Master Class 1 , Measuring the impact of QI: reflections from evaluating a major programme

Connecting to integrate QI and evaluation practice

This event is the first in a series of master classes and virtual study groups that aim to provide insight and learning about the practice of QI evaluation in healthcare. This first master class offers the opportunity to learn from the experiences of the team at Warwick Business School who were commissioned to evaluate a 5-year programme within the NHS looking to establish improvement management systems into 5 large NHS Trusts. There will also be an opportunity to ask questions of our guests and to find out more about the on-going work of the wider programme team.

This event is particularly relevant to those involved in the day-to-day design and delivery of QI projects and programmes across the health sector, as well as those interested in the commissioning and evaluation of such work.

Agenda for the event:

12:00 Welcome and introduction

• Introduction to the ‘Connecting to integrate QI and evaluation practice’ program

• Introduction to our speakers

12:10 Presentation by Dr Nicola Burgess (Reader of Operations Management) and Professor Bernard Crump (Professor of Practice in Healthcare and Leadership) from Warwick Business School

• Complexity of measurement

• Economic and financial evaluation

• Reflection on lessons learnt

12:50 Facilitated Q&A

13:15 Close

This event will be recorded and will be run using MS Teams.

Introduction to Connecting to integrate Quality Improvement (QI) and evaluation practice

Aims and objectives:

The program is linked to the Health Foundations Q Communities Evaluation Special Interest Group (SIG) and is funded from the Q Communities “Connecting Communities” fund. The aim is to connect QI and evaluation practice and practitioners, and the objectives are to:

• Increase connections, networks and build relationships between evaluators and quality improvement practitioners and researchers across health and social care (and beyond)

• Identify ways of bridging the gap between evaluation and quality improvement practice

• Increase knowledge and practical skills in evaluation in relation to QI

• Develop a guide and tools to support evaluation of QI programmes

Background to the programme:

The team at the School of Health and Related Research (ScHARR), University of Sheffield is led by Dr Steven Ariss. The project team includes: Dr Karen Ritchie (Healthcare Improvement Scotland), Dr Emma Gibbard (University of Bath), Dr John Richmond, Jennifer Read, Anna Cantrell and Alf Theodorou.

Evaluation of quality improvement programmes remains challenging for QI practitioners, as appropriate evaluation methods for such programmes continue to be developed and are primarily the domain of academic researchers rather than those working within health and care environments. The SIG aims to bridge the researcher/QI practitioner divide, to provide practical support for QI practitioners and help them evaluate their programmes.

To date the SIG has provided opportunities for learning and exchange through Webinar sessions, face to face workshop/networking event, mentoring and skill-sharing. Participants in the SIG identified priorities for future activities of the group, these included:

• More training and development

• Evaluation toolkit or guide for using QI tools and approaches to plan and deliver evaluations.

Both of these priorities, and others, highlighted the need to find ways to bridge the disciplinary barriers of evaluation and quality improvement practice.