Quality Improvement Champions Training

Part of Quality Improvement At our Best, this training is open to all colleagues across the Trust – in every job role and at every location – because we can all help to improve quality of care for patients who use our services. We offer QI training for colleagues at all levels of their improvement journey, from beginner to expert. There are four levels of the Quality Improvement Champion training, which you can work through and at each level, there are two component parts: training and action.

All colleagues can participate in this scheme and training is completely free.

What’s in it for me?

Once you have completed the training and action components of the level you are working towards, you will receive full accreditation as a HDFT Quality Improvement Champion – getting a certificate and pin badge PLUS this training constitutes to CPD points if applicable! At Gold and Platinum levels, we also arrange a presentation of your certificate with an Executive Director and celebrate your achievement across social media, the weekly update and our team newsletter. This work extends your skills and knowledge, it is good evidence for your own personal and professional development and enables you to champion QI at HDFT, helping other colleagues to become champions too.

The training for Bronze, Silver and Gold levels is recognised by many UK Trust’s as it’s accredited by the Yorkshire & Humber Improvement Academy. Furthermore, you’ll join more than 1600 colleagues who have also been trained in QI, helping to grow our social movement to improve services and work together to improve the quality of services we provide as a Trust.

I’m interested, how can i find out more and join in?

Follow these links to read more about the training you’re interested in, don’t forget to let your line manager know before you sign up to any training, and if you can’t find what you’re looking for or have any questions, please contact the Improvement and Transformation team by emailing hdft.ideas.nhs.net

Bronze Quality Improvement Training

The first level is Bronze and constitutes 2 CPD points

Quality Improvement (QI) is an element of everyone’s role at work. The Bronze training is an introduction to QI and will give you a basic understanding of how to recognise where you can use it to improve your daily activities. This training is a great place to start if you don’t have any previous QI training or knowledge but have an appetite for making improvements and would like to know more about how to make it happen – if you do have some QI experience you don’t have to start at Bronze, you can skip ahead to Silver. The key things you will learn are:

• The principles of Lean Methodology
• The 8 forms of waste
• Standardisation & Visual controls
• The Model for Improvement (PDSA cycles)
• The importance of data
• How to structure your idea for improvement into a QI Project

Your role as a Bronze QI Champion

• Help improve quality across all our services.
• Understand, demonstrate and promote the Trust’s purpose, ambitions and values:
  • Purpose – The parent and child first
  • Ambitions – Best quality, safest care; person centred, integrated care, strong partnerships; great start in life
  • Values – Kindness, Integrity, Teamwork and Equality
• Promote the Quality Improvement Champions scheme and your involvement at your team meetings.
• Become an advocate for Quality Improvement and present your quality improvement project at your directorate meetings.
• Commit to driving continuous quality improvements and supporting fellow colleagues to do the same.
• Commit to proposing, planning or preparing to make continuous quality improvements within your own team.

Accreditation as a Bronze QI Champion simply requires Training and Action:

1)     Training: Attend one of our interactive and facilitated MS Teams session (in the table below) or complete the Learning Lab e-Learning at a time that’s convenient for you (link below the table).

2)     Action: Complete a proposal of something that could be done differently or better in your area of practice, here’s the template. There is time built in to the MS Teams sessions to complete this and if you complete the Learning Lab e learning, the form will unlock once you have passed the knowledge quiz. You don’t need to have taken any action to deliver the improvement (that’s the Silver level), simply propose something, and this can be anything no matter how small – it really is as simple as that! Click here for some examples of Bronze projects that have been proposed by colleagues. You will receive your certificate and pin badge after submission of your project proposal form.

Can’t attend one of our facilitated sessions?

Don’t worry, there’s an e learning option available for you to do at a time that works for you.

• Learning Lab e-learning link: Bronze Quality Improvement Online Training. Remember, if you complete the Learning Lab e-Learning, you will need to review all of the e-Learning content which will unlock a quick quiz to test your knowledge and a project proposal from to fill out. Completing all 3 parts should take approx. 90 minutes, you will then receive your accreditation via email. 

We can always come to you…

We can also incorporate the Bronze QI Champion training into team meetings, huddles, away days, Mondays, Tuesdays, any day! – all we need is a couple of hours and some enthusiastic colleagues. The benefits of including the Bronze QI training in your meeting means we can tailor examples to your team, you can discuss issues and use a shared purpose to identify solutions, which is great for engaging colleagues and boosting morale. The best thing is that colleagues receive instant Bronze QI Champion accreditation (certificate and pin badge) and you have some QI project proposals ready to deliver – plus you are able to apply for QI Team accreditation. If you are interested in organising for us to come along and deliver this training to your team, please contact the Improvement and Transformation team by emailing hdft.ideas.nhs.net

Got any questions?

