Deep dive into CLCH Trust-wide improvement

In coordination with CLCH, NHS Providers hosted their first deep dive peer online learning session on Thursday, 9 December 2021, this was part of their improvement programme to test a new way of learning together as peers and what can be drawn from the experiences of COVID-19. It also provided a safe space for leaders from various Trusts in the UK to interact and ask questions to our four panellist board members, Elizabeth Hale (Director of Improvement), Dr Joanne Medhurst (Medical Director), Professor Charlie Sheldon (Chief Nurse), and Dr Carol Cole (Non-Executive Director, Consultant Psychologist). Watch a recording of the deep dive event by scrolling down at the bottom of this page. 

The event delved deeper into organisation-wide improvement experiences, the role of CLCH Board members, and their decisions and actions that embody important principles, such as ensuring continuous improvement is central to board practises to help tackle today's challenges.

Below are some key points and learnings that was shared by the Board regarding CLCH's progress in developing a Trust-wide approach to improvement:

• We have been promoting Quality Improvement (QI) for a number of years and this deep down helped us to reflect on our progress and learning. 
• We have recently seen a number of key successes including the Joy in Work improvement collaborative and promoting staff health and wellbeing. This has been supported by our QI and Shared Governance teams working with approximately 100 staff dispersed across the Trust. 
• QI has been supported by the Board members for several years and is starting to gain traction in many parts of the Trust. Some of this has been through local improvement initiatives and projects, and some has been supporting Trust priorities such as Joy in Work improvement collaborative and virtual hospital. 
• The Board has investment in our QI and Shared Governance teams who work seamlessly supporting staff with the most appropriate methodology. It is evident that staff engagement is a huge benefit from this approach – encouraging teams to identify improvements and implement local solutions. There has been a lot of learning for us on the way – for example, training staff in the use of tools and techniques only works if they can then have the time and support to implement their new skills.
   

About Quality Improvement at CLCH

Quality improvement (QI) is a systematic approach to tackling the complex problems we face in our everyday lives as healthcare staff. At CLCH, we want to encourage a culture of continuous improvement and encourage all our staff to use quality improvement as part of their role as it provides training, facilitation, and coaching to assist them in succeeding at improving the care we provide. Our staff and service users are best placed to identify, test, and drive changes needed to improve quality. The following areas have been identified for staff to learn about the current plans for change at CLCH:

• The CLCH Way a portfolio of Trust-wide Transformation Programmes to bring about wholesale changes to the way we do things
• Service and quality improvement support for teams and services who are looking to find ways to improve the way they are currently working
• An Innovation pipeline to support the identification and testing of new ideas and technology that might determine the way we do things tomorrow.

Watch this three-minute video which provides an overview of quality improvement and shared governance initiatives at the Trust and the positive impact they can have.

NHS Provider’s Board bites offers practical, actionable insights for peers to consider, with a number of common principles emerging that could help sustain the gains made as a result of the pandemic and respond to the scale of the challenges ahead.

You can also download this briefing to learn more about what NHS Providers have discovered thus far.