AQuA Lived Experience Affiliate Starts Nursing Training

The Advancing Quality Alliance (AQuA) is delighted to share news that Carl O’Loughlin, one of our Lived Experience Affiliates, will be taking his first step into nursing as he begins his training to become a Mental Health nurse at the University of Chester in February 2018.

Carl O'Loughlin, Lived Experience Affiliate

Carl, who started his career training to be a Chartered Accountant, has worked alongside our staff and members for a number of years, to help design our programmes and offers, and ensure patient experience is at the heart of our work. To support him during his studies, Carl has also been awarded one of the prestigious Margaret Parkinson Scholarship’s from the Royal College of Nursing Foundation.

Speaking on the news, Carl said:

“I am absolutely delighted to have been offered a place to begin my Mental Health Nursing degree. I am passionate about mental health care and I want to use my own personal lived experience of severe mental illness to try and make a difference to others suffering similar problems.

“My 'lived experience' roles at the Advancing Quality Alliance, Cheshire and Wirral Partnership NHS Foundation Trust and CLARCH North West Coast have provided me with invaluable experience and have certainly been the driving force behind me wanting to become a mental health nurse.

“I am also extremely proud and honoured to have been awarded a Margaret Parkinson Scholarship from the Royal College of Nursing Foundation which will support me throughout the 3 years of the course.”

Paul Greenwood, Mental Health Improvement Advisor, said:

“We’re really pleased for Carl and wish him all the best as he takes his first step into nursing. It is a pleasure to work alongside him as part of our Lived Experience Panel as he brings such a wealth of experience to our work, both from his previous career as an accountant and through his own personal experience of mental health.

“We’re delighted that the work with us inspired him to take this decision, and I know he’ll have a lot to offer when he qualifies in the years to come.”

Carl will continue to work with us through the Lived Experience Panel throughout his training. To find out more about the panel, please visit our website, or contact Paul.Greenwood@srft.nhs.uk.

Measuring Mortality Video Masterclasses – Episode Two Now Live

We’re pleased to bring you Episode Two of Measuring Mortality; our monthly video masterclass series designed to help health and care professionals get to grips with mortality data.

In this episode, Paul Hawgood and Andy Wilson from our Analytics team will be introducing you to Standardised Mortality Rates (SMRs), following last month’s episode on Crude Mortality Rates.

Speaking ahead of this latest video, Paul said:

“Unlike Crude Mortality Rates, which we covered in episode one, Standardised Mortality Rates allow you to compare data across different organisations by making adjustments to take into account differences in age, sex, type of admission and condition.

“In this episode, we’ll be giving you an overview of SMRs and how they are calculated, whilst in episode three we’ll take a look at some of the common types used across the NHS to help improve services.”

Watch Episode Two here:

If you missed the first episode of the series, you can catch up over on our Youtube channel.

You can also share your thoughts, comments and questions with Paul via 

paul.hawgood@srt.nhs.uk.

Feel free to share them on Twitter @AQuA_NHS or @PaulHawgood, or via the #MeasuringMortality hashtag.

AQuA Launches New 'Measuring Mortality' Video Series

The Advancing Quality Alliance (AQuA) is pleased to bring you an exciting new video series to help health and care professionals get to grips with mortality data.

Measuring Mortality will bring you monthly videos to help you develop your own analytics skills and understanding to support improvements in mortality.


Measuring Mortality - Introduction from Paul Hawgood


Over the coming months, Paul Hawgood and Andrew Wilson from our Analytics Team will guide you through a range of topics, including Crude Mortality, Standardised Mortality Rates (such as SHMI and HSMR), discuss some of the myths and misconceptions around the data, and more.

The series is ideal for anyone involved in reporting, monitoring or improving the quality of mortality care, particularly senior managers, information and business intelligence officers, and commissioners.

Episode One – Crude Mortality Rates


Videos will be published each month on our YouTube channel. You can contact Paul with your thoughts, comments and questions via Paul.Hawgood@srft.nhs.uk.

You can also share them on Twitter via @AQuA_NHS or @PaulHawgood, or via the #MeasuringMortality hashtag.