What is the challenge your project is going to address and how does it connect to the theme of 'How can we improve across system boundaries?​

The project addresses the challenge of improving collaboration between health and social care services and communities in the UK. It aims to overcome barriers that prevent effective cooperation by involving diverse community members and professionals. A pilot peer researcher collaboration with the Young Foundation highlighted the community’s desire to be actively involved in shaping positive changes. Building on the success of the pilot project, the initiative plans to scale up by developing community-based peer improvement champions. These champions will work across sectors to promote innovative solutions and improved practices, ensuring that community voices influence policies and decision-making processes. By fostering collaborative learning and sharing best practices nationally, the project aims to replicate its success across different systems

What does your project aim to achieve?

The project’s main goal is to establish a peer improvement champion programme, providing evidence-based training to enhance community members’ skills in quality improvement. Additional objectives include empowering and supporting community members to lead improvement initiatives, enhancing communication and coordination between stakeholders, developing community leadership, and ensuring inclusivity by reaching underserved communities through partnerships with organisations like HIVE Portsmouth and Bournemouth University Centre for Seldom Heard Voices

How will the project be delivered?

A structured approach across 4 phases ensuring stakeholder engagement, efficiency, and quality throughout the peer improvement champion programme.

Phase 1: stakeholders (including peer researchers) will be engaged, and needs assessed to establish a steering committee. The framework for the peer improvement champion programme will be developed collaboratively.

Phase 2: will focus on co-design of training materials, recruitment of diverse community members to participate in the programme, and partnership strengthening.

Phase 3: training sessions will commence, with an emphasis on accessibility and community engagement. Implementation of improvement initiatives, monitoring and evaluation will underpin this phase.

Phase 4: Looks at how to scale up the project, based on the evaluation findings and sustainability planning. Sharing learning through diverse channels, including publications, conference presentations, social media updates, toolkits, and a collaborative network. Providing ongoing support to peer improvement champions to lead and drive initiatives, sustaining the cross-system collaboration with key stakeholders and within communities.

How is your project going to share learning?

We plan to share learning using a diverse range of strategies to ensure inclusivity:

·       Publication: write accessible articles and formal reports detailing project methodologies, findings and outcomes.

·       Presentation at conferences:  for example, workshops or seminars to share insights and lessons learned.

·       Social media: ongoing throughout the project to share updates, success stories and key learnings.

·       Toolkits and resources: Develop toolkits, guides or online resources based on the projects methodologies and lessons learned. Make them freely available for download or distribution to support other communities or organisations interested in implementing similar projects.

·       Collaborative network: Develop new, and sustain existing partnerships and networks focussed on community led improvement and health inequity. Sharing expertise, resources and learning to amplify collective impact and drive system change.