We’re delighted to announce that, in September, we’ll be launching a new Q Lab UK project, in partnership with NHSX. Together we’ll explore how to build staff and patient trust and confidence in technology-enabled remote monitoring, so that it can be scaled across the health and care system.

Q Lab UK offers a bold new approach to making progress on health and care challenges. Working on a single challenge, we bring together organisations and individuals from across the UK to pool what is known about a topic, uncover new insights and develop and test ideas. Previous projects have focussed on peer support, and mental health and persistent back and neck pain.

Why are we looking at technology-enabled remote monitoring?

Even before the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, technology and digital transformation were priorities for the health and care system. Although the pressures of the pandemic have accelerated the scale and pace of adoption of digital care in some settings, pre-existing trends and challenges have intensified. This means that care enabled by digital is a key part of the vision for improving value and access for patients, and recovery of the health and care system following the acute stage of COVID-19.

We believe that by bringing together teams with digital expertise and improvement expertise, we can create sustainable models for different settings and population needs that prioritise staff wellbeing and make progress on this vital challenge for the system.

What does it mean to be part of a Q Lab UK project?

This project is an opportunity to collaborate across organisational and professional boundaries in the UK and Ireland. Participants will uncover insights and learning about how to build staff and patient trust and confidence in technology-enabled remote monitoring to support people at home, so that it can be scaled across the health and care system.

Everyone who participates in the Lab can expect to attend workshops to connect, collaborate and learn with others who have a shared interest in the topic. There are two main roles for Q members and others to play in this project: as a test team or as a contributor.

Contributor: A contributor is an individual who has experience, expertise or an interest in the topic. Through the Lab process, you’ll be supported to connect, collaborate and learn with others who have a shared passion for the topic. You’ll contribute and gain new insights in the topic area and develop skills for collaborative change.

Test teams: A test team consists of people who will undertake improvement work in their local areas to see what works. You’ll play an active role as a participant and, in addition, Q Lab UK will support you to go beyond understanding the challenge to take practical action. You will receive upfront funding and support to follow a six-month design process to experiment and develop ideas to improve care. There will be potential for further funding for successful ideas after these six months. You will build new connections, share and develop your learning with other test teams and contributors, whilst developing the skills and capabilities to lead collaborative change.

Who can get involved?

Each contributor will need to be able to demonstrate:

• Expertise in, or lived experience of, technology-enabled remote care.
• A commitment to helping participants (both other contributors and test teams) with their improvement work.
• To get involved and to get the most from the experience, you’ll need to commit to actively taking part and learning from your experiences from November 2021 to May 2022.

Each test team will need to be able to demonstrate:

• Expertise within the team across both digital and improvement.
• One member of the team must be a Q member or have an application in progress.
• An existing service or pathway to undertake testing that already uses or could use technology-enabled remote monitoring during the Lab.
• A dedicated team who can undertake testing and attend Lab workshops between November 2021 and May 2022.

Interested in finding out more?

Whether you’re currently working on a project that is focussed on technology-enabled remote monitoring that needs some help to take it to the next level, or you’re an improver working in digital and can lend some expertise, there’s a role in this Lab project for you.

Sign up to receive more information, including details of how to apply when applications open in September, by completing the form below.

Don’t have expertise in, or lived experience of, technology-enabled remote care pathways but interested in what we learn throughout the project? We’ll be sharing insights and learning widely to be used by anyone who wants to develop and test ideas to improve care in practice or learn from the Lab processes.

Expressions of interest for this project are now closed.

You can find out more about the new project and opportunities to get involved at Project three: Technology-enabled remote monitoring.