Quality Service Improvement and Redesign (QSIR) College

Infusing the NHS with quality and service improvement skills

The QSIR College programme builds in-house capability to develop widespread quality, service improvement and redesign skills within health systems, infusing the NHS with improvement skills.

This latest development will develop teams from across sustainability and transformation plan (STP) footprint areas to roll out the QSIR: Practitioner programme locally. This will support delivery of the local vision set out in their STP – which, in turn, will deliver the changes outlined in the Five Year Forward View.

The programme is provided free to participants, only travel and accommodation costs are expected to be covered by the sponsoring organisation.

"As an associate member of the QSIR faculty, I feel part of the effort to build a broad and lasting quality improvement movement in the NHS. Having access to a national, centrally endorsed, accredited QI curriculum can only help with that, it creates a common language and set of skills.

And, as a QSIR accredited trainer within my own organisation, QSIR gives me access to excellent, ready-made resources - exercises, handbooks, slide decks - that give us a really good platform from which to localise QI education to our own needs” Dave Grewcock, Head of Improvement, UCLH Institute, University College London Hospital NHS Foundation Trust and Associate Member of the QSIR Faculty

This and other ACT Academy programmes are accredited by the Institute of Healthcare Management and RCN accreditation has been sought.

Who is this programme for?

Individuals nominated by their systems should:

be committed to working together across organisational boundaries to skill

other staff up to undertake the quality and service improvements that will

underpin delivery of the Five Year Forward View

have significant service and quality improvement skills and experience and

be committed to working as a member of the local team rolling out the QSIR

programme across their system.

It’s essential that the system and the individual organisations in that system

demonstrate they are prepared to support, enable and champion their candidates to

fully benefit from the programme and also roll out QSIR across the system.

The teams of participants from each STP footprint will be expected to develop a

delivery strategy against a commitment to deliver at least three cohorts of the QSIR

programme in their system before the end of March 2017.

Download the application form from https://improvement.nhs.uk/resources/qsir-

programme/

Please remember: It is vital that you are fully conversant with the guidance that

accompanies the application form and that you are clear on what you can expect

from us and what we expect from you before making application.

The Advancing Change & Transformation (ACT) Academy reserves the right to

discontinue the attendance, accreditation or re-accreditation of QSIR College

candidates on the basis of breaches to any of the following: the NHS Constitution for

England (https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/the-nhs-constitution-for-

england/the-nhs-constitution-for-england), candidate’s employee codes of conduct

and behaviour, expectations for candidates attending QSIR College as outlined in the

application form and guidance, or to the QSIR College compact (signed after

accreditation). Sponsors and candidates’ line managers will be informed of

discontinuation and the reasons for this.

What you can expect from us and what we expect from you

To maximise the contribution of QSIR College to the delivery of the Five Year

Forward View, it is vital that everyone is clear as to what, in terms of experience,

skill, actions, rigour and commitment, is required from all parties.

Every penny counts

The NHS is responsible for spending public money wisely – and rightly so. The cost

to NHS Improvement of developing and providing this programme is significant and

participation also requires an outlay from public funded organisations in terms of

candidates’ time, travel and accommodations costs. It is therefore essential that the

content and quality of the programme are of the highest standard, evidence based

and focused on developing practical skills. It is equally vital that the participating

organisations and their nominated candidates are all wholly committed to taking full

advantage of the opportunity offered by QSIR College to enable the spread of

quality, efficiency and service improvement capability throughout their Sustainability

and Transformation Plan (STP) footprint area

What you can expect from us

The programme

This is an intensive programme developed from the successful Quality, Service

Improvement and Redesign (QSIR) Practitioner programme and the pilot QSIR ‘train

the trainer’ programme and evolved to meet the challenges set out by the Berwick

Report.

Successful graduates of QSIR College receive:

comprehensive evidence-based slide sets with full supporting speaker notes

enabling them to deliver the QSIR curriculum

QSIR specific workbooks and associated publications to share with

participants of the QSIR programme within their system

updated QSIR materials after successful re-accreditation

coaching by current members of the QSIR Teaching Faculty and, where

possible, associate members of the teaching faculty i.e. helping to improve

awareness, set and achieve goals in order to improve performance

virtual ‘revision’ and coaching sessions to share experience and support

preparation to deliver specific content.

They will be part of the network of associate QSIR Teaching Faculty members

offering regular updates, a newsletter and national networking events.

The faculty

The faculty provides expertise in change management capability development and

support for health and care staff delivering change. Uniquely as a team they have a

range of attributes that enhance the quality and scope of what they offer.

extensive NHS experience, including director level and senior national posts

experience of leading and working with project teams to deliver service

improvement and transformational change within the NHS, other public sector

and independent sector organisations.

knowledge gained through the development of national improvement

programmes and the creation of published guidance

academic credibility (eg doctorate qualifications, postgraduate teaching and

research)

experience of transformational change and organisational development

support such as working with challenged health systems.

significant experience of varied capability building approaches including team

and individual approaches, blended learning, executive coaching, etc.