Please contact the Improvement and Transformation team by emailing hdft.ideas.nhs.net

Silver Quality Improvement Training

The second level is Silver and constitutes 6 CPD points

The Silver training is a more in-depth look at our Model for Improvement (PDSA cycles) and a detailed look at some Quality Improvement tools and techniques – and how to apply them to your own QI project. Silver level is the natural progression after Bronze level but you can also jump straight in here if you have some previous knowledge of the QI principles. The key things you will learn are:

• Defining Quality and Quality Improvement
• Quality Assurance versus Quality Improvement
• Exploration of Diagnostic tools
• Measuring processes and outcomes
• Presenting data
• Understanding variation
• PDSA in practice
• Human Psychology and behaviour

Your role as a Silver QI Champion

• Help improve quality across all our services.
• Understand, demonstrate and promote the Trust’s purpose, ambitions and values:
  • Purpose – The parent and child first
  • Ambitions – Best quality, safest care; person centred, integrated care, strong partnerships; great start in life
  • Values – Kindness, Integrity, Teamwork and Equality
• Promote the Quality Improvement Champions scheme and your involvement at your team meetings.
• Become an advocate for Quality Improvement and present your quality improvement project at your directorate meetings.
• Commit to driving continuous quality improvements and supporting fellow colleagues to do the same.
• Commit to delivering regular quality improvements within your own team.
• Be an advocate for the scheme and encourage colleagues to join in and get accredited!.

Accreditation as a Silver QI Champion simply requires Training and Action:

1)     Training: Completion of the free daylong face-to-face Silver Quality Improvement Training, accredited by the Yorkshire and Humber Improvement Academy (dates in the table below).

2)     Action: Evidence of the delivery of a new or recently commenced Quality Improvement project within your area of work, using this template.

Check out some projects our Silver Champions have delivered here. 

The Improvement and Transformation team are always on hand to give you support and guidance at every step of the way. For example, if you need some help getting off the starting blocks; some help with data analytics and selecting metrics; assistance producing some patient literature or simply want someone to read a draft of your project aim, please contact the Improvement and Transformation team by emailing hdft.ideas.nhs.net. Consider us an extra pair of hands!  And if you’re working on your project at the moment, don’t forget to check out our tools and resources intranet page.

Please note that although we sincerely hope all projects go well, your project doesn’t have to be successful in order to gain accreditation – not all QI goes according to plan! We’re looking at how you applied quality improvement theory and practice more so than the end result. So, it really is the taking part that counts!

You will receive your certificate and pin badge upon review and sign off of your QI project. It’s also something very worthwhile to add to any portfolio of professional practice and your CV.

Can’t attend one of our facilitated sessions?

Our Trusted partner at the Improvement Academy also offers training sessions, this takes the shape of some pre-learning plus 2 half-day online sessions. If you attend any of the Improvement Academy sessions, please do let us know as you still need to deliver a QI project and submit evidence to become a Silver QI Champion. You can visit the Improvement Academy website by clicking here.

We can always come to you…

Why not mention this training to a few colleagues and if there are 6 or more of you interested, we can come to you! We just need a day to deliver the training, a suitable venue with a screen or projector and some eager minds. If you are interested in organising for us to come along and deliver this training to your team, please contact the Improvement and Transformation team by emailing hdft.ideas.nhs.net.

Got any questions?

Please contact the Improvement and Transformation team by emailing hdft.ideas.nhs.net

Gold Quality Improvement Training

The third level is Gold and constitutes 14 CPD points

The Gold training is a ‘train-the-trainer’ course. It takes a more in-depth look at our Silver level training and equips you with the knowledge and skills to teach this to others. During the training, you will get the opportunity to help and advise others on their improvement projects and will gain experience in running multiple projects. You must be Silver QI Champion accredited to undertake the Gold training. The key things you will learn are:

• A detailed look at the Silver training content
• How to present the Silver content
• How to be confident presenting
• How to answer questions about the training content
• How to offer advice to Silver candidates, formulating their own projects

Your role as a Gold QI Champion

• Help improve quality across all our services.
• Understand, demonstrate and promote the Trust’s purpose, ambitions and values:
  • Purpose – The parent and child first
  • Ambitions – Best quality, safest care; person centred, integrated care, strong partnerships; great start in life
  • Values – Kindness, Integrity, Teamwork and Equality
• Promote the Quality Improvement Champions scheme and your involvement at your team meetings.
• Become an advocate for Quality Improvement and present the work of some of the Silver level candidates that you are supporting at your directorate meetings.
• Commit to driving continuous quality improvements and supporting fellow colleagues to do the same.
• Commit to delivering regular quality improvements within your own team.
• Be an advocate for the scheme and encourage colleagues to join in and get accredited!
• Commit to delivering the full day silver training to colleagues and teams across the Trust at least twice per year.
• Advise, coach and/or mentor other colleagues in their journey to become Quality Improvement Champions.

