries with OOH providers, A&E Departments and Ambulance Services. This helped dispel many myths, consolidated relationships and led to new, more appreciative ways of working.

In 2008, Jean was head hunted for a role with Clinical Solutions International Ltd, a small but global supplier of clinical decision support software and assessment algorithms to NHS Direct and other providers delivering telephone triage and clinical assessment on a local or national scale (e.g. NHS Direct Wales, NHS 24 in Scotland, NHT 24 in Portugal and others in Europe, Norway, New Zealand and America).

"I joined Clinical Solutions at the start of 2010 being an experienced sales leader. Whilst our backgrounds were diverse, Jean was able to communicate to my team and myself of the importance and responsibilities in selling clinical decision support and commanded huge respect from an experienced sales team. I worked closely with Jean on all the significant clinically based opportunities (both UK and international) and could not have won the business we did without her renowned clinical experience, ability to communicate at all levels with clinicians/technicians alike and her underlying commitment and drive to meet deadlines and customer commitments. Above all else, myself, my colleagues in sales and often the customers themselves learned so much from Jean, that we all felt enriched and more knowledgeable for it" - Richard Atkins, CEO Synergistica Services.

Jean led the organisation clinically as Chief Medical Officer and Executive Vice President - Clinical. Here she engaged with a range of stakeholders across the world applying her skills to understand non UK health economies, different models of service, different funding models and different health challenges (even across language barriers). The necessary cross organisational clinical governance framework and an External Clinical Panel was put into place to ensure safe and appropriate customisation and localisation of the software, content and training and to assure optimum outcomes for patients and system users. This involved major organisational change for some customers but through open and honest dialogue the two organisations worked closely together for successful implementations. The projects also required close working relationships with internal teams, most notably the sales and technical development teams and Jean's own clinical development team.

Jean used her leadership skills with an inclusive, supportive and appreciative approach to help the company secure a global framework agreement with Telefonica, a national contract for Australia with Healthdirect Australia and other contracts in the UK, Ghana, Mexico and other parts of Scandinavia. 

Jean’s approach and skills are endorsed by organizations (both UK and internationally) who continue to value her services today to provide the guidance and experience necessary to help them deliver value based regional/national health services. Her input and direction is seen as both the benchmark for quality and a seal of approval. Her colleagues, commercial, technical and clinical, remain close to Jean and do not hesitate to bring her in when services need to evolve and clients are looking for clinical leadership and guidance.