Congratulations to Pauline Grant, Associate Director, Organisational Development, North Staffordshire Combined Healthcare NHS Trust and Staffordshire and Stoke-on-Trent Integrated Care System (ICS), who has been named as a finalist in the International Positive Psychology Association’s (IPPA) fifth annual Positive Organizational Intervention Challenge.

Pauline was presented with recognition of her outstanding submission ‘Addressing Differential Attainment Through a Positive Psychology Lens: Introduction of a Strengths-Based Inclusive Mentoring Workshop for Clinical Educational Supervisors’ at the IPPA’s recent World Congress in Vancouver, Canada.

“I was thrilled to be named as one of three finalist proposals in this prestigious challenge, and to attend the IPPA Congress in Vancouver to discuss designing, developing and delivering world-class organisational psychology-based interventions in the workplace,” said Pauline Grant. “I was proud to represent both Combined Healthcare and Staffordshire and Stoke-on-Trent ICS.

“This is such an important topic as differentials in outcomes and experiences of minoritised UK and international medical graduates persist and over the past three decades, little has been achieved in closing the Differential Attainment gap. Whilst links have begun to be made between wellbeing and individual’s realising their potential, this is still an under-researched area; particularly in regards to the concepts of belonging and recognition of wellbeing as an ongoing and activating process that leads to flourishing, all factors associated with relationships – a casual factor in Differential Attainment. 

“Positive Psychology practice improves wellbeing, whilst mentoring has been found to improve perceptions of a more positive trainer-trainee relationship. Educational and clinical supervisors undertake some mentoring training as part of advancing into education or clinical supervisor roles, however it is often introductory and not mandatory.

“The purpose of the intervention I put forward is to provide a Strengths Based Positive Psychology Mentoring Intervention to equip clinical educators and supervisors with inclusive mentoring skills to support them in creating optimum conditions for trainees to flourish in the short term, whilst also improving trainer-trainee wellbeing, with a longer term aspiration of closing the Differential Attainment gap.

“With our current priorities and focus on wellbeing, growing our workforce and embedding the right culture to improve retention, I’m looking forward to working with colleagues across our system and nationally to further develop and test this intervention.”