💡“Building Confidence Through Innovation: From Theatre Projects to Global Solutions”

In 2003, during my first week as a student Operating Department Practitioner (ODP), I identified a global patient safety problem that would later evolve into the concept behind the global innovative medical device: LEAFix. Tackling something so significant simply felt far beyond me at that time in my very early career in healthcare.

So, once qualified as an ODP I spent more than a decade building the skills, confidence, and strategic insight needed to take on a challenge of that scale. I did this by identifying improvement projects related to both patient & staff safety within my department, teaching me how to analyse problems, lead change, and implement solutions that lasted.

Over the years that followed, I created and delivered multiple high-impact innovations within my NHS department: improving pressure relief systems for surgical patients, strengthening sharps safety, transforming waste management, saving more than £500,000, and establishing communication systems that connected colleagues across shifts and sites. These were not small wins, they became the training ground that shaped my innovation mindset.

This blog shares that journey. It explains how recognising a problem is only the beginning, and how intrapreneurial projects within your own department can provide the structure, confidence, and experience needed to eventually tackle the bigger, more complex challenge you’ve been quietly thinking about.

Whether you’re a new healthcare professional or an experienced clinician who has spotted something that needs fixing but doesn’t know where to begin, this story is designed to help you take the first step, and the next. Innovation doesn’t start with a product, it starts with a person realising that something just isn’t right and refusing to ignore it.

In 2003, on my second day in the operating theatre's as a student Operating Department Practitioner (ODP), I noticed something that simply wasn’t right, a patient’s vital endo- tracheal tube (ETT) being secured with a strip of generic, multi-patient hospital tape. I couldn't believe what I was seeing, and I asked the question to the qualified staff “Why are you securing a patient’s airway with tape? Where’s the thing? There was no thing, just tape”

From that moment, I carried that problem in my mind for years, pondering it, observing it, and formulating a plan. This laid the groundwork for what would eventually evolve into LEAFix.

If you’ve ever spotted a problem but felt it was too big to tackle, this post is for you. I want to share how I built skills, confidence, and experience through smaller, high impact departmental projects,  my training ground,  before one day taking a deep breathe, and deciding to tackle the big one!

Why Small Wins Matter: Your Training Ground for Bigger Innovation.

Before deciding to tackle the global problem explained above, I spent over a decade solving smaller, high-impact issues within the NHS Operating Theatre department I worked in. Each project taught me critical skills: how to identify problems, plan solutions, work with colleagues, navigate resistance, and implement lasting change.

These weren’t just “side projects.” They were my training ground, the experiences that built my confidence, mindset, and ability to take on bigger and more complex challenges.

If you’ve spotted a problem but feel unsure where to start, think of these projects as inspiration, small wins that prepare you for the “big one.”

Below are the tools which I used and employed on all of the problems & projects I tackled. They helped me understand what I was dealing with and how I could formulate a plan on how to create solutions to the problems I'd identified.

Problem analysis & successful solution implementation

I approached each project systematically, using analytical tools such as SWOT analysis, PEST analysis, and core change management principles. These frameworks helped me understand the problems, anticipate barriers, plan the rollout, and embed the improvements so they would last. Every project that followed benefited from this structured approach, leading to each project becoming a long-standing success.

SWOT Analysis: Understand what you’re really working with

What it is:

SWOT stands for Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats.

The SWOT analysis framework is my absolute go to when looking at any problem identified. It tells me everything I need to know really quickly & simply, every time.

How it helps:

SWOT forces you to look at your project from every angle, not just what you hope will happen, but what could help, hinder, accelerate, or derail it.

How I used it:

Before each departmental project (gel pads, sharps safety, recycling improvements), I mapped out:

• Strengths: What advantages the change brought

• Weaknesses: What might make people resist it

• Opportunities: How it could improve safety, workflow, or costs

• Threats: What could stop the change from lasting

Why innovators should use it:

SWOT gives you clarity.

It turns a vague idea into a structured plan and highlights where you need support, evidence, or allies.

