There is a balance to be had between what a community like Q might offer to members versus the bottom up approach to being an active member in a self-organising community. The latter arguably requires some support, resource and encouragement along the way, at least in the early stages. Members will contribute to and need different things from Q over the long term.

Learning is a core part of Q. There’s no right or wrong way of being involved.

Traditionally it is assumed that learning “has a beginning and an end; that it is best separated from the rest of our activities; and that it is the result of teaching” (Wenger, 1998). However, there are a number of ways and methods through which we can learn, and it is this flexible approach to learning that is core to Q (with no right or wrong way of being involved).

If you want to fly solo for a while:

If you want to focus on your own skills and knowledge, we currently have three subscriptions available to members: access to IHI Open School, BMJ quality and safety platform and the Institute for Continuous Improvement in Public Services (ICiPs). Warning: you need your login to hand to access this!

We’ll shortly be rolling out a development opportunity for members with ISQua. Their fellowship programme is a 12-month accredited and fully funded programme that we are keen to pilot. It is an opportunity to share your work and connect with others globally, as well as access mentoring and an extensive range of resources.

If you want to connect with others in your learning:

Q has 17 Specialist Interest Groups (SIGs) where members have interesting conversations and make connections.

You might be interested in contributing to the development of our Lab and progressing thorny issues and challenges. Members recently voted for the first Lab topic and there will be opportunities to get involved in the early stages of its development.

We’ll shortly be rolling out our programme of site visits, having just appointed Health Transformation Partnership as our partner to develop and deliver this work. The programme will give you an opportunity to visit organisations, both in health care and outside it, doing interesting and innovative things to improve quality and will range from large showcase style events to more immersive study visits.

In the meantime there are a variety of events that you can access. If you are running one you can share it with members by uploading the details on the Q website.

Keep an eye out for local activity via our partner organisations who are recruiting to the community over 2017. We’ll also have a national event this autumn, in partnership with colleagues in the North West AHSN.

If you want to enhance the capability and capacity of the wider system:

You may want to engage others in learning. As a starter for ten, do colleagues and senior leaders in your organisation know you are a member of Q? Or if you are not part of an organisation, what other groups might benefit from hearing about it? If you want to share your own expertise or access someone else’s, our Q Talks could help. There is a willing group of members offering their time and knowledge!

We have a variety of methods cards too – cards that briefly outline design tools and methods that can be useful when working in teams or, for example, gaining feedback.

Other things in the pipeline include a masterclass on network leadership and a joint webinar series with Healthcare Improvement Scotland. Also, in the spring we want to develop a QI capability matrix with Q members to consider the development priorities of their team.

Our focus is to offer flexible learning. It isn’t about recreating what already exists but partnering with others doing this well and making it accessible to members. If there is something here that sparks some interest, either get involved, or if you have any questions or feedback, get in touch. Learning is a core part of Q – your involvement and feedback is what we need to keep learning and make sure we get this right.