News & Updates
Improving therapeutic engagement & observations at Mile End Hospital
22 January 2023
By Bridget Schubert (Activities Coordinator on Lea ward) & Sarah McAllister (Senior Improvement Advisor) A short film about the directorate wide therapeutic engagement and observation work in Tower Hamlets, filmed at an in person workshop. Question I will ask: What is the aim of your work? Why is this work important for service users… Read More

QI Coach Story: “Don’t be scared, give QI a go!”
20 January 2023
Written by Thamina Kahar (Life Skills Recovery Worker) and Clarissa Sorlie (Improvement Advisor) Quality Improvement (QI) is everyone’s business. Here at ELFT, our aim is for everyone – especially those closest to the work – to be part of improving their service for the benefit of both patients and staff. Thamina Kahar, a Life… Read More

A Service User’s perspective on QI
19 January 2023
by Fiona Lord (Inequalities Improvement Advisor at ELFT) and Fabiha Tasnim (Service user) This interview is with Fabiha Tasnim who is a service user in Newham. She reflects on her journey in becoming involved with QI and joining the Improvement Leaders Programme leading her own QI project. I caught up with her and asked… Read More

The first ever ‘Using QI to Tackle Inequity’ workshop in Bedfordshire, Luton and Milton Keynes
12 January 2023
By Lorna Darknell (Inequalities Improvement Advisor at ELFT) ELFT is supporting the Bedfordshire, Luton and Milton Keynes (BLMK) integrated care system to use Quality Improvement (QI) in their inequalities programme. Early on, people working in the system said they wanted introductory training in the basics of QI, and how to apply it to inequalities. People… Read More

Data Light bulb moment by Millie Smith (Head of people participation)
3 January 2023
By Millie smith (Head of People Participation) Watch this 3 minute video of Millie tell her story of her data light bulb moment. Earlier this year Millie Smith (ELFT’s Head of People Participation) faced what seemed like a huge issue that she believed would require a rework and review of the whole… Read More

Using Quality Improvement to make a difference for ELFT LGBTQ+ Community by Improving visibility and experience
22 December 2022
by Fiona Lord (Improvement Advisor for Inequalities in Newham) The importance of staff networks at ELFT cannot be underestimated as a safe place for staff to discuss real life experiences and to hold honest conversations. I’ve been a member of the LGBTQ+ network since 2009 and have seen things change significantly. Over this time,… Read More

Words of Wisdom for those Starting QI Projects
21 December 2022
By Improvers and QI coaches across ELFT Do you have an idea for improvement but are not sure where to begin? Here are some top tips from improvers and QI Coaches across ELFT: Ellie Gillet, Therapies Clinical Service Manager Mid, Bedfordshire Community Therapy Services “Being part of a quality improvement project has… Read More

Tower Hamlets EPCT Team: using Pareto Analysis to understand the problem “To reduce avoidable callouts for catheter problems”
21 December 2022
By Georgina Amparado-Molina (Locality Lead for the EPCT Tower Hamlets and a QI Coach) and Carlos Santos (Improvement Advisor for ELFT Corporate Services). In mid-2022, the Tower Hamlets Enhanced Primary Care Team (TH EPCT) identified the high volume of patients’ callouts due to catheter blockages (Figure 1) as a concern for both patient… Read More

Successful co-production of QI, in their own words
18 November 2022
By Fiona McRobbie, Hope Stubbings, Chloe Devaux from the Richmond Wellbeing Service QI project team With Catherine Heaney, Improvement Advisor This case study shares learning from members of a QI project team in Richmond Wellbeing Service, following a reflective session with their Improvement Advisor. Together they share the key ingredients they believe are needed… Read More

Making the experience for new staff better
11 October 2022
by Trust wide new starter project team Team members across people and culture, digital, the registration authority and an end user at ELFT have been working together to apply quality improvement methods to improve the expereince for all new staff starting at ELFT. New starters have frequently expressed frustration that there was a delay in… Read More

Using Flow charting at Newham Centre for Mental Health to understand demand and capacity issues and flow
11 October 2022
By Clarissa Sørlie, Improvement Advisor All the adult mental health inpatient units across the organisation are working on improving inpatient flow. They are trying to manage high demand and make sure people who require hospital admission have access to beds and receive care close to home. The units have been using improvement methods to help… Read More

Using Flow Diagrams to optimise flow
5 October 2022
On the 3rd of October, the third Optimising Flow QI learning session was attended by representatives from 18 teams across the Trust, who came together to share learning and receive coaching for their improvement work. All teams are working on issues related to improving pathways of care and services for services users and staff. The… Read More
