Clinical Practice Educator from RCHT graduates from the Windrush Leadership Programme
Michael Joel Apas is a Clinical Practice Educator in Learning and Development at the Royal Cornwall Hospitals NHS Trust. Last month, Michael graduated from the Windrush Leadership Programme, a scholarship given to emerging leaders across the NHS.
The scholarship is presented by the Florence Nightingale Foundation. As a principle, the foundation is committed to providing equity of access to leadership opportunities for nurses and midwives from minority ethnic backgrounds, aiming to close the gap in career opportunities in health and social care settings.
As part of the programme, Michael was chosen to present his quality improvement project to the graduating class. In attendance was a special panel from the Florence Nightingale Foundation, Nursing and Midwifery Council Executive, and Director of Nursing and Midwifery Workforce in NHS England.
Discussing the graduation and his experience on the day, Michael explains:
“I am so pleased the presentation went well. The programme as a whole provided a great personal experience for me, and it was encouraging to see that the panel was able to spotlight best practice offered at RCHT. It was a great opportunity to showcase and discuss how this best practice supports our globally educated nurses, and specifically in the holistic training programmes available for those taking the OSCE, or Observed Structured Clinical Examination. The whole programme was a great success.”
The Windrush Leadership Programme is available to all nurses and midwives in England from a minority ethnic background.
The programme aims to empower participants by helping them identify and refine their personal leadership style while enhancing their self-presence and personal impact. It seeks to deepen their understanding of how their actions influence others and build confidence in speaking up effectively.
Participants develop the skills to lead improvement initiatives and tackle workplace challenges with renewed self-reliance. The programme also fosters greater awareness of personal leadership approaches, including biases, blind spots, and attitudes toward diversity, ultimately supporting career development.