Thursday 22 May 2025 | 15:00-16:00

Format: Workshop

Stream: Change

Content filters: n/a

Session chair: Jill Duncan Institute for Healthcare Improvement (IHI); United States

PART ONE: Joining the dots: using social network theory to help us understand how we are connecting to improve care

There is a known challenge to moving beyond training staff in improvement skills and supporting them to use these in everyday practice to make improvements. Training doesn’t equate to doing! We asked ourselves: How do we create an organisational culture in which staff connect to utilise these skills and work across professional and organisational boundaries? The relational element of Quality Improvement is often understated, yet we know that improvement skills account for 20% of what is required for successful changes. Healthcare systems work in part on how well the networks function which is determined by how people manage the care together. We asked our Quality Service Improvement and Redesign (QSIR) trained staff across 2 organisations how they connected to improve and learn from us how social network theory helped us make sense of this and what we did to improve. Join us to share our learning about connecting in complex systems and complex times and complex networks.

After this session, participants will be able to:

• Understand the relational aspects of improvement and the benefits of developing this aspect of QI


• See how opportunities to translate training to practice and make improvements


• Appraise your current organisations improvement training offer and apply this learning to consider how you connect for improvement


• Identify key factors that contribute to successful implementation of moving from training to practice gap

Sarah Galloway South West London; England

 

PART TWO: Co-producing a different future: why interactions are crucial for large scale change

The workshop titled ‘Co-producing a different future: why interactions are crucial for large scale change’ will explore how organisations across England are working together to address physical inactivity. In 2018, the World Health Organisation launched the Global Action Plan on Physical Activity (GAPPA), aiming to achieve a 15% relative reduction in the global prevalence of physical inactivity by 2030. GAPPA provided 20 actionable recommendations to help countries increase levels of physical activity by addressing the cultural, environmental, and individual determinants of inactivity. However, a status report published in 2022 found that progress has been slow and unequal, and the COVID-19 pandemic has further limited progress.

Addressing levels of physical inactivity requires a different approach. There is a need for a much more joined up, networked and collaborative approach to spread and scale successful programmes, policies and ways of working. In this session, attendees will have an opportunity to discuss a case study and a new model of large-scale change that has been developed to guide the approach in England. Delegates will leave the session with a framework that can be adapted to suit their context.

After this session, participants will be able to:

• Use large-scale engagement to uncover solutions to complex problems in a short time period


• Apply a new theoretical model of large-scale change to their work


• Rapidly analyse data from large scale events

Sasha Karakusevic NHS Horizons; England

 

PART THREE: Sustaining the spark: essential strategies for long-term commitment in healthcare networks

Addressing challenges in healthcare requires multiple organizations to collaborate in networks, tackling complex issues with a shared vision. Long-term commitment within these networks is crucial for maintaining collective efforts towards improving healthcare. However, establishing and sustaining this commitment can be challenging. In this session, we will explore network theory and practical insights within a medical context. We will uncover the reasons why network commitment tends to wane over time and provide strategies to ensure it persists or can be restored. Participants who work in, manage, or are interested in learning about managing networks with long-term goals will find this session beneficial. You will leave inspired and equipped with practical tools and insights to enhance commitment in your healthcare networks.

After this session, participants will be able to:

• Identify various reasons why commitment in a network can diminish over time, being one of the many challenges networks can face


• Name ways to manage a network and how to establish and maintain commitment


• Be aware that collaborating in networks offers significant potential as a driver for change, but network also require nuanced management approaches

Manon Roest Tilburg University; Netherlands