Share good practice at the Cambridge QI Conference 2015

Dr Kaanthan Jawahar is FMLM Trainee Steering Group Events Lead

Quality improvement in healthcare is fast changing from a buzz word to the norm. It wasn’t long ago that uttering QI in your employing trust would be met by dazed looks, quizzical eyebrows and that oh so common line of “do you mean audit?”.

Now I am not for one second belittling clinical audit. It drives adherence to recognised, evidence-based standards that benefit patients. It’s a beautiful thing when it is done properly. But doesn’t doing it properly involve QI methodologies?

That belief is what drove us to put on the inaugural Cambridge QI Conference at Papworth Hospital in December 2014. A combination of lectures and workshops on practical QI targeted at medical students and doctors in training, endorsed by Cambridge University Health Partners, went down a storm. A poster and oral presentation competition was also run – and it was a real eye-opener to just how the grass roots of the medical profession has embraced QI concepts, the winner being a respiratory QI project utilising lean principles.

So the obvious thing to do was run it again. If you’ve already got a winning formula, why change it? Well in the true spirit of QI the job is never really done. We are excited to welcome all medical students and doctors in training from across the UK to our new home at the Addenbrooke’s Clinical School at Cambridge University for the Cambridge QI Conference 2015 on 28 November. Our larger adopted home, in conjunction with the student-led clinical leadership society Cambridge Health Leaders, will welcome more delegates, more posters, more oral presentations and engaging lectures and workshops.

This one day event will focus on QI methodologies and how they can be practically applied. You will hear inspiring talks from QI champions of all grades. You will take part in interactive and informative workshops. You will have the opportunity to submit abstracts to our poster and oral presentation competitions and network in order to share good practice to benefit our patients.

The programme is currently being finalised and the registration and abstract submission process will open in the second half of August.

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