Innovation and improvement are alive and well!
Efforts across our region to be the ‘best at getting better’ are at the forefront of learning and improvement approaches – according to a new report published by the NHS Confederation.
The report, ‘Improving health and care at scale: learning from the experience of systems’, written by Sir Chris Ham and commissioned by the NHS Confederation, The Health Foundation and the Q community – highlights the North East and North Cumbria as of one of eight areas where ‘innovation and improvement are alive and well’.
Work to create the North East and North Cumbria learning and improvement community – Boost – started before the region’s Health and Care Partnership became a statutory body in July 2022 and builds on previous work from the North East Transformation System and the Cumbria Learning and Improvement Collaborative (CLIC).
The report highlights key features of our learning and improvement approaches and community, which include:
- collaborative and innovative approaches in the region which have helped to tackled challenges, such as ambulance handover delays and safe transfers of care.
- the involvement of people with lived experiences are valued highly, and staff experience and engagement also feature prominently.
- an inclusive approach and a community which is open to diverse stakeholders from healthcare professionals to local authorities, voluntary organisations, and private sector providers and many more.
- involvement of experts and leaders such as Cincinnati Children’s Hospital and Jonkoping County Council, and improvement experts such as Helen Bevan and Sue Holden, as well as support and evaluation from The Health Foundation.
The national report highlights five key actions for all health and care systems going forward.
Chief executive of the North East and North Cumbria and Integrated Care Board, Samantha Allen said: “We are proud to be featured in this report and share the story of our learning and improvement journey so far here in the North East and North Cumbria.
“There is much we will take from this report too as we develop our community and plans further – it provides valuable insights and learning for us at a crucial time where we face significant challenges across health and care – but also in a region with some of the starkest health inequalities in the country.
“It’s early days for us as a system but there’s no doubt in my mind that to improve, learn and innovate – collaborating, breaking down barriers and listening to the lived experience our staff, patients and carers are absolutely crucial if we are to make an impact. As an integrated care system we have a key role to play to making in this happen.”