What is the challenge your project is going to address and how does it connect to your chosen theme?

Across all NHS providers in Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly we have a significant number of staff who are quality improvement trained or who have participated in a quality improvement project. Much resource in the last 5 years or so has been concentrated on developing NHS staff with limited attention given to the independent sector, in particular care home settings. People in Cornwall move between all services without regard for who commissions them.

In the creation of an integrated care  system (ICS) it is vital that all providers have a shared understanding of quality improvement methodology and are able to deliver programmes of improvement across a persons interaction of all services. This includes the independent sector as well as NHS.

The challenge this project will address is for care homes and NHS providers to work on improvement irrespective of commissioner. This project aims to create a level playing field, building improvement capability across boundaries.

What does your project aim to achieve?

Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly has more than 5000 care home beds (residential/ nursing) across more than 300 homes. This project aims to offer quality improvement (QI) training across this sector to create ‘person’ improvements across settings irrespective of funding arrangements.

A level playing field.

A system of quality improvement that shares ideas/ learning and evidence.

Objectives:

• Improved care for residents/ staff.
• QI training package to be devised working in conjunction with system partners including the South West Academic Health Science Network and Cornwall Adult Health/ Social Care Learning  Partnership
• All care homes to be offered QI training; this will be measured by staff numbers/ homes/ localities/ number of projects.
• Using existing patient safety collaborative (Patient Safety Kernow Quality Improvement) all care home staff will be invited to attend for QI project support.
• All NHS/ Local Authority staff will be offered QI training as a move from Quality Assurance roles.

How will the project be delivered?

Relevant people:

• Care Home market including residents
• NHS Kernow
• Cornwall Council
• Cornwall Adult Health/ Social Care (CAHSC) Learning  Partnership
• South West Academic Health Science Network (SWAHSN)

Once a QI training package has been devised with above, the NHS will work with CAHSC to develop a train the trainers programme to ensure sustainability and to share learning/ success/ challenges. Homes will be supported by Primary Care Networks (PCN), NHS Kernow, Cornish Q members & CAHSC to deliver improvement projects. A central repository will be devised on existing website.

Existing NHS QI initiatives will be shared with the homes by locality (PCN) to determine whether a joined up approach is possible.

Management of Risk:

• All stakeholders engaged
• Involvement of all homes, current Enhanced Health in Care Home programme has highlighted limited QI capability.
• NHS Kernow 19/20 Operational Plan includes QI capability to care home sector
• Kernow System Operational Plan includes system-wide QI capability

What and how is your project going to share learning throughout?

What will the project share?

• QI training materials
• QI experts across Cornwall and beyond
• Residents experiences
• Staff experiences
• Learning from experience/ excellence

How will the project share?

• Existing networks (Q, CPIG, CAHSC)
• Patient Safety Kernow Quality Improvement (PSKQI) collaborative – include homes engaged in membership. PSKQI is supported by SWAHSN and HEE SW.
• PSKQI will feed outcomes into Cornwall Quality Surveillance Group (QSG) the new architecture for quality oversight in the ICS.
• Enhanced Health in Care Home – Future NHS Collaboration Platform (Case study database and planning and resource guide)
• Blogs
• Social media

In addition this project will link with existing QI programmes across the NHS providers (acute/ mental health/ community); sharing work/ lessons learnt/ contact details. Where possible existing projects will be extended to care homes or NHS sector to avoid duplication.