Accreditation as a Gold QI Champion simply requires Training and Action:

1) Training: Completion of the free two-day face-to-face training, accredited by the Yorkshire and Humber Improvement Academy.

2) Action: Co-facilitation of the Silver level course on at least two occasions and evidence of impact and /or shared learning from a quality improvement project you have personally supported.

2024 Dates TBC

Can’t attend one of our facilitated sessions?

Our Trusted partner at the Improvement Academy also offers training sessions, this takes the shape of 2-full days online. If you attend any of the Improvement Academy sessions, please do let us know as the Silver content varies slightly and you might need to familiarise yourself with our Silver content to become a Gold QI Champion. You can visit the Improvement Academy website by clicking here.

Here’s what our current Gold QI Champions say about it…

Emma Oxtoby, Service Improvement Facilitator, Planned and Surgical Care

“From starting in the NHS, i have always been passionate about Quality Improvement and seeing how it can make a difference to patients and colleagues experiences. Having taught the Bronze level QI training for some time, stepping up to teach Silver and become a Gold Champion was a no-brainer. I love seeing the room become alive throughout the day and it’s a pleasure to coach colleagues through their projects for their development and accreditation.”

Got any questions?

Please contact the Improvement and Transformation team by emailing hdft.ideas.nhs.net

Platinum Quality Improvement Training

The fourth and final level is Platinum and constitutes 30 CPD Points

Platinum training is detailed teaching on QI based on the Virginia Mason Production System (VMPS). Is a combination of classroom learning, personal study and supported coaching to put learning into practice. The key things you will learn are:

• Ability to use the full range of the VMPS templates, tools and techniques – globally leading system to make lean QI in healthcare
• Running improvement events from 30-minute waste walks to 2-day kaizen events to 5-day RPIWs
• Facilitation of QI activity across the full range of the trust’s services
• Leading teams, large and small, with colleagues from the broadest range of professional backgrounds
• Acting as a trusted QI advisor to HDFT e.g. advising decision makers of strategically important improvement and transformation
• Getting a basic grounding in the maths and statistics needed to use improvement science to measure the improvement

Your role as a Platinum QI Champion

• Help improve quality across all our services.
• Understand, demonstrate and promote the Trust’s purpose, ambitions and values:
  • Purpose – The parent and child first
  • Ambitions – Best quality, safest care; person centred, integrated care, strong partnerships; great start in life
  • Values – Kindness, Integrity, Teamwork and Equality
• Promote the Quality Improvement Champions scheme and your involvement at your team meetings.
• Become an advocate for Quality Improvement and promote the work undertaken in RPIWs.
• Commit to driving continuous quality improvements and supporting fellow colleagues to do the same.
• Commit to delivering regular quality improvements within your own team.
• Be an advocate for the scheme and encourage colleagues to join in and get accredited!
• Commit to delivering the full day silver training to colleagues and teams across the Trust once a year.
• Advise, coach and/or mentor other colleagues in their journey to become Quality Improvement Champions.
• Be a source of quality improvement expertise for the Trust, including helping to shape our QI schedule.
• Lead at least one rapid improvement activity per year in any area of the Trust’s services.

Accreditation as a Platinum QI Champion simply requires Training and Action:

1) Training: Completion of the Lean Improvement Workshop Leader Training Programme based on the Virginia Mason Production System (VMPS). Trainee workshop leaders receive five days of initial training, followed by an assessment of your suitability to progress to the practical part of the learning.

2) Action: Prepare for and co-facilitate two rapid process improvement workshops (RPIWs), on behalf of the Trust, whilst being coached and working alongside a trained workshop leader. Preparation for these usually starts 2-3 months in advance and progress with the participants is followed up for a minimum of three months thereafter, and ultimately reviewed one year later. Please note the significant commitment that this will require and be mindful of the need to balance this with your current role.

2024 Dates TBC

Here’s what our current Platinum Champions say about it…

Dr Matt Shepherd, Consultant Emergency Medicine/Clinical Informatics Lead/Clinical Director Long Term & Unscheduled Care

“The training was intense but rapidly upskilled me in terms of the theory – the two RPIWs I have led showed that there are many other skills that take a little longer to master but I felt much more comfortable in the second RPIW compared with the first. The most enjoyable part was spending five days with a group of people you don’t know that well and seeing them (and helping them) solve problems and make things better.”

John Haigh, Programme Manager & Innovation Lead, Community and Children’s Directorate

“Knowing that this approach to change can make a real difference to services, the staff that deliver them and in turn the service users; it gives me a great sense of achievement that I can now continue to support this at all levels with additional skills and tools at my disposal”.

Got any questions?

Please contact the Improvement and Transformation team by emailing hdft.ideas.nhs.net