Elizabeth Garrett Anderson Masters Apprenticeship course
9 SEPTEMBER 2026
Thanks to generous donations, York & Scarborough Hospitals Charity can support the development of compassionate, effective leaders who are making a real difference to patient care across our Trust.
Cath Jespers, General Manager for Child Health, is currently undertaking the prestigious Elizabeth Garrett Anderson Masters Programme. As part of her studies, Cath attends a series of residential courses and workshops.
When asked about the impact the programme is already having, Cath said:
“The course has strengthened my ability to lead with compassion, clarity, and confidence. It has helped me to better understand the wider NHS system and how my role contributes to improving patient outcomes within our Trust. This has had a direct impact on how I support my teams, creating a more inclusive and empowering environment, which leads to better care and experiences for patients and families. The work-based assignments have been practical activities which have enriched the provision of service from my team and have had a direct impact on patients, even trivial things like we changed around the waiting room to make it more accessible.
“A key learning has been the importance of psychological safety, creating environments where people feel valued, heard, and confident to speak up. I am embedding this within my teams through open conversations, reflective practice, and by modelling compassionate leadership. I also draw on the frameworks and tools from the course to support structured improvement work, ensuring that learning translates into real, measurable change for our services. Having links with colleagues in other trusts has also made it easier to share learning and made me more confident in linking with others when re-designing pathways for patients.”
York & Scarborough Hospitals Charity core purpose is to fund improvements to our hospital environments and services beyond that which NHS funding alone can deliver. This includes staff wellbeing and development resulting in elevated patient experience and care.
Make a positive difference to your local hospital
With your support, we can continue to fund improvements to our hospital environments and services which are above and beyond NHS funding. Together, we can make a real difference to patients and staff in our hospitals.
