
Liz Dawson
Liz is the Medical Director of our Primary Care services, a QI Coach and Sponsor.
Liz graduated from Charing Cross and Westminster Medical School in 2002 and completed her GP training in 2007. Medicine has always been her first love. Having worked as a full time GP partner for nearly a decade Liz happened across the Time For Care program. Time For Care is a QI based program that works across England with primary care colleagues to help release time for care. Having initially encountered the program as a delegate, Liz was delighted to be asked to join the Time For Care faculty in 2017 and worked as part of the faculty until 2020. ‘QI blew my mind and opened my eyes to how we can approach problems in a completely different way’. Liz joined ELFT in 2019 as Clinical Director for Bedfordshire Community Services and became the Trust’s first Medical Director for primary care in May 2020. Liz is a passionate advocate for QI and its use and wants to share the language of QI across primary care services.
A QI Coach role involves:
- Coaching QI teams within directorates, meeting with the team regularly
- Deeper knowledge of improvement methods and tools
Their responsibilities are:
- Help engage people and teams in QI
- Support project teams to develop ideas and strategy, using QI tools, and advise on how to complete project documentation
- Support project teams in using QI methodology, including PDSA cycles and data over time
- Provide monthly update on team progress to sponsor
- Teach and explain use of QI tools and methods
- Attend supervision with QI lead
A QI Sponsor role involves:
- A senior member of staff with close link to DMT
- Keep an eye on project progression, helping unblock barriers and championing the work
- Support DMTs in developing improvement priorities, and planning QI training
- Manage allocation of resource and effort to QI
- Accountable for project progression (not outcomes)
Their responsibilities are:
- Support formation of stable team at start of projects
- Scan the monthly progress reports from project leads
- Regular liaison with project leads (at least monthly, ideally face-to-face)
- Attend/chair monthly QI forum in directorate
- Champion successes and engage staff in QI
- Help unblock barriers faced by project teams