Quality Improvement in Healthcare: the Case for Change

Why is quality improvement in health and social care systems so difficult? Why is it so challenging to bring in new and better ways of organising health and social care services?

Many reasons have been put forward: lack of money; lack of appropriate or complete knowledge; excessive and perhaps unnecessary regulations; and entrenched professional opinions and interests.

This course suggests that the main reason is complexity. Health and social care systems are inherently complex, with many interconnected activities and processes, and thus difficult to measure, analyse, change and improve.

The course is designed for people working in health and social care organisations such as clinicians, allied health professionals, nurses, managers or administrators. People with a general interest in health and social care organisations, such as service users and carers, may also find the course of interest to them.

• Introduction to complexity and quality improvement in health and social care
• Welcome to Quality Improvement in Healthcare
• What is Quality Improvement?
• Quality Improvement and Complex Systems
• Getting started with Quality Improvement
• Quality Improvement Theory
• The Model for Improvement
• Introduction to LEAN
• Introduction to Microsystems
• Engagement and Co-production
• Putting patients at the heart of quality improvement
• Leadership for quality improvement
• Characteristics of an improving system
• Evaluating Quality Improvement
• The Lens of Profound Knowledge
• Measuring for Improvement
• Measurement Strategy
• Systems Modelling in Quality Improvement
• What is systems modelling and how can it help?
• Modelling demand and capacity
• Computer simulation for improvement
• Making the case for Quality Improvement
• Mobilising system leadership
• Sustainability
• Next Steps