As a faculty, we commit to: providing relevant teaching using contemporary theory

that is of high quality, providing a conducive learning environment, engaging fully

and supportively with learners and their sponsors, providing fair and transparent

assessment and feedback processes and acting professionally and with courtesy at

all times.

System and organisational sponsors can expect us to build and nurture skills of key

staff to enable them to spread the learning and role model behaviours that underpin

delivery of their STPs.

Nominated candidates will become part of a quality improvement movement within

the health service through a national, centrally endorsed quality improvement

curriculum.

What we expect from you

System sponsors

System sponsors are expected to:

ensure that all candidates being put forward have the required skills,

experience and commitment to fully benefit from the programme and play

their part in building the capability across the system that will deliver the STP

put in place the support and framework necessary to enable system-wide

working

design and support roll out plans that comply with the QSIR College compact

ensure evaluation processes are set up in order to demonstrate the impact of

the approach and support subsequent uptake

act as a champion and ambassador for the team and the programme

role model the behaviours they want to see throughout the system, eg valuing

development and improvement

ensure progress is reported regularly at system level and organisations within

the STP footprint are held to account for meeting their obligations and

commitments.

Organisational sponsors

Organisational sponsors are expected to:

design and support roll out plans that comply with the QSIR College compact

ensure evaluation processes are set up in order to demonstrate the impact of

the approach and support subsequent uptake

act as a champion and ambassador for the team and the programme

role model the behaviours they want to see throughout the system, e.g.

valuing development and improvement

ensure nominated candidate(s) from their organisation have the protected

time necessary to both fully participate the programme and deliver QSIR:

Practitioner within the STP footprint in accordance with the agreed roll out

plan

take the practical steps necessary to prioritise this work

be responsible for regular reporting of progress at board level.

Nominated candidates

Nominated candidates are expected to:

attend every component of the programme

be punctual and fully engaged

work as part of a team within the system and as part of a national network of

associate members of the QSIR Teaching Faculty

role model behaviours that reflect the learning from QSIR College and support

the delivery of the STP

support and challenge other nominated candidates within their system-wide

team.

QSIR College programme timetable

Deadline for applications 5:00 pm 20 May

2016

Notification as to whether applications have met core criteria W/c 26 May 26

2016 via email

Virtual assessment of all nominated candidates from all systems

whose applications have passed the screening process.

8 June 2016

Notification of results from the virtual assessment

June 2016

Two 3-day residential workshops to experience QSIR: Practitioner

programme and personal development as a facilitator

University of

Warwick

Conference

Centre

5–7 July 2016

12–14 July 2016

Teaching assessment workshops (2 x 5-day workshops):

teams/participants will only be required to attend one of the week-

long workshops

w/c 12

September 2016

or

w/c 19 September

2016

QSIR roll out in participating STP footprint areas

October 2016–

end March 2017

Support and network event for new associate QSIR Faculty

members

November 2016

(tbc)

QSIR: Practitioner curriculum

Successful QSIR graduates will become associate members of the QSIR Faculty

and will roll out the QSIR: Practitioner programme against a previously agreed plan

that ensures that at least three cohorts across the system will benefit from this

training before 31 March 2017.

The QSIR: Practitioner programme is suitable for clinical and non-clinical staff

working on a service change project. This allows participants to apply their learning

throughout the programme, which in turn accelerates personal and organisational

learning and supports teams to build their evidence base for further change at pace.

Background

The current QSIR College offer has been developed from the ACT Academy’s ‘train

the trainer’ pilot programme, originally designed for single organisations and

launched in 2015, since when successful graduates (now associate members of the

ACT Academy’s QSIR Teaching Faculty) have been rolling out the tried and tested

Quality, Service Improvement and Redesign (QSIR) programme within their

organisations. All ACT Academy programmes are updated and refreshed on an

annual basis. The QSIR College curriculum and programme design have been

remodelled with input from our successful 2015 graduates, informed by our joint

learning from the pilot and in response to the requirements of health systems set out

in Delivering the Forward View: NHS planning guidance 2016/17 – 202/21.

Advancing Change and Transformation (ACT) Academy faculty

Julia Taylor, Director

Dr Taylor has worked in the healthcare improvement

field at national and international level since 2001.

Previously she was the National Programme Director

for Building Transformational Change Capability at

NHS Improving Quality and before that, Director of

Learning and Development at the NHS Institute for

Innovation and Improvement. She has held the post

of National Programme Director for Ambulance

Trusts and has been Director of an NHS trust.

Julia has extensive experience of supporting change management and leadership

development in complex environments and building organisational effectiveness.

