Visiting The Health Foundation in the UK

Please meet my new friend Alanna Rodrigues, who greets you as you enter The Health Foundation in London. The Foundation is an independent charity working to continuously improve the quality of health care in the UK. Its purpose:

We want the UK to have a healthcare system of the highest possible quality -- safe, effective, person-centered, timely, efficient and equitable. We believe that in order to achieve this, health services need to continually improve the way they work.

I was a guest this week to join a group discussion about a new case study prepared by the foundation summarizing the evolution and implementation of BIDMC's quality and safety and process improvement programs. The group comprised leaders from a variety of health care institutions throughout the UK. We engaged in a detailed discussion of BIDMC's experience and how it might or might not be applicable in other settings. There was particular interest in our approach to transparency of clinical outcomes and how that transparency helps an organization hold itself accountable to the high standards of patient care it has adopted.

The discussion group was chaired by Martin Marshall, the Foundation's Clinical Director and Director of Research & Development. He is seen here, with Olu Orugun, Clinical Director of the North Cumbria University Hospitals NHS Trust, and Harriet Hunter, Head of Improvement and Innovation at the Scottish Health Department. Olu and Harriet are also part of a group called "Generation Q," a select group of people from the four UK countries who spend 18 months in intense training and group activities to learn the latest in process improvement philosophy and practice. Participation in the program is fully funded by The Health Foundation after a very competitive application process.

The Foundation is also expanding its web activities. Here you meet Bobbie Lakhera, communications assistant, and Tara Champness, web editor, who are engaged in those activities. The case study will be on the organization's website in early November. We all hope you find it helpful in your own settings. In the meantime, you can peruse the Foundation's blog, authored by a variety of staff members, here.