What is Quality Improvement (QI)?

Quality Improvement initiatives are aimed at improving the safety, efficacy and patient experience of health and social care.

Why are quality improvement initiatives important?

  • We work in an NHS with limited resources
  • Doctors in training have unique insights into problems with healthcare delivery and often have great ideas about how to solve them
  • Participating in QI work enables foundation doctors to make positive changes and achieve better job satisfaction
  • QI forms a mandatory part of the Foundation core curriculum
  • QI involves teamwork and can be great fun!

Severn is full of QI enthusiasts and there are lots of great projects going on across the region.

For advice about undertaking QI work as a doctor in training, check out this blog by Dr Rob Bethune.

'Change will always be to the benefit of patients. Change will be clinically driven. All change will be locally-led. You will be involved. You will see the difference first.'
Lord Darzi; 2008, NHS Next Stage Review: Leading Local Change

 

'Place the quality and safety of patient care above all other aims for the NHS.'
Don Berwick; 2013, Letter to the clinicians, managers, and all staff of the NHS