- Idea
- 2019
What is the challenge your project is going to address and how does it connect to your chosen theme?
The UK has a thriving engineering community that co-ordinates it’s energy for improvement and innovation through Professional Engineering Institutions. Hundreds of activities go on each week organised by these Institutions with a very broad range of engineering disciplines. Better communication between Health Care and Engineering will, I’m sure, result in some of their ideas reaching the Q Community. I know that many engineers have an interest in the NHS.
Have a look at https://www.theiet.org/impact-society/sectors/healthcare/
What does your project aim to achieve?
To establish strong links between as many of the Engineering Institutions as is possible and the Q Community. Establish strong links between individual Engineers and individual members of the Q Community that have similar interests.
These activities will be facilitated by producing a directory of Engineering Institutions, including contact details of the relevant person in the Institution, That members of the Q community can contact.
Areas of interest/expertise will be included and relevant historic publications listed.
How will the project be delivered?
Current contacts will be identified and views on what future joint activity should look like sought.
New contacts will be sought by contacting individual Engineering Institutions to discover their interest in the ideas and to establish what relevant activities they have undertaken in the past.
Maybe Hexitime could be utilised here.
What and how is your project going to share learning throughout?
The shared learning will come when Engineers and Q Community Members start getting involved in joint activity and their results are published. All the Engineering Institutions have monthly journal and they will be only to pleased to publish successful project papers.
This is an ideal sharing and learning opportunity for a Community of Practice like the one proposed in another Q Exchange idea – https://q.health.org.uk/idea/2019/process-management-how-to-make-qi-outcomes-more-sustainable-and-scal/
How you can contribute
- Please support this idea by adding your comments to this page.
- Pass on the contact details of any engineering institutions or Engineers that you know.
Comments
Thomas John Rose 1 year, 9 months ago
Here is an example of collaborative work https://events.theiet.org/think-big-future-health-life-science-unconference/ Register to attend if you are interested.
Thomas John Rose 1 year, 9 months ago
Anna,
I have chatted to Emma about Q visits to Engineering Institutions and we are in the process of arranging one. I've not contacted her about this idea. I'll do that. Thanks for the tip.
Tom
Anna Burhouse 1 year, 9 months ago
Hi Tom,
have you chatted with fellow Q Emma Adams? Emma has done some great work in this area.
best wishes
Anna
Wendy Lewis 1 year, 9 months ago
great idea! My previous experience of working in partnership with engineering professionals was wholly positive and stimulated new ways of thinking in the design of improvement programmes.
There are a significant number of engineers working within healthcare - could their individual networks support this idea? There is current appetite, opportunity and a definite need to focus on specific areas of healthcare where this collaboration would add great value; approaches to safety and risk, system application of Lean methodologies and understanding of flow.
Could the directory be supported with a Q event to launch and connect it to wider work ? within the national event. You may need to ask for more money!
Good luck, Tom and I look forward to hearing more!
Thomas John Rose 1 year, 9 months ago
Wendy,
Thank you for your suggestions. Certainly the two Engineering Institutions that I work most closely with have healthcare SIGs and are very keen to have better contact with the NHS. I agree with you on the value better relationships could bring to the NHS.
Regards
Tom
Isabel Ho 1 year, 9 months ago
Hi Tom, IPEM Institute of Physics and Engineering in Medicine - https://www.ipem.ac.uk/AboutIPEM.aspx is the institute for clinical scientists working in healthcare and maybe worth to have a look. Many of our medical physicists are IPEM members and they do have their existing network on jiscmail, I think there are a handful of them in Q community but may need a bit of effort to find them. Also look for title of Clinical Scientists, their HCPC registered title.
Thomas John Rose 1 year, 9 months ago
Thanks for your comment Isabel. I will follow up your suggestion. Regards Tom
Elizabeth Angier 1 year, 9 months ago
I like this idea, Thomas. It would be good to have a matching system for Q members with similar interests and perhaps some opportunities for meetings and brainstorming ideas.
Thomas John Rose 1 year, 9 months ago
Elizabeth, I've been away in the mountains. Thanks for your support for this idea. Maybe if we had some engineers integrated into the Q SIGs we would achieve that interaction. Regards Tom
Elizabeth Bradbury 1 year, 9 months ago
Great idea, I think it would be really useful to have a directory and to create a way to share examples of collaborations between engineers / engineering bodies and innovation and improvement in health. AQuA's whole system flow programme linked with the Royal Society of Engineers and found the link to be really +ve.
Thomas John Rose 1 year, 9 months ago
Thank you for your support Elizabeth. Engineers have so much to offer and are very willing. Regards Tom