After what has been a challenging year it is with great anticipation that we have opened the application period for the ELFT Improvement Coaching Programme (Cohort 7) to start in October. This year we will return to an in-person offering to continue to build our coaches community. Please find out more about the role of a QI Coach and the full schedule of dates for the ICP below.

If you are interested in applying for the role of a QI coach you should have already attended Pocket QI and the Improvement Leaders Programme so that you have a good foundational knowledge base of QI. If so, please have a conversation as soon as you can with your line manager regarding the coaching role’s time commitment (around a half-day per week) and whether they will support your attendance at the course for all workshop and action learning set dates.

We welcome applications from service users and carers so if you are interested in this paid role please have an initial conversation with your local People Participation Lead about what the role entails.

To get a feel for the role and to understand what is expected, link in with existing QI coaches and QI sponsors in your directorate. Attending your local QI forum (if you don’t already do so) is a good way to see what QI projects are underway in the directorate.

If you fulfil the criteria above and are interested, please complete the application form on this page. 

The application period has now closed, please contact elft.qi@nhs.net if you have any questions

 

Workshop Dates

To join the training you must be available to join all workshop and learning sessions from September 2021 to March 2022. Our workshop venue is Mercure Bedford Centre Hotel, 2 St Mary’s St, Bedford MK42 0AR

  • Induction – 14 September, 10.00 – 11.30 or 22 September 2021, 11.30 – 1.00pm
  • Workshop Days 1 &  2 – 13 & 14 October 2021, 9.00 – 5.00pm
  • Virtual Action Learning Set 1 – 11th November 2021 – 2.00-4.00pm
  • Virtual Action Learning Set 2 – 6 December 2021 – 3.00-5.00pm
  • Virtual Workshop Days 3 & 4 – 13 & 14 January 2022, 9.00 – 1.00pm
  • Virtual Action Learning Set 3  – 15 February 2022 – 9.30 – 11.30am
  • Workshop Days 5 & 6 – 16 & 17 March 2022, 9.00 – 5.00pm
  • Workshop Day 7 & Graduation – 5 May 2022, 9.00 – 5.00pm

What is a QI Coach? 

Role

  • Coaching QI teams within directorates, meeting with the team regularly
  • A deeper knowledge of improvement methods and tools
  • Support the development of directorate structures and processes for QI

Responsibilities

  • Help engage people and teams in QI
  • Support project teams to develop ideas and strategy, using QI tools, and advice on how to complete project documentation
  • Support project teams in using QI methodology, including PDSA cycles and data over time
  • Provide a monthly update on team progress to sponsor
  • Teach and explain the use of QI tools and methods
  • Attend supervision with an Improvement Advisor locally, and Trust-wide support sessions

Qualities of a QI Coach

  • Dealing with Ambiguity – Can effectively cope with change; can shift gears comfortably; can decide and act without having the total picture; isn’t upset when things are up in the air; doesn’t have to finish things before moving on; can comfortably handle risk and uncertainty.
  • Comfort working with all types of health care workers – can deal comfortably with managers, doctors, nurses, and administrators; can present to senior managers without undue tension and nervousness; understands how the various professionals think and work; can determine the best way to get things done with them by selecting the most appropriate language and responding to their needs; can craft approaches likely to be seen as appropriate and positive
  • Innovation Management – is good at bringing the creative ideas of others to market; has good judgement about which creative ideas and suggestions will work; has a sense about managing the creative process of others; can facilitate effective brainstorming; can project how potential ideas may play out in the marketplace.
  • Integrity and Trust – is widely trusted; is seen as a direct, objective individual; can present the unvarnished truth appropriately and helpfully; keeps confidences; admits mistakes; doesn’t misrepresent him/herself for personal gain.
  • Intellectual Horsepower – is bright and intelligent; deals with concepts and complexity comfortably; described as intellectually sharp, capable, yet practical and agile.
  • Motivating Others – creates a climate in which people want to do their best; can motivate many kinds of direct reports and team or project members; can assess each person’s hot button and use it to get the best out of him/her; pushes tasks and decisions down; empowers others; invites input from each person and shares ownership and visibility; makes each feel his/her work is important; is someone people like working for and with.
  • Learning on the Fly – learns quickly when facing new problems; a relentless and versatile learner; open to change; analyzes both success and failures for clues to improvement; experiments and will try anything to find solutions; enjoys the challenge of unfamiliar tasks; quickly grasps the essence and the underlying structure of an issue.
  • Presentation Skills – is effective in a variety of formal presentation settings: one-on-one, small and large groups, with peers, direct reports, and bosses; is effective both inside and outside the organization, on both cool data and hot controversial topics; commands attention and can manage group process during the presentation; can change approaches tactics midstream when something isn’t working.
  • Process management – is good at figuring out the processes necessary to get things done; knows how to organise people and activities; understands how to separate and combine tasks into the efficient workflow; knows what to measure and how to measure it; can see opportunities for synergy and integration; can simplify complex processes; gets more out of fewer resources.
  • Problem Solving – uses rigorous logic and methods to solve difficult problems with effective solutions; probes all fruitful sources for answers; can see hidden problems; is excellent at honest analysis; looks beyond the obvious and doesn’t stop at the first answers.
  • Drive For Results – can be counted on to meet goals successfully; is constantly and consistently one of the top performers; very results-oriented; steadfastly pushes self and others for maintaining focus on results.
  • Technical Learning – picks up on new subject matter quickly; is good at learning new industry company, product, or technical knowledge; does well in technical courses and seminars.