Centre for Clinical Innovation, Strategy & Policy - CCISP

𝗖𝗖𝗜𝗦𝗣 𝗶𝗻 𝗔𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻: 𝗦𝘁𝗿𝗲𝗻𝗴𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗡𝗚𝗢 𝗖𝗮𝗽𝗮𝗰𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝗔𝗰𝗿𝗼𝘀𝘀 𝗪𝗲𝘀𝘁 𝗔𝗳𝗿𝗶𝗰𝗮 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗕𝗲𝘆𝗼𝗻𝗱

At the Centre for Clinical Innovation, Strategy & Policy (CCISP), we believe that strong organisations build strong communities.

That's why we were honoured to partner with the International Institute for Policy Review & Development Strategies (IIPRDS) to deliver a Monitoring & Evaluation for NGO Projects training for professionals from Nigeria, Ghana, and Malaysia.

This training wasn't just about theory, it was about equipping NGO practitioners with practical tools they could use immediately to strengthen their projects and improve outcomes for the communities they serve.

What participants learned:
📊 How to design logical frameworks that force clear thinking
🎯 How to write SMART indicators that measure what matters
📋 How to create practical data collection tools
📈 How to use M&E findings to inform real decisions

Why this matters:
Too often, M&E is seen as a donor requirement, a reporting burden.
But when done well, it becomes a powerful tool for learning, improvement, and impact. It helps organisations know what's working, what's not, and how to do better.

The participants shared real challenges: projects reverting after initial success, qualified experts being sidelined for political reasons, and the struggle to sustain community engagement.

These are not just academic problems; they are lived realities that demand practical solutions.

Our message to NGOs across Africa:
🔹 M&E is not a burden – it's a gift. It helps you learn, grow, and deliver.
🔹 Allocate 5-10% of your project budget to M&E – it pays for itself.
🔹 Build community ownership into your frameworks from day one.
🔹 Invest in competent staff – projects fail when unqualified people manage them.

This training is just one example of Centre for Clinical Innovation, Strategy & Policy - CCISP's commitment to strengthening health systems and building capacity across Africa.

We are proud to work alongside organisations like IIPRDS to empower professionals who are making a real difference.

A heartfelt thank you to:
🙏 IIPRDS for trusting us as a partner
🙏 Prof. Bassey Anam for the warm collaboration
🙏 Every participant, for bringing your energy, honesty, and commitment

Want to bring this training to your organisation?

CCISP offers tailored capacity-building programmes on M&E, research, grant writing, and health systems strengthening.

Reach out to us – let's work together to build stronger institutions and healthier communities.

📩 [email protected]
📱 +233 246663206 | +44 7884593530

Together, we are building the Africa we want. 💙🌍

&E

Centre for Clinical Innovation, Strategy & Policy - CCISP Research Presented at Sussex Clinical Academic Conference 2026

Alhamdulillah, the Centre for Clinical Innovation, Strategy & Policy - CCISP was proud to be part of the Sussex Clinical Academic Conference 2026 at the University of Brighton, under the inspiring theme "Embracing Diversity – Hope through Research."

Our Founder & CEO, Hussein Botchway, had the privilege of chairing the second session of oral presentations, facilitating discussions on a diverse range of research from physiotherapy, nursing, surgery, and dementia care.

The depth and quality of the presentations were a testament to the strength of research engagement across Sussex.

Centre for Clinical Innovation, Strategy & Policy - CCISP also presented its flagship research on the national workforce needs assessment for the Sierra Leone Physiotherapy Association (SLPA).

The findings were sobering yet hopeful:

73.8% of physiotherapists are experiencing burnout.

65.8% have considered leaving the profession.

87.5% cite low income as the primary departure driver.

Yet alongside these challenges, members proposed a community‑based rehabilitation assistant (CPATRA) model, a task‑shifting innovation to deliver basic rehabilitation to underserved communities.

This is the resilience and innovation that gives hope.

Centre for Clinical Innovation, Strategy & Policy - CCISP is committed to translating evidence into action.

The Sierra Leone Physiotherapy Association (SLPA) findings are now being used for advocacy with the Ministry of Health, strategic planning, and international dissemination, including a poster at the Chartered Society of Physiotherapy Annual Conference 2026 in Glasgow.

We are deeply grateful to:

Sierra Leone Physiotherapy Association for their partnership and trust.

Amy Darby and the conference planning team for their excellent organisation.

Virginia Govoni, Dr Cate Bell, Dr Jessica Eccles, and the Sussex Health & Care Research Partnership for their leadership.

All the speakers, presenters, and delegates who made the day so rich and rewarding.

Alan Sutton for his unwavering mentorship and support.

From treating patients to healing systems, that is the journey we are on.

Centre for Clinical Innovation, Strategy & Policy - CCISP remains committed to building the evidence base that strengthens health systems and advances health equity across Africa and beyond.

The Employment Crisis (Graduate Unemployment)

"Please help us get employed."
~ SLPA Member

Behind every data point is a person. A graduate. A qualified physiotherapist. Someone ready to serve their community but unable to find work.

Only 52.4% of Sierra Leone Physiotherapy Association(SLPA) members are employed full-time.

The rest piece together part-time roles, locum work, or wait. They watch their skills grow rusty. They wonder if they chose the wrong profession.

And yet despite this, 65.8% have considered leaving the profession entirely.

