Posted on: 17 December 2019
Wishing you all a Happy Christmas as we celebrate two years of QI at CNWL!
This month we are celebrating two years since the quality improvement (QI) programme launched at CNWL, working towards a culture of continuous improvement for patients and people who use our services.
QI puts frontline staff, patients and carers at the centre of service change by giving teams the tools and training to bring about that change and develop shared learning from improvement across the organisation.
Since the beginning of The Trust’s QI journey the Institute for Healthcare Improvement (IHI) have been working as our partners, offering guidance and support. Currently there are 321 active QI projects across the Trust; patients are active participants in 26% of those live projects. The Trust would like to improve the number of projects with patient or carer involvement to 80% by October 2020.
Since the launch of the QI programme, 59 improvement projects have been completed with sustained improvement.
Dr Simon Edwards, Trustwide QI Clinical Lead at CNWL, said “We’re two years into our QI journey and supporting staff to focus on the QI projects that they are passionate about and that will improve patient and staff safety and really make a difference to people’s lives. “
Wherever you are on your QI journey there are opportunities to become more involved, and it’s never too late! For those of you just starting out, why not register for Bitesize QI, a half-day training session outlining the key components of the Model for Improvement.
Alternatively, for those happy to go it alone, the IHI modules QI101-QI105 of the excellent online training will give you what you need to get your project start. You also get certificates for completing each module- good for your CV!
Our QI Stories
The Camden Mosaic Team at Kentish Town Health Centre has improved access to clinical space using Quality Improvement (QI) methodology. This project has improved access to services and led to a reduction in the number of complaints. It has also contributed to increased staff morale and patient satisfaction.
Darren Turze, Camden Mosaic Service Manager, said “We were receiving almost daily complaints about our room booking system and room availability, so we decided that it would be a helpful idea to use QI methodology to try and resolve the problem”
To solve the problem, a team member from each discipline working in the service was assembled to gather ideas from staff across the service. A vote was then carried out that decided which ideas would be the most effective in improving Camden Mosaic’s room booking system.
The winning ideas were to test changes on making the room booking calendar visible to every member of staff, and ensuring staff were aware of the room booking system procedure.
The team agreed to work towards 95% of staff being able to book an appropriate clinical room at Kentish Town Health Centre and they have achieved and sustained their aim.
Using simple QI methodology the team was able to track whether staff members could book a room successfully. The data has shown the project to be a success.
Darren Turze said “the decisions we took have made a huge impact, every service should have a QI project”. This is a great example where a simple change can have a big impact.
Offender Care awarded funding for Quality Improvement project
Hugh McCaughey, National Director of Improvement (NHS England and NHS Improvement) announcing the award
A project in CNWL’s Offender Care Service has recently been awarded £26 000 funding from the Health Foundations, Q Community. The project involves Offender Care healthcare staff working alongside staff and prisoners in Woodhill prison to improve skills and knowledge of using QI techniques to eliminate Hepatitis C and reduce self-harm.
Dr Simon Edwards, Trustwide Quality Improvement Clinical Lead at CNWL said “I’m delighted that the prison healthcare team is being recognised in this way. The ideas are now being rolled across the site to include training for non-healthcare staff too so we never miss an opportunity to help someone in need. This will be a cooperative effort between CNWL and other organisations that help provide healthcare at Woodhill Prison, as well as those that run the prison itself. By working together I’m sure we can bring about real change in both these areas.”
IHI site visits to projects in corporate services and those working on Falls and Violence Reduction as part of our Central QI programmes
This year CNWL are working with IHI to make improvements on two of our quality priorities, Falls and Violence Reduction and are also working with corporate teams to integrate QI methodology into corporate services.
During their annual visit earlier in the month IHI along with CNWL colleagues visited a number of improvement teams in these areas to learn how they are using QI methodology in their services. Feedback was positive with early signs of improvement being seen across all sites.
Above is an example of a test of change leading to an improvement that IHI came across. This one, courtesy of Caspian ward at Park Royal Hospital Brent, who have joined our practicum to work on reducing violent incidents shows how extending opening times of a games room and adding a movie night has resulted in reports of less untoward incidents, and staff reporting that the ward feels “more calm and engaging”.
And in this photograph, the project team on Oakwood Ward show a change they’re testing to mark bed height on the wall for patients at risk of falling.
IHI also met with Ellington Ward, Pine Ward, Shannon Ward, Nile Ward and Human Resources and Finance.
Thank you to the project teams for hosting our colleagues from IHI and sharing your work.
This month we say farewell to Margo Fallon, Goodall QI clinical lead
We bid a fond farewell to Margo Fallon in her now former role of QI Clinical Lead for Goodall Division. Margo joined the QI Programme at its launch and we thank her for all she has achieved in supporting and leading QI within Goodall division. We wish Margo all the very best in her new role as Interim Head of Community Services in Hillingdon.