Quality Improvement
We can help improvers by connecting them with knowledge and learning from research, publications and other organisations, saving them time and allowing them to make decisions based on evidence.
Our mission is to provide improvement projects with the ‘gold dust’ information about what works, what doesn’t work and why, that can be applied straight away. So QI projects never need to start with a blank page, or start from scratch.
Our library collection has been developed to support with learning around key aspects of the Leeds Improvement Method and other Quality Improvement approaches. Please contact us if you need any more help finding resources to support your improvement work.
QI Recommended Resources
Books to support QI
Browse the books available in our library collection on the following topics:
- Improvement in healthcare
- Supporting Leeds Improvement Methodology: Books covering aspects of Kaizen methodology, Lean Thinking and work by the Virginia Mason Insititute.
- Change management
- Organisational culture
- Cambridge Elements: Improving Quality and Safety in Healthcare: ebooks, no log in needed.
You can also search the library catalogue for any other books or topics.
Books from all the Leeds Libraries for Health sites can be borrowed by library members, no matter where they are based. Books can be posted to your workplace address, or picked up from your local library site. To access ebooks, you may need an OpenAthens account.
To borrow books you will need to join your library. For any further information about how to borrow any of these books, contact your library service.
If you are looking for a book that is not in our collection, contact your library service. We may be able to obtain it for you from another NHS library.
Articles
Search for published research articles to inform your improvement processes through the NHS Knowledge and Library Hub. Logging in with OpenAthens and searching the Hub allows you to request articles you may need that we do not have in our subscriptions, which library staff will then endeavour to obtain for you.
If you need any assistance with searching the Hub or accessing articles, contact your library. You can also request a literature search from our experienced librarians to support you in your QI project or learning.
Browse available journals on healthcare services administration. This collection includes:
You may find the following articles useful reading:
- Dean, J., 2020. Update from RCP Quality Improvement: Improving improvement through practice, learning and research. Future Healthcare Journal, 7(1), p.6.
- Dixon-Woods Mary. 2019 How to improve healthcare improvement—an essay by Mary Dixon-Woods. BMJ 20197:l5514 .
- Dixon-Woods, M. and Martin, G.P., 2016. Does quality improvement improve quality? Future Hospital Journal, 3(3), p.191.
- Reed, J.E. and Card, A.J., 2016. The problem with plan-do-study-act cycles. BMJ Qual Saf, 25(3), pp.147-152.
QI tools and guides
- The five components of NHS IMPACT (NHS England)
- An Illustrated Guide to Quality Improvement (East London NHS FT, 2019)
- Quality improvement in hospital trusts: sharing learning from trusts on a journey of QI (Care Quality Commission, 2018)
- Introduction to Quality Improvement (King's Improvement Science, 2018)
- Quality Improvement made simple (The Health Foundation, 2013)
- Handbook of Service Improvement (NHS Institute for Improvement & Innovation, 2010)
- How to Improve (IHI)
- Quality Improvement Tools (NES Scotland)
- Co-producing and Co-designing (Elements of Improving Quality & Safety in Healthcare)
- Collaboration-Based Approach (Elements of Improving Quality & Safety in Healthcare)
- The Positive Deviance Approach (Elements of Improving Quality & Safety in Healthcare)
Training
Leeds Teaching Hospitals Trust QI Training:
- LTHT Quality Improvement Training (intranet link, requires LTHT log in)
- LIM Foundation Training (intranet link, requires LTHT log in)
Online UK based QI Training:
- Improvement Academy Bronze QI training (approximately 2 hours)
- Improvement Academy Bronze Human Factors training
- Improvement Fundamentals
- Everyday Innovation: Thinking Differently - NHS eLearning for Healthcare
- Leadership Foundations: Improving Services - NHS eLearning for Healthcare
IHI Open School (international) offers videos, case studies and e-learning modules covering QI topics. If you are a Q member then find out how to access a free subscription.
QI sites and networks
Leeds Teaching Hospitals Trust staff can access a wide range of QI resources at the following intranet pages (LTHT log in required):
- LTHT Intranet: Quality Improvement
- LTHT Intranet: Leeds Improvement Method
- Padlet: LIM Resources (padlet.com)
QI networks:
NHS Impact:
Improvement sites from other NHS Trusts:
- Quality Improvement – East London – really useful with lots of materials and links
- Yorkshire & Humber AHSN Improvement Academy
QI Evidence Update
- Produced monthly and shared on Academy of Fabulous NHS Stuff
Other Useful Websites
Academic Health Science Networks
Canadian Foundation for Healthcare Improvement
East London FT Quality Improvement Team
FutureNHS: NHS collaboration platform-sign up for an account and join 'workspaces' relevant to your professional interests. Excellent communities for knowledge sharing, case studies etc.
Healthcare Quality Improvement Partnership
Healthcare Improvement Scotland
Institute for Healthcare Improvement (IHI)
National Institute for Health Research
nhsManagers (Roy Lilley’s newsletter sign-up)
NHS Scotland Quality Improvement Zone
NICE Shared learning case studies
Evidence Search
We offer an Evidence Search service. Expert librarians will undertake a search of databases and a range of other publications on your topic to help inform your decisions and save you time.
Our service allows teams to make decisions effectively, by linking them with evidence on what others have done and any relevant findings from research. This helps to ensure that Quality Improvement initiaitives are evidence based, and that improvers don't have to spend too much time searching for information.
Request an Evidence Search (Leeds Teaching Hospitals)
QI Evidence Monthly Updates
The QI Evidence Update is your Library of each month's must read research and updates in less than 2 sides of A4!
Created by the Evidence Team at Somerset NHS FT, you can read and download all the current and previous updates here.