Why is the Q community important in today’s health and care landscape?
Q is the only community that enables people interested in quality improvement within the UK and Ireland to come together, learn and share.
Before Q, there was no natural place where people working in improvement could think about best practice, re-energise, and harness ideas. We all need that space to share our experiences and knowledge and to learn from each other.
For many people involved in improvement, Q has given them a safe space to test ideas, receive feedback, and harness support from their peers. That’s invaluable.
You were involved in the design and development of Q. How has it evolved?
Q has obviously grown since it first formed. It now includes people in all areas of improvement, and at different stages of their careers and development, from right across the UK and Ireland.
Ten years ago, there were very few jobs in the NHS that had ‘improvement’ in the job title. People may have been working in improvement before then, but it wasn’t given the same focus and it may not have been the main part of their job.
Since that time, things have changed enormously, which is fantastic. Improvement is now a key feature and there are many more people working in the field. It means we have a growing community with a wealth of experience and knowledge, so the support and resources Q offers just keeps increasing.
The support and opportunities available are very much based on and led by the Q community and what members feel will be useful.
There are lots of different networking opportunities, and there are Special Interest Groups for people to join, which are focused on a particular field or area. These allow people to meet with others working in similar roles to themselves. For example, we set up a Special Interest Group for people working in mental health and it’s been really useful.
What are the key benefits of joining the Q community?
In the quality improvement work we are involved in, we need to have a means of contacting others to understand what they are doing and to see if we can learn from them and share experiences, and Q is the community for us to do that. There is no other way to do that in the UK and Ireland.
Whether you’re building your improvement skills or perhaps have more experience in improvement and are further developed in your career, the Q community is the best way to build your network. It can help you make contact with people who have similar levels of experience, including those who have been practicing in this field for many years.
For someone who has been working in improvement for a time, it’s a good place to scan and see what’s happening in the sector, and to understand what you can offer in terms of resources from your own work or organisation. If you’re building and progressing your career, it’s great to see what other roles are out there and how you need to develop and build your skills.
Q is a place where people can learn, connect, and rejuvenate outside of their usual place of work. It supports individual development and aids improvement in organisations.
Who would you encourage to join the Q community?
Q is for everyone working in quality improvement. Some people may have more recently started working in improvement, or come to it from the clinical side, and others might have been working in quality improvement for a long time.
We welcome applications from across the health and care sector. If you have knowledge and experience of using different approaches and methodologies to improve the quality of health and care, it may be for you.
Q membership is flexible. You can contribute in a way that makes sense for you while learning from others. Obviously, to be a thriving network, it does require people to give and share experiences and knowledge, and the longer you are working in improvement, the more you can give.
People should come and have a look around to see for themselves what they can get out of it.
Why is now a good time to take the leap and join the Q community?
It’s an exciting time – quality improvement across the UK and Ireland is much more in focus now and there is a real desire to improve the health and care sector. We can lead and support this change. It can’t happen without capacity and capability, and without a large network of people who are working together to make it happen.
Ten to 15 years ago, when I started exploring quality improvement in the NHS, there was no career pathway or standardisation of roles.
We now have a better understanding of the different roles and the competencies and skills that we need, and Q is an excellent way to share that knowledge and to learn.
I think we have a massive opportunity to support people to deliver rapid change, and to help them navigate the challenges, while helping them to boost their skills and resilience so that we can create a stronger health and care system for the future. Individuals and organisations have so much to gain from Q as we all strive to learn and improve and deliver best practice in what we do.
Find out more
To find out more about Q or join our community, visit our Join Q page or email our team on Q@health.org.uk