1. Higher Education Institution (HEI) Challenge for patient supported quality improvement and education in health and social care
Pauline Mountain M.B.E. – Independent Service user Consultant
Rachel Hawley - Project Manager (HEI Challenge)
Dr Kristen Clements (Loughborough University)
Rhian Last (Education for Health)

2. ‘The conversation between patient and clinician is one of the fundamental building blocks of the NHS and yet these interactions are often characterised by an imbalance of power, control and information’
(HSJ 2010).

3. The HEI Challenge
Goal: to implement a cross-university collaboration to share, develop, showcase and spread work across East Midlands (and surrounding universities) around the unifying topic of healthcare quality improvement
Funded by the East Midlands Academic Health Science Network (EMAHSN)
East Midlands Academic Health Science Network Higher Education Strategic Liaison Forum East Midlands Higher Education Institution Challenge Award
The HEI Challenge Award is a unique opportunity for East Midlands universities (and other universities outside the region who are commissioned to deliver education by Health Education East Midlands), that are members of the Higher Education Strategic Liaison Forum and which contribute to the education and training of health professionals in the East Midlands, to foster a sustainable approach to working collaboratively across the region’s HEIs for the benefit of our population and to drive positive experiences and outcomes for learners and local employers.

4. Who is involved?
The HEI Challenge includes eleven partner HEIs including the Universities across the East Midlands, the universities in Sheffield and the Education for Health. Patients, service user led groups, learners and wider stakeholders are engaged in the project in collaboration with the project team and academic leads.

5. Our Approach Quality improvement in research and education
Interprofessional education
Deployment of technologies
Patient and public involvement
Quality improvement in research and education
Our approach to the Challenge focuses on four main areas:
The involvement of services users, patients and carers in educational design, delivery and review
The use of technologies in health and social care education
Innovative interdisciplinary education that supports quality improvement in health and social care
Quality improvement in research and education

6. Key Steps Project ran April 2015 – June 2016
Four working groups established:
Patient and public involvement
Interprofessional education
Innovative deployment of technologies
Quality improvement in research and education
A series of institutional visits
A range of activities, events and collaborative projects
Showcase conference 14th June 2016, Derby
Website development and launch
Report generated – available on website

7. The Outcomes
A map of cognate areas of interest in healthcare quality improvement (shared principles)
New sustainable inter-institutional educational networks for sharing, developing and showcasing innovative educational practice in the East Midlands (enhanced collaborations)
Measurable enhancements in educational programmes which could lead to increased numbers of students, students undertaking postgraduate study and research in the area of healthcare improvement (framework to support on-going evaluation)
Enhancement for the educational provision of university partners
by improving the experience of learners on healthcare professional programmes,
b) by attracting students, with greater skills in quality improvement to stay in the East Midlands with NHS and other local employers to better meet the needs of our population

8. PPI Working Group
Launch event, Loughborough University 1st October 2015
53 participants – 61% HEI staff; 39% service users, carers and voluntary sector
The purpose:
provide a forum to focus and share key achievements
begin to identify how the universities can support further developments; locally and more widely
Funded five small (£500) collaborative projects

9. Shared Principles
Developed to ensure that staff, learner and public voices are heard and valued
Emerged from facilitated group activity - what does good PPI for quality improvement look like?

10. Our ethos
Thanks to Dr Julie Gosling and Shahnaz Aziz for the inspiration behind the ACE acronym.

11. Putting the principles into practice
“Collaboration between professionals and the public is the golden thread that binds quality improvement together”.
Rachel Hawley – Project Manager

12. Moving forward Online repository Pledges
Pledges
individual and collective
Sharing and sustaining the learning
‘Q’ Network, East Midlands Hub
Research
Commissioned by the HEA to explore the value of public partnerships; an interpretation of the UK Professional Standards Framework (UKPSF) dimensions for service users and carers contributing to health and social care education and training.

13. For further information and conversation:
Web:
@qi_learning
Acknowledgements – thanks go to all members of the HEI Challenge and to the
EMAHSN for their funding and continued support.