She is a recognised authority on service improvement and large-scale change

approaches to transformation. She has expertise in delivering transformational

change across organisational boundaries in complex settings through system

leadership. An experienced qualified executive coach, Dr Taylor has studied with the

Harvard Kennedy School for Executive Education amongst other prominent

educational centres. She holds a master’s degree with distinction in Leading

Innovation and Change and a doctorate in Transformational Change in Healthcare

and is an academic consultant for Middlesex University. She was invited to be part of

the NEF: Innovation Institute’s Innovation Council in 2013.

Dr Taylor has an extensive knowledge and understanding of health and care

services gained through both academic study and hands-on management

experience of delivering complex change on the ground. She has significant

experience in supporting challenged trusts and has designed and delivered national

and local developmental capability building programs for senior leaders

commissioned by organisations such as the Department of Health, NHS England,

and Australian and New Zealand health authorities.

For example:

Organising for Quality and Value (improvement science education

programme): Department of Health, Strategic Health Authorities, NHS trusts,

New Zealand Department of Health

NHS Vanguard for Emerging Leaders (leadership development with an

innovative design): Department of Health, Leadership Centre, Strategic Health

Authorities

Leading Large-scale Change:senior NHS and Australian health care leaders

No Delays: developmental programme for Health and Wellbeing Boards, DH

Bespoke master classes (eg Authentic Leadership): NHS boards.

Dr Taylor has designed and facilitated large group interventions for a range of

partners including the Department of Health, the Academy of Medical Royal Colleges

and Health Workforce Australia.

Julia has also developed and published detailed guidance on improvement methods

and resources as well as other quality improvement focused papers including in peer

reviewed journals. For example, Delivering Quality in the NHS, The Handbook of

Quality and Improvement Tools, Transforming Access - Clinical Governance an

International Journal

Dr Taylor’s work on reducing delays for patients is internationally renowned; she is

an international speaker, a contributor to healthcare publications and sits on a

number of forums.

All requests for speaking engagement or articles – please email:

lynsey.ogilvie@nhs.net

@JRAT2

Stephanie Reid, Senior Manager

Stephanie Reid’s expertise and experience lie in

supporting local and large scale service transformations

and reviews.

She has 20 years’ experience working in local, regional

and national roles in the NHS and Department of Health.

Previous roles have included accountancy, business

performance management and front-line service

improvement at organisational and regional level as well

as national roles focused on complex programmes of service redesign and strategy

development and implementation.

During the last 10 years, Stephanie has also worked within the private sector

providing consultancy support for a large variety of clients with particular focus on

leading and supporting projects delivering clinical pathway and care model redesign.

She has worked as an associate for major consultancy firms in the health and local

government sectors using her expertise to support both local and larger scale

service transformations and reviews including service development planning and the

implementation of new organisational models of service delivery.

Stephanie leads on Quality and Service Redesign (QSIR) and is also a member of

the ACT Academy’s Leading Transformational Change teaching faculty. She has

supported the delivery of the NHS Vanguard programme designed for emerging

leaders which included facilitating virtual action learning sets (VALS). She is

currently contributing to the Kings College London Health Services and Population

Research Department’s MSc in Implementation and Improvement Science.

All requests for speaking engagement or articles – please email: nhsi.act@nhs.net

@StephJR01

Daljit Shokur, Senior Manager

Daljit Shokur’s expertise is in building organisational and

individual capability to deliver sustainable change. She has

wide ranging experience of supporting organisations and

individuals at all levels, both locally and nationally, in

circumstances where organisations have been challenged

with delivery. She has built a solid track record of

delivering complex and demanding projects on time and

budget. She is adept at identifying enablers and barriers to

change, facilitating resolution and developing strategies to mitigate risk.

Her recent work with NHS Improving Quality and the NHS Institute for Innovation

and Improvement has included design, delivery and coaching for the Call to Action

mobilisation training based on social movement theory. This is underpinned by her

successful completion of the ‘Leadership Organising and Action’ programme led by

Marshall Ganz at the Harvard Kennedy School for Executive Education. She is a

proficient trainer and coach in public narrative, enabling leaders to inspire

commitment and change.

Daljit has worked for the NHS for 20 years, at national and local level, in a variety of

roles including director of primary care at a primary care trust. Prior to this she

worked in the voluntary sector. She has worked for the Department of Health on

national programmes and contributed to the development of the Department’s

Framework for Commissioning External Suppliers. She has worked with prisons to

commission prison healthcare and has identified ways organisations with very

different cultures can be encouraged to work together effectively to achieve agreed

outcomes. She led a highly successful project to assist women to return to work

through support and targeted training initiatives, which won a national ‘Business in

the Community’ award in the training category.

All requests for speaking engagement or articles – please email: nhsi.act@nhs.net

Andrew Singfield, Senior Manager

Andrew Singfield specialises in organisational

development, the application of improvement

science at a system level, transformational change

and the design and facilitation of group learning

events.