Sierra Leone trained them. Sierra Leone needs them. But the system hasn't created space for them to serve.

This must change.

🇸🇱 |

The Equipment Crisis (First Barrier)

"TENS."

That's all one Sierra Leone Physiotherapy Association(SLPA) member wrote. Three times.

Not a paragraph. Not a plea. Just one word, repeated, because it said everything.

When the research team at the Centre for Clinical Innovation, Strategy & Policy - CCISP asked Sierra Leone Physiotherapy Association (SLPA) members to name their biggest barrier, inadequate equipment was the #1 response.
43% rated it a "major" barrier.

And here's what the data revealed: Equipment access is the strongest predictor of job satisfaction. Even more than salary. Even more than working conditions.

Give a physiotherapist the tools to do their job well, and satisfaction rises.
Deny them those tools, and even the most dedicated practitioner struggles.

This is not just about comfort. It's about dignity. It's about the ability to serve patients fully.

Sierra Leone's physiotherapists are ready to work. They just need the tools.

🇸🇱 |

The Equipment Crisis (First Barrier)

"TENS."

That's all one Sierra Leone Physiotherapy Association (SLPA) member wrote. Three times.

Not a paragraph. Not a plea. Just one word, repeated, because it said everything.

When the research team at the Centre for Clinical Innovation, Strategy & Policy - CCISP asked SLPA members to name their biggest barrier, inadequate equipment was the #1 response.
43% rated it a "major" barrier.

And here's what the data revealed: Equipment access is the strongest predictor of job satisfaction. Even more than salary. Even more than working conditions.

Give a physiotherapist the tools to do their job well, and satisfaction rises.

Deny them those tools, and even the most dedicated practitioner struggles.

This is not just about comfort. It's about dignity. It's about the ability to serve patients fully.

Sierra Leone's physiotherapists are ready to work.

They just need the tools.

🇸🇱 |

Ghana’s Free Primary Healthcare Policy is here and it could change everything if we get the “front door” right.

On 15th April 2026, President John Dramani Mahama launched the Free Primary Healthcare Programme.

Now, every Ghanaian with a Ghana Card can walk into a CHPS compound, health centre or polyclinic and receive preventive care, health promotion, early detection, and selected basic treatments, without paying at the point of service.

This is not just another policy.

This is a strategic shift from waiting until people are seriously ill before they seek care, to catching problems early at the community level.

Here’s what many people are missing: Allied Health professionals are the real heroes who will make this policy work.

1. Physiotherapists preventing lifelong disability after strokes

2. Dietitians and nutritionists stopping diabetes and obesity before they spiral

3. Laboratory scientists and radiographers enabling early diagnosis

4. Public health officers driving health education and promotion

These professionals are the bridge between policy ambition and actual health outcomes.

When they are properly equipped and integrated at the primary level, we reduce pressure on our overcrowded hospitals and save families from catastrophic health expenses.

At the Centre for Clinical Innovation, Strategy & Policy - CCISP, we strongly support the vision behind this policy. But success will depend on ex*****on, especially on staffing CHPS compounds with skilled allied health workers, clear communication of what is truly free, and sustainable financing.

This is a bold step toward Universal Health Coverage in Ghana. If done well, it can become a model for the rest of Africa.

💭 What are your thoughts?

A. For Clinicians & Allied Health workers: Are you ready? What support do you need on the ground?

B. For Citizens: What would success look like for you and your family?

C. For Policymakers: How do we manage expectations while delivering real impact?

Drop your honest views in the comments 👇 Let’s discuss solutions, not just opinions.

This is a powerful reminder that intrinsic motivation still drives frontline care.

How can health systems better recognise and sustain this deep sense of purpose among physiotherapists?

"Seeing a patient get better and return to their normal activities of daily living."

This is what drives Sierra Leone's physiotherapists.

When the research team at the Centre for Clinical Innovation, Strategy & Policy - CCISP asked Sierra Leone Physiotherapy Association (SLPA) members what gives them the most pride in their work, the answer was overwhelming: Patient Transformation.

Not salary.
Not status.
Not recognition.

The simple, profound joy of watching someone walk again.

Of seeing a child with cerebral palsy gain new abilities.

Of being the reason a family's loved one returns home.

This is the heart of the profession.

And it beats strong, despite everything.

🇸🇱 |

"Seeing a patient get better and return to their normal activities of daily living."

This is what drives Sierra Leone's physiotherapists.

When the research team at the Centre for Clinical Innovation, Strategy & Policy - CCISP asked Sierra Leone Physiotherapy Association (SLPA) members what gives them the most pride in their work, the answer was overwhelming: Patient Transformation.

Not salary.
Not status.
Not recognition.

The simple, profound joy of watching someone walk again.

Of seeing a child with cerebral palsy gain new abilities.

Of being the reason a family's loved one returns home.

This is the heart of the profession.

And it beats strong, despite everything.

🇸🇱 |

Meet Sierra Leone's Physiotherapists

Through our partnership with SLPA, we asked members to tell us who they are.

Here's what we learned:

🟢 53.5% are women
🟢 72% are under 40 years old
🟢 77.5% were trained right in Sierra Leone
🟢 58% are early-career (0-5 years experience)
🟢 84% are active SLPA members

This is a young, locally trained, deeply engaged workforce, ready to transform lives.

But they face real challenges.

Over the coming weeks, we'll share what they told us about those challenges and the solutions they envision.

🇸🇱 |