PEST Analysis: See the bigger picture around your idea

What it is:

PEST stands for Political, Economic, Social, and Technological factors.

It helps you understand the wider forces influencing your project, especially in healthcare where external factors matter.

How it helps:

PEST makes you step back and ask questions such as:

• Political: Are there policies, regulations, or governance considerations?

• Economic: What are the costs, savings, or budget implications?

• Social: How do staff feel about the change? Does it affect culture or workflow?

• Technological: Does it rely on new equipment or existing systems?

How I used it:

PEST helped me spot external drivers for change, including cost pressures, sustainability policies, and safety standards which strengthened my proposals and made adoption easier.

Why innovators should use it:

PEST helps you anticipate obstacles BEFORE they appear.

If SWOT looks inside your project, PEST looks at the world around it.

Change Management: How you make improvements stick

You're project will fall by the wayside over time within your department, unless you implement change management principles, guaranteed.

What it is:

Change management is the structured, human centred process of introducing a new idea, guiding people through the change, and making sure it becomes part of normal practice.

How it helps:

A good idea can fail if you don’t implement it properly. Change management helps you:

• Prepare your colleagues

• Communicate the “why” clearly

• Train or support staff if needed

• Handle resistance (which always happens)

• Embed the change so it doesn’t fade away

How I used it:

Every project I ran required:

• Engagement with staff

• Clear evidence and reasoning

• Stepwise introduction

• Review and follow-up

• Adjustments after feedback

These steps were crucial to making improvements not just successful but sustainable for years.

Why innovators should use it:

Real innovation isn’t just creating a good idea.

It’s making the idea stick.

Change management is what transforms a project into a legacy.

Start Small: Gel pads for patient pressure area relief

After qualifying as an ODP, my first project tackled pressure area relief for surgical patients.

The problem: Staff had always used  basic gamgee pads, which were large surgical swab pads used for wiping up bodily fluids and blood during surgery.  They were sterile, radiolucent and quite expensive, and we used them like they were free.  We would open them and put them between the patients vulnerable bony area and positioning equipment to protect the patients pressure injury areas. 

Gamgee pads were never designed for patient pressure area relief, they were designed to soak up a patients bodily fluid during surgical procedures.  Similarities to tape being used to secure an ET tube???

The solution: I suggested to management we introduced multi-patient-use gel pads to relieve pressure under elbows, heels, and other vulnerable areas.

Impact:

Saved £500,000 over time (costs of gamgee purchase over 19 years)

Improved patient comfort and safety (and possible litigation: nerve/tissue damage)

Reduced departmental waste

How I Applied Frameworks:

• SWOT Strengths: staff support, Weaknesses: old process, Opportunities: better pads, Threats: resistance, culture

• PEST Political: hospital policy, Economic: cost savings,

  Social: staff/culture, Technological: available gel pads

Change Management Tips:

• Communicate benefits clearly

• Involve stakeholders early

• Pilot the change on a small scale

• Measure and validate results

Reader Tip:

Start with what you can change. Even small improvements are valuable lessons in planning, stakeholder management, and implementation.

Sharps Safety: Brackets for sharps bins on Anaesthetic Trolleys

The problem: Staff had to carry sharps across anaesthetic rooms to reach & dispose sharps in the sharps bin which were often the other side of the anaesthetic room, creating injury risk.

The solution: Fitted brackets on anaesthetic trolleys to hold sharps bins, reducing distance sharps had to travel to reach the sharps bins and allowing trolleys to move safely to patients and into theatre.

Impact:

• Reduced sharps injuries

• Improved workflow efficiency

• Increased staff safety & confidence disposing of sharps

Frameworks Used:

• SWOT: Strength: reduced sharps risk, Weakness: none, Opportunity: safer environment, Threat: resistance to change

• PEST: Political: NHS safety guidelines, Economic: low-cost solution,

  Social: staff adoption, Technological: existing brackets

Change Management Tips:

• Pilot solutions first

• Collect staff feedback

• Communicate the improvement to encourage adoption/monitor staff feedback

Reader Tip:

Look at processes from the staff’s perspective, small changes can dramatically improve safety and efficiency.

