The Q team have just agreed our annual plan with our new advisory board. This is based on heaps of helpful feedback and design input from the community, not least through our most recent member survey.
There’s a lot going on in Q. I hope you’ll agree that our upcoming work is exciting, and relevant to the priorities you’ve shared with us. It’s not easy to select from the wealth of activity we have planned, but I’ve highlighted five key things to look out for from Q in the year ahead.
We know that now is a really important time to create spaces where we can support and learn from each other. So, this year Q will be doing what we do best: helping you to make the connections you need. This includes:
1. Lots of new members
We expect the community to grow to 5,000 members by the end of this year. This will be supported by our new brand which has been co-designed with members to reflect better and more clearly who we are and what we want to achieve together. We know that many people struggled to keep up with contacts during the pandemic, so why not check out who’s new in Q in your area through our online directory?
And do encourage colleagues and other contacts to join Q.
2. Easier participation
We’re doing lots of work in the background to support members to get more involved and we’ll be developing how Q supports you online. We have new funding to help members build and strengthen their networks and share and apply learning. Check out the first awards made through our new Supporting Q Connections funding programme. Are you part of a group that might be interested in this funding? We’ll be opening applications for this programme later in the summer.
3. Vibrant learning events
You can expect many more events run by members and groups (these pop up on our website every few days), together with a refresh of our Community Space events and Visits programme. And the Q community event is back this year, always a highlight and this time in a new hybrid format. Make sure 18 October is in your diary!
Now is the time to pull together so we can all make progress on some big challenges. That’s why Q will focus on key areas that we know are central to the work of many members, as well as for the wider health and care sector. We want to make it easier to join up across the community, and create the conditions for improvement to flourish, by connecting across the UK and Ireland at national level. This includes:
4. Collaborative change in action
On 14 June we will announce the 20 projects being funded through Q Exchange this year. There’s an opportunity to support their work and learn with them over the coming year. You might also want to keep connected with ideas and people that you spotted through the process, as it’s not all about the winning teams. You can link with the test sites for the current Q Lab UK project on tech-enabled remote monitoring.
5. Reducing backlogs in care
This is a key priority for us and we’re here to help you bring your skills and ideas to support the health sector to solve the complex challenges involved. We’ll focus on how to tackle waiting lists in a way that addresses broader goals, based on insight from members last year. Check out information about our first insight project this year on how data can be used to ensure equitable access to services. There will also be funding and support available in this area through our next Q Lab UK project and the next round of Q Exchange, both of which will launch in early 2023.
We’re really excited about our plans. They underline the principle that together, we can make faster progress to change health and care for the better. We really value the input we’ve had to shape these ideas. Continued member involvement will help to bring them to life over the year. Whether you have two days or 20 to commit to Q, I hope my five highlights help to whet your appetite for what’s in store.
Do let me and the team know what you think of what’s coming up by using the comment section below. And tell us your ambitions personally and locally for Q over the year ahead: we’d love to hear from you.