Before joining the Advancing Change Team at

NHS Improving Quality, Andrew led the

development of the Leading Large Scale Change

programme within the NHS Institute for Innovation and Improvement, supporting 25

senior teams to deliver transformational changes over a nine month period. He has

also led the development of support to health and social care systems and oversaw

a large programme to help commissioners implement improvement science activities

in commissioning. This resulted in his creating the published guide An Improvement

Framework for Commissioners.

He has worked for 20 years in a variety of management and organisational

development roles in the NHS mostly centred upon supporting leaders and teams

improve their service delivery. Initially joining the NHS through the National

Management Training Scheme, Andrew spent his early NHS career focused on

clinical governance. He has worked in both acute services and commissioning

organisations and spent five years supporting ‘challenged’ NHS organisations.

Throughout his career Andrew has developed a significant level of expertise and

experience in integrating leadership and improvement science methods to support

change. This has taken him into areas such as the effective use of data (eg. he has

authored two papers on statistical process control methods in healthcare),

governance systems and the use of psychological profiles to support individual and

team development.

He has a first class degree in physics and an MBA.

All requests for speaking engagement or articles – please email: nhsi.act@nhs.net

@AndrewNHSIQ

Dr Alison Tweed, Senior Manager

Dr Tweed has been part of the ACT teaching faculty

since she joined the Advancing Change Team at

NHS Improving Quality in November 2014. She has

taken a lead role in developing and implementing a

quality assurance framework for the Leading

Transformational Change and Quality Service

Improvement and Redesign (QSIR) programmes.

With a background in academia, she has applied

adult education principles to develop robust assessment processes for programme

participants and set the basis for ongoing accreditation and formal recognition of

achievement.

In previous roles, she has worked in partnership with Health Education England in

the delivery of doctoral-level professional clinical psychology training. As part of her

work with students, she developed a validated measure for the standardised

assessment of clinician therapeutic skill in-vivo, which has helped re-shape

observational methods for clinicians in training at a national level. Her experience of

quality assurance work has involved the role of external examiner at a number of

universities both in the UK and oversees, and as a member on the accreditation

committee for the British Psychological Society.

Dr Tweed has over 20 years’ experience working within the NHS and Higher

Education settings. She is a clinical psychologist by profession and spent a number

of years working as a front-line clinician in medical and adult mental health services.

With a move to clinical psychology professional training as a lecturer (and latterly,

principal lecturer), she has gained a reputation as a psychological qualitative

researcher, publishing a number of peer-reviewed journal articles and book chapters.

Her specialist interests include thematic qualitative analysis, specifically Grounded

Theory, process factors within psychological change and skills-assessment. She

brings this unique perspective and a quality assurance and standards background to

the Advancing Change & Transformation (ACT) Academy

All requests for speaking engagement or articles – please email: nhsi.act@nhs.net

@AlisonTweed

Karen Fechter, QSIR Associate

Karen is on a 12-month secondment to the Advancing

Change & Transformation (ACT) Academy and joined in

December 2015. She is a quality and service

improvement specialist who has worked in healthcare

for over 20 years with experience in the community,

acute, tertiary, commissioning and private sectors. She

is a physiotherapist by profession and until recently

worked clinically as a consultant physiotherapist and

was clinical lead of a large musculoskeletal service. She was the Musculoskeletal

Local Network East of England representative for the Chartered Society of

Physiotherapy.

Through putting patients first and at the centre, she has consistently led teams who

have achieved significant improvements in patient experience, access and clinical

outcomes through successful quality and service improvements which have crossed

organisational and sector boundaries; working with stakeholders to create innovative

solutions to achieve cost efficiency savings. In 2014, she co-presented a poster at

the PhysioUK Conference relating to the impact of patient reported outcome

measures (EQ5D) on musculoskeletal service redesign.

She has an MSc (distinction) in musculoskeletal physiotherapy and is a PRINCE2

practitioner. Karen is an alumna of the Advancing Change & Transformation

Academy’s Quality, Service Improvement and Redesign (QSIR) Train the Trainer

programme and co-delivers the QSIR programme within her employing organisation.

Karen is a member of the QSIR teaching faculty and assists in the design, delivery

and evaluation of the QSIR programme. She also has responsibility for providing

ongoing support for the associate members of the ACT Academy’s QSIR teaching

faculty.

All requests for speaking engagement or articles – please email: nhsi.act@nhs.net

@fechter_k

NHS Improvement is the operational name for the organisation that brings together Monitor, NHS Trust Development Authority, Patient Safety, the National Reporting and Learning System, the Advancing Change team and the Intensive Support Teams. This publication can be made available in a number of other formats on request. NHS Improvement (April 2016) Publication code: IG 05/16