Since April last year the Q Improvement Lab has been working on the challenge of peer support, and how to make peer support more readily available in the UK. The 12-month pilot will be coming to an end in the next few months.

My colleague Tracy has blogged on how in many ways, this is just the beginning for the peer support challenge. Much of the work on peer support and the changes we would hope to see will take continued effort from those who have worked with the Lab and much longer to come to fruition. That’s why in the final phase of the pilot project we’ll be pulling together the learning and progress that’s been made already, so that individuals and organisations can take it forward. The work isn’t ending but there needs to be a handover to the people who are best placed to drive peer support forward in the UK.

A burgeoning group of 200 collaborators have contributed to the work on peer support; attending workshops, joining webinars and contributing online. As part of the process for ‘handing over’ this first Lab challenge, we need to understand what should happen to this community in the future.

Please join us for a webinar discussion on 20 February at 12:30pm to discuss what you’d like the future to hold in terms of a peer support community. Let us know if you’d like to attend.

There are lots of different ways that the Lab group can continue to stay connected after May this year, but this will only be possible if enough people want it to happen, can see the value and are able to support the group to flourish and thrive.

We’ve drawn up a range of different scenarios, of what we think could potentially happen from the summer, to help provoke some discussion. You can review the scenarios in your own time and add your comments.

For those currently working with the Q Lab, do you see your involvement in the Q Lab challenge, the connections you may have made and the work that you’ve contributed to, as part of a time-limited project? Or do you see these connections and contributions as something that will have a lasting impact on the work that you do on peer support?

If you haven’t been involved in the Q Lab during the peer support project, would you value being part of the group of people working in peer support?

This is the first step of a broader discussion with those working with the Lab and wider Q members. If you can’t make the webinar you can arrange a call with Hawys or Libby to share your thoughts – email us and we’ll be in touch to arrange a time.