Friday 12 Apr | 15:00-16:00

Format: Presentation
Stream: Leading
Content filters: Recommended for those new to quality improvement; Recommended for those working at system level in QI

There are countless organisations that have adopted quality improvement, sometimes effectively, but then seen the approach and gains dissipate over time. Relatively few organisations across the globe have managed to sustain an improvement culture for over a decade, with rigour and results. This session will unpick the key factors that enable a quality improvement approach to sustain over time. We will share ways to keep innovating so that QI continues to feel fresh and relevant, and describe learning from a range of case studies to illustrate how to embed improvement into key management systems, recruitment processes and cultural norms to enable it to sustain for more than a decade.

As a result of this session, participants will be able to:

• Identify the key factors that contribute towards a deteriorating improvement culture over time


• Describe high impact leverage points that can enable quality improvement to sustain and mature, providing guidance and learning to enable attendees to sustain improvement in their organisations


• Compare and contrast different organisational approaches to sustaining an improvement culture for over a decade

Amar Shah East London NHS Foundation Trust, Royal College of Psychiatrists and NHS England, England

Hugh McCaughey Institute of Healthcare Improvement (IHI), N.Ireland; Former National Director of Improvement, NHS England; Former CEO, South Eastern HSC Trust

Wendy Korthuis-Smith Virginia Mason Institute, USA