We are thrilled that so many of you have signed up for this year’s Q community events! (Don’t worry if you’ve not booked your free ticket yet, there are still some available for both our online and in-person events.)

With more pressure than ever on health and care, it is vital to ensure that the time we spend together is valuable and supports us in taking our work forward. Whether you join us virtually, in-person or both, we can’t wait to see you for a unique chance to come together to connect, to learn and to be inspired.

And this year, we’re delighted to bring Open Space to the in-person events. A powerful tool for collaboration, this format has supported the creation of ideas and initiatives such as Hexitime (a timebank that enables people across the Q community and beyond to support each other’s improvement work).

If you’re new to the concept of Open Space, I wanted to share a little more on why it’s such an impactful method and how it can support your work.

Why Open Space?

We understand that change doesn’t come from just one or two big ideas. It relies on people coming together across borders and boundaries to test innovations and collaborate across disciplines.

Community-led by design, Open Space encourages groups to operate with lots of dialogue, energy and commitment. It enables collaborative problem solving, improved communications and stronger relationships. From UN conferences to local community groups, it’s a format that has been used successfully in many contexts to bring people together and set in motion meaningful change. It is also increasingly used across businesses and in the third sector to tackle complex challenges in health, education and housing.

Our community has the energy, optimism and solutions that are needed to address the complex challenges facing the health and care system, and Open Space can help us get there.

Harnessing our energy and creativity

This year, we have framed our Open Space around the question: ‘Thinking about the current context of the health and care system, what are the most important conversations we need to be having about collaborative improvement that will help you to progress your work?’

You’ll have the opportunity to collaborate on issues that are important to you and help us make progress in the challenging context we’re working within. You can lead conversations around your ideas and projects, or move through others’ conversations. You’ll be able to explore and record suggestions and insight, find people to involve and identify concrete actions to put in place.

The diverse range of specialisms and focuses across the community will enable you to broaden your knowledge in the latest thinking and practice for collaborative improvement for health and care. You’ll find inspiration and feel re-energised by connecting to peers and friends of our purposeful community.

This is a special opportunity for conversations and connections we need to make time for. We look forward to seeing you there and hearing more about the discussions you would like to host!

To book a ticket, please contact Adriana before 5pm on Monday 24 October.