“I took part in the Institute for Healthcare Improvement (IHI) Coaching for Improvement Training Programme to build my knowledge of improvement, but also to give me the skills to pass this knowledge onto others.
“My role involves reviewing incidents that occur within Pharmacy with the Pharmacy Datix Group, a group of section managers trained in incident investigation. We discuss incidents that have occurred and identify actions that may prevent recurrence. Some of these actions may be more complex, require input from several areas and can lead to quality improvement projects. Taking part in the IHI Coaching for Improvement training and filling my toolbox with improvement tools has given me the confidence to take some of these quality improvement projects forward.
“As a senior pharmacy manager, I have always enjoyed coaching individuals and helping them to become the best they can be. Coaching the team in improvement has allowed me to extend this to a group of very different individuals, which has been so rewarding. We have shared the highs and lows of QI and learnt a lot about teamwork and testing change along the way. The team lead felt supported as he started his leadership journey and the whole team has learnt so much about improvement methodology.
“I couldn’t have asked for more support from Newcastle Improvement. They are always happy to help, particularly if you are trying something new and don’t feel very confident to lead on it.
“Coaching for Improvement has been such a positive experience for me so far and I would highly recommend the course to others. Guiding a team of Pharmacy colleagues through an improvement project, hearing their change ideas, watching them become empowered to make those changes and reap the benefits has been so rewarding for me as a senior manager.”
The Improvement Coach Programme from Newcastle Improvement is a 16- week course designed to develop improvement coaching skills. It gives participants the tools they need to support staff and teams with quality improvement in the workplace.
There’s a limited time to sign up to the course that starts in April 2022. Here two previous participants share their experiences of the programme.
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