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?​

Last year, in 2023, a record number of staff left the NHS, which is likely to have been impacted by the pressures experienced by NHS services across the country. Even before the pandemic, research indicated that healthcare staff have poorer wellbeing than those working in other sectors, and this has amplified since the pandemic with staff reporting increased symptoms of anxiety, depression and post-traumatic stress disorder.

This programme will invite 6 teams from across the region to come together to focus on staff wellbeing and staff retention, a universal issue that requires urgent attention, where teams from different organisations and across system boundaries will have the opportunity to learn from each other. By partaking, staff from all levels of the healthcare system will develop QI skills, particularly staff from underrepresented backgrounds. We aim to also help to remove boundaries in terms of career progression for underrepresented staff groups.

What does your project aim to achieve?

This programme will empower frontline teams to improve staff wellbeing, mental health and equality and diversity within their teams with support from a dedicated QI coach and licenses for supporting tools such as Life Qi and Improve Well. These tools will help with measurement and monitoring improvement over time, and the coaches will facilitate the use of QI methodologies to refine individual aims.

As with any priority for improvement, specific factors contributing to poor wellbeing and staff retention in different teams will be best known to the staff closest to the issues plus issues related to Equality, Diversity and Inclusion. The frontline staff will also have good ideas on how to make work better for colleagues. In particular, staff from underrepresented groups often have fantastic ideas, but report that they do not get as many opportunities to share their ideas and the permission and support to work on their ideas.

How will the project be delivered?

The project will be based on learning from similar national QI collaboratives such as the Joy in work QI Collaborative, and also national guidance and frameworks such as the EDI Improvement Plan.

Commitment to this project is essential, therefore teams from various organisations and services across South Yorkshire will submit an application to take part in the 12-month QI collaborative. 6 teams will be selected, each containing up to 5 members, and the lead member must have a protected characteristic.

Teams will meet to establish shared issues and concerns, and agree measures that all projects related to this collaborative will track. This will allow teams to return to the collaborative setting and share the impact of their projects so other organisations can test and scale up the successful initiatives.

How is your project going to share learning?

Our proposed programme focusses on improvement across system boundaries in relation to a topic that is of utmost urgency for every NHS organisation right now. If we don’t look after our staff then we will not have staff to care for patients. Furthermore, if staff are just about surviving rather than thriving, than care will not be as good as it possibly can be as the relationship between staff experience in the workplace, staff wellbeing and patient.

Improvements will be monitored and shared with support from a dedicated QI coach and licenses for supporting tools such as Life Qi and Improve Well, which help with measurement and monitoring improvement over time.

Progress will be provided via the Q community platform, but also at regional events, including Staff Network Groups.