Special Interest Groups (SIGs) are online gathering spaces where health and care professionals, patient leaders and others can come together and share their challenges and collaborate. I wanted to share my experiences of setting up and running a SIG and hope this will be of interest.

Why we set up a SIG

The idea for setting up a new network of members with a special interest in Quality Improvement and Community Hospitals emerged from our study funded through Q Exchange, which explored the contribution of community hospitals during COVID-19. The study involved interviews with 85 staff and the creation of 30 case studies on quality improvements.

During these challenging times, we wanted to understand the experiences of community hospital staff and highlight their achievements.

We found inspiration in how small local hospitals can serve as valuable test beds for innovative thinking and improving practice which benefits patients, staff, and communities.

As a project team, we witnessed the value of staff sharing their experiences, reflecting on their practice, and learning from others. This is especially important for staff who work in community hospitals that are predominantly in remote, rural, coastal or island communities.

We already have a network with the Community Hospitals Association (CHA), which is a national membership organisation for staff, patients and communities involved with community hospitals. The CHA has a remit of promoting and being the national voice for community hospitals. The SIG within the Q community has a specific focus on quality improvement. Our goal is to foster networks of staff involved in community hospitals across the UK, promoting quality improvements and knowledge sharing among Q members and others.

What we do in our SIG

We have been hosting monthly evening discussion groups on topics suggested by SIG members such as: frailty, wound management, pharmacy management, research and safer staffing. We have held 14 sessions with 281 attendees since February 2022.  We share recordings from these sessions and have had 556 viewings so far. The most popular has been the presentation on the role and impact of a Meaningful Activities Coordinator.

During these discussions, members have suggested resources and information pertinent to the topics. This has led us to produce four resource packs, which are downloadable on our SIG webpage: Staff Health and Wellbeing, Integrated Care, Safer Staffing and Leadership. The packs contain local and national resources, case study materials and member contributions.

How we understand member needs

We designed a survey for members to tell us what they wanted from the SIG.  They highlighted the value of sharing information and keeping up to date.

Members said they joined the SIG for relevance to research, and wanting to learn from others in a way that is practical and applicable.

It was encouraging to have positive feedback as the selection of comments illustrate:

“Really stimulating discussions in relaxed way. Fascinating to hear about case studies and good practice.”

“There is a real enthusiasm and sharing of learning which even when not directly relevant to the work I am involved in is interesting, as well as areas I am directly interested in e.g. staff wellbeing.”

“Accessible, friendly and great opportunity for sharing information.”

Our current focus is planning a national conference for Autumn 2024. Survey responses indicate strong interest in a face-to-face event. We’re excited to feature excellent speakers, including staff who have received CHA National Innovations and Best Practice Awards.

Getting support for your SIG

We have appreciated the help and support we have been offered through the Q team, including technical support and advice, connections to other SIGs, an action learning set and convenor meetings as well as the many training and development sessions offered.

We were delighted to be awarded Q Connections funding in order to grow our SIG network, and this has enabled us to have administrative support which is invaluable. This has meant that we could expand what we were offering.

Who can be part of your SIG?

Board trustees and non-executive directors of NHS trusts are among our membership, as are senior clinical managers, transformation managers and quality leads. Academics have also joined our SIG from the UK and Italy. We have members who are working in patient safety and we have community representatives.

Our SIG has attracted 62 members including staff from a range of disciplines including doctors, nurses, therapists and pharmacists.

We are delighted at the multi-disciplinary and multi-agency spread of members across the UK and beyond.

Of our SIG members, 55% hold a full Q membership, 7% are Q teams/staff and 38% hold Q guest accounts. We encourage guest members to apply to become full Q members.

Our project team includes:

Evelyn Prodger Co-Convenor

Dr Kirsty Protherough – Chair and Director of the CHA

Sue Greenwood – Matron in Cornwall Partnership NHS Foundation Trust

Eleanor Murphy – CHA Business Support & Administration

What have we learnt?

We continually explore ways to maximise members’ talents and experiences. We recognise the need for better connections and have discussed collaboration with other SIGs in related fields. Ideas are always welcome as our focus shifts to securing the SIG’s sustainability.

Running the SIG has been fascinating but demanding. The more active it becomes, the more work there is.

Time and resources are always a challenge. We appreciate the work of our Business Support and Service Development Manager, supported by Q funding, who makes everything run smoothly and has enabled us to have so much interaction with members.

The Q team has been invaluable, providing technical support, advice and opportunities for learning and development. On behalf of the SIG project team and the CHA committee, we extend our gratitude to the Health Foundation Q community for their ongoing support and interest.

We would love to hear from you if you have ideas and suggestions and want to make connections with our Community Hospital SIG.  Please contact us on our Q SIG page  or  info@communityhospitals.net

Get involved

SIGs are for health and care professionals with a shared interest or expertise in a particular area.

To see what SIGs already exist and join one, visit our online groups page.

If your special interest is not covered, then why not start your own? Explore our SIG toolkit.

SIGs with a particular focus on one area could also be considered a Community of Practice. Join our Communities of Practice SIG.