Safety Measuring & Monitoring Framework Workshop for Acute and Mental Health Members

Waseem Munir

The Advancing Quality Alliance (AQuA) would like to invite members working across Acute and Mental Health settings to an exciting workshop designed to improve patient safety.

Taking place on 19 January 2017 at the Imperial War Museum North, this one-day event forms part of our work on implementing the Safety Measuring & Monitoring Framework, alongside The Health Foundation.

Waseem Munir, Safety & Mortality Improvement Lead, said:

“Through our work alongside The Health Foundation, we’ve made amazing progress with several of our members in implementing the Framework. This event forms our next phase of work, in which we hope to widen the understanding and implantation of this across our members.

“At this event we’re looking forward to showcasing how our members across Acute and Mental health can use the Framework to think differently about safety, and how it can support them to provide a more holistic view for patients.”

The Safety Measuring & Monitoring Framework was drawn up by Professor Charles Vincent and colleagues from the Imperial College. It provides a platform for discussions on exactly what ‘safety’ means, how it can be best managed, and what needs to be considered when planning safety improvements.

Further information about the framework can be found on the HowSafeIsOurCare website.

For more information about or to book your place on the event, please visit the event website page.

Multimedia Recap - IHI Accelerated Patient Safety Programme

Earlier this month, the Institute for Healthcare Improvement (IHI) and AQuA welcomed over 50 delegates to an exciting four day event, designed to support organisations to develop and implement safer health and social care systems.

Taking place at Hotel Football, Manchester, our expert faculty guided delegates through the vital skills and knowledge needed to apply improvements to their individual roles and environments.

We've put together a multimedia recap of the best tweets, photos and videos from across the four days. For full information about the course, please visit www.AQuAnw.nhs.uk/IHI

AQuA Staff Latest to Join the Health Foundation Q Community

Advancing Quality Alliance (AQuA) staff are among the latest to join an exciting new community from The Health Foundation, designed to support continuous improvements in the quality of care for patients.

From left - AQuA staff Emma Walker, Amanda Huddleston, Liz Kanwar & Elizabeth Bradbury

Elizabeth Bradbury, Emma Walker, Amanda Huddleston, and Liz Kanwar were recently invited to join the Q Community, which brings together improvement practitioners from across healthcare management, commissioning, research and policy, to share ideas, skills and collaborate on improvement projects.

Speaking of the announcement, AQuA Chief Executive David Fillingham said:

“I’m delighted to see my colleagues join the Q community, alongside our Safety and Mortality Lead Andrea McGuinness, who was among the founding members.

“This is a real testament to their knowledge and experience in improving the health and quality of care, not just with our members in the North West, but also with our partners across the country and beyond.

“AQuA work closely with The Health Foundation across a number of initiatives, and I look forward to seeing our staff work alongside some of the leading individuals from across the health and social care landscape.”

Amanda Huddleston, Quality Improvement Lead for Safety & Mortality, said:

“Being invited by The Health Foundation to join the Q community is a real privilege. This is a great initiative to help grow and invest in quality improvement skills and expertise, and I’m looking forward to working with so many talented colleagues from across health and social care.”

Q is also supported by NHS Improvement, which was established in April to oversee and support NHS Trusts across England.

Staff join a community of 261 improvement experts from across the UK, and The Health Foundation hope to grow this number with further opportunities over the course of the next 12 months.

For more information about Q, please visit The Health Foundation website, or follow updates on Twitter @theQcommunity.

Expressions of Interest: AQuA Board Member Vacancies

The Advancing Quality Alliance (AQuA) are now seeking expressions of interest from experienced leaders to join the AQuA Board.

AQuA Chief Executive
David Fillingham

AQuA’s Board is made up of five Directors from AQuA membership across the North West, as well as four external independent Directors.

We are looking to appoint two new Directors from across AQuA membership, following the departure of Michael Gregory and Gary Doherty, who are stepping down after taking up new roles outside the region.

To help ensure a balance of expertise across our Board, we are particularly interested in applications from members with financial backgrounds, as well as those with experience across primary care and/or commissioning.

AQuA Chief Executive David Fillingham said:

“Our Board members bring a wealth of experience and perspectives to their role in setting and scrutinising AQuA’s work and overall vision.

“Michael and Gary have played a vital role in this during their time with us, and we wish them the best of luck with their new roles.

“We’re now looking for two new Directors, to help ensure we continue meet the changing needs of our members, and provide them with the best possible support we can to address their aims and challenges across health and social care.”

For more information about the role, please download the role description.

To apply, please send a short CV and covering letter, detailing why you would like to join the Board and how you meet the role’s requirements, to carole.maloney@srft.nhs.uk.

If you would like to arrange a further discussion about the role, please contact us on the email above, or call 0161 206 8938.

The deadline for applications is the end of Friday 4 November 2016.