Embedding and sustaining Quality Management Systems
Learning and collaboration around Quality Management Systems (QMS) in health and care across the UK and Ireland
On this page
Health organisations around the world are recognising the need to shift from a focus on quality improvement methodology to a broader approach to managing and improving quality. This project is gathering insight from Quality Management Systems (QMS) across the UK and Ireland and will share learnings for those embarking on or sustaining their own QMS.
Project background
Delivery of high-quality care requires organisations to have a consistent and coordinated approach to managing quality that is applied from team through to board level. This is known as a Quality Management System (QMS)
Across the UK and Ireland, QMS have evolved to encompass broad approaches and aspirations to organisational performance that draw on improvement principles.
While there are only a few examples of embedded QMS in health and care in these countries, the management of quality is increasingly central to ambitions for how we sustainably improve health care for all.
This project will map the QMS landscape to provide an overview of the different terminology, conceptualisations, ambitions and journeys across the UK and Ireland in this area.
What we’re doing
Q have commissioned independent health research and evaluation specialist John Illingworth and Carl Macrae, Professor of Organisational Behaviour and Psychology at the University of Nottingham.
Together, we are mapping the QMS landscape and gathering insight through interviews with stakeholders with QMS experience and expertise, along with in-depth case studies. These will be synthesised into key learnings about embedding and sustaining QMS, examining the benefits, and providing recommendations to support senior leaders with this work.
The key questions guiding this work include
- What are the different ways to frame QMS?
- What can we learn from QMS examples of different maturity levels and journeys?
- What are the conditions and enablers that support implementation of QMS?
- What is the role of leadership, culture and behaviours in supporting QMS?
- What are the potential and realised benefits of QMS within health care?
- What is needed to progress QMS work?
We will continue to update this page with insight as it is gathered and the project develops.
Discover more
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Quality Management Systems: resources to help you get started
Guide 22 July 2024 11 minute readDraw learning and inspiration from different frameworks, tools and methods that others have used. -
Quality Management Systems webinar series
Guide 20 June 2023 3 minute readWatch the recordings from our two sets of webinar series exploring Quality Management Systems (QMS) in health and care.