When we first piloted Q Exchange back in 2018, we wanted to offer a funding programme that was fundamentally rooted in connection. Q Exchange continues to be an example of Q’s commitment to bringing people working to improve health and care together to develop ideas, learn from emerging insight and ideas and inspire each another. We believe that collective change makes for the most sustainable change.
Q Exchange relies on our community supporting projects as they develop. But being part of a project team is not the only way to meaningfully participate in Q Exchange. Becoming a Q Exchange contributor is equally as valuable to the development of sustainable improvement projects.
During shortlisting, assessors will consider how much engagement projects have had with the community and how they’ve developed their projects using these inputs, so contributing – even in a small way – can help bolster an application’s chance of being shortlisted.
“I checked to see how many comments they’d had, whether they had replied, whether they had updated their project in view of the comments.”
Past Q Exchange assessor
So, what are some of the actions in this role that you can take to support the projects before the vote, irrespective of the time you have available?
I don’t have a lot of time
We appreciate that many of you don’t have a lot of time to spend on Q Exchange. There are some simple actions that you can take to contribute to the development of projects.
Pick a project to support
Scroll through the projects already posted on the Q website and pick one to dive into. Perhaps it’s an idea you can bring your unique insight and knowledge to or provide challenge to an idea to help improve it. You don’t need to do this with every project, and it doesn’t have to be complicated. Even a small contribution can help strengthen an idea. This has made huge differences to the success of past projects.
Are you on social media?
You could help a team get their idea noticed by sharing their project, and act as a champion to get others excited about their work. There’s a ‘share’ button on each project, so you can quickly and easily post the idea on your social media platforms.
I can spare some, but not much, time
Support a project or two
If you’ve got a bit more time, you could choose to read and support an idea or two. Perhaps there are some ideas linked closely to some work you’ve previously done. Or that are closely aligned to your personal or professional experience. Can you provide support for, or constructive feedback on their projects?
There may be areas of the projects you think are great, or you may spot gaps or areas that need further work. Everyone in the community has a valuable perspective, so we encourage you to consider openly sharing your thoughts. This could be as simple as signposting the team to some helpful resources, like toolkits or guides.
Networking
Maybe you know someone who could help a project lead, either within or beyond the community. Or perhaps you’ve spotted some ideas that are similar. You could support by linking these ideas and helping them to learn from one another. You could also consider how these ideas might benefit your own work and establish connections.
I’ve got time to get involved
If you can spare a little more time, there are some key activities that have proven to help the success of previous projects in tangible ways.
Bringing together services and systems
The theme for this year’s programme is around improving across system boundaries. Perhaps you can help a team to understand how they can navigate this challenge and where there are opportunities for scalability.
Supporting a team
In reading through some of the projects, you may spot opportunities to get involved with delivering and developing ideas. This could be through being a critical friend, or you could help the team generate potential solutions and suggestions for further exploration. There may be opportunities to become part of the project team, or perhaps you could offer your time to help with a specific query eg reviewing the project budget or helping to write the application.
Assessing Q Exchange
“It was an opportunity to do something as a Q member to support Q”
Past Q Exchange assessor
Joining a Q Exchange assessment panel is a great opportunity to review a range of project bids emerging from the community. The project proposals submitted reflect current priorities across the health and care system. The voluntary assessor role enables you to directly contribute to the chosen shortlist that goes on to community vote. This role has specific time commitments during April 2024. You’ll need to review up to 10 projects and attend a shortlisting panel meeting.
“I felt that this work allowed me to use my years of experience in a helpful way that offered value to others”
Past Q Exchange assessor
If you’re interested in signing up to become an assessor, fill out the survey.
Voting in Q Exchange
The Q Exchange vote is an important way everyone can participate. The Q Exchange votes ensures the decision of who receives funding sits with the community. The more members who vote, the more likely it is that the funded projects will reflect priorities across the system and provide benefits for the community.
We publish more information about the vote closer to the time, so keep an eye out for this opportunity. Don’t miss out on casting your vote on which projects should be funded through Q Exchange.
Q Exchange 6 will open for ideas on Tuesday 6 February 2024. Find out more about Q Exchange.