Waste Segregation: Double waste bins in Anaesthetic rooms

The problem: Anaesthetic rooms only had clinical waste bins. All waste went into expensive clinical waste bags, which were incinerated, costly and environmentally unsustainable.

One day I simply noticed how much domestic waste was going into the clinical waste bag, so I emptied the clinical waste bag out and weighed the domestic waste which was within.  Over 70% of the waste in the clinical waste bag was domestic waste.  I repeated the test several times and the result was the same.

The solution: Added double bins to separate domestic waste from clinical waste for recycling.

Impact:

• Increased recycling

• Lower disposal costs

• Reduced environmental footprint

Frameworks Used:

• SWOT: Strength: motivated staff, Weakness: limited recycling,

  Opportunity: cost savings, reduced carbon footprint, Threat: habit/resistance

• PEST: Political: hospital sustainability policies, Economic: cheaper disposal,

  Social: staff buy-in, Technological: existing bins compatible/need for new bins

Change Management Tips:

• Make it simple to do the right thing

• Clearly label bins

• Educate staff and celebrate small wins

Reader Tip:

Sustainability and efficiency are innovation opportunities. Look beyond immediate clinical problems.

Bridging Communication Gaps: Departmental staff newsletter

I noticed another challenge early in my career: ODP colleagues worked different shifts across multiple sites, making communication difficult.

The solution: I created a newsletter to circulate important updates, clinical tips, and departmental news. This evolved into a departmental newsletter with three successful incarnations, a project I undertook in my own time for the first 2 versions.

Impact:

• Improved staff communication across shifts and sites

• Built a sense of community

• Provided a platform for ongoing innovation

Reader Tips:

• Communication gaps are opportunities too

• Passion projects can have lasting impact

• Small initiatives train you for bigger challenges

Frameworks Applied:

• SWOT: Strength: motivated staff; Weakness: dispersed shifts;

  Opportunity: engagement; Threat: lack of interest

• PEST: Social: team cohesion; Economic: minimal cost; Technological: email tools; Political: aligns with departmental goal

Change Management: Involve staff early, seek feedback & celebrate the wins

Lessons from Small Wins

Each project was hard work, self-motivation was essential as I was working alone but also ambitious  

• Required planning, negotiation & persistence

• Utilised SWOT, PEST, and change management in real life

• Required measurement and validation for sustainability

Small wins build skills, confidence, and credibility within your department, the three things you need before tackling the “big one.”

Building Confidence to Take on a Global Challenge

After a decade of small, high-impact projects, I finally felt ready to tackle the global airway-securing problem I had observed in 2003.

By then, I had:

• Skills to implement change

• Experience to navigate stakeholders

• Confidence to handle high-stakes, complex problems

This long-considered concept eventually evolved into LEAFix, built on years of observation, planning, and intrapreneurial experience.  I took the advice of a successful innovator who suggested I bring a colleague onboard as a partner to support and help create the solution to the global patient problem I'd identified back in 2003.

Reader Tip:

The “big one” will wait. Prepare yourself by starting small, learning frameworks, and building credibility. Your small wins are the launchpad for major innovation.

Quick Reference: Tools to shape & sustain your projects

SWOT Analysis

• Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, Threats

• Helps map internal and external factors

• Tip: Be honest. Identify weaknesses to plan for them

PEST Analysis

• Political, Economic, Social, Technological

• Helps anticipate environmental impacts

• Tip: Scan the bigger picture before implementing changes

Change Management

• Prepare, Plan, Engage, Implement, Sustain

• Ensures adoption and long-term success

• Tip: Engage staff early and celebrate small wins

Key Takeaways for Nervous Innovators

Innovation is a process, not a single moment of genius.

• Observe what isn’t right

• Learn from every project

• Apply frameworks (SWOT, PEST, Change Management)

• Measure, iterate, and document

• Keep going!!

If your doubting yourself then think about starting small to win big, building the confidence and experience to then go on and tackle the “big one.”