Improvement Advisor
Job overview
Join CNWL’s Quality Improvement Team as an Improvement Advisor
Central and North West London NHS Foundation Trust (CNWL) is recruiting for the role of Improvement Advisor within our Quality Improvement (QI) Team.
As a member of the CNWL Improvement Academy, you will help build our QI capacity, supporting the development of sustainable, organisation-wide change.
About the Role:
The QI team support staff across the organisation in the design, testing and evaluation of QI projects and programmes.
As an Improvement Advisor, you will:
- Enhance QI Capacity: Deliver training to empower staff at all levels to lead improvement initiatives.
- Drive Change: Support QI projects and Improvement Collaboratives, aligning activities with the Trust’s strategic goals.
- Inspire Teams: Motivate and guide teams through their QI projects using the Model for Improvement and celebrating successes.
- Champion Service User Involvement: Ensure involvement of service users and carers is central to the QI process.
- Documentation: Document improvement efforts, including reports and case studies, to showcase project outcomes.
You will collaborate closely with the wider QI team to scale and sustain improvements across all services within the Trust.
About You:
We’re looking for a proactive individual with strong knowledge of QI methodologies and excellent communication skills. You should be committed to fostering a culture of continuous learning and improvement, engaging both staff and service users effectively.
Main duties of the job
This is a key role within our Quality Improvement (QI) team, offering the opportunity to support continuous improvement across CNWL.We’re looking for a skilled improver who can support change using improvement methodologies, engaging with a wide range of stakeholders at all levels.
As an Improvement Advisor, you will:
- Oversee central QI programmes, ensuring they align with the Trust’s strategic priorities, and engage staff, service users, and carers throughout.
- Support Senior Leaders within the organisation’s operational structure with QI expertise.
- Coach and guide staff and teams, helping them effectively apply QI methodologies and fostering a culture of continuous learning.
- Advocate for the CNWL QI approach, raising awareness and enthusiasm for improvement. You will support staff in adopting the Model for Improvement into daily practice.
- Collaborate closely with leaders, including the Head of Quality Improvement, Director of Improvement, and Trustwide Clinical QI Lead, to shape and scale up improvement efforts. Your ability to influence diverse teams will be key in driving lasting change.
This is a role for an individual who is committed to improving healthcare and delivering measurable impact. You will work in a collaborative environment where your expertise will help improve patient and staff experiences.
For more details, please refer to the Job Description and Person Specification.
Working for our organisation
The successful applicant may have contact with patients or service users. As an NHS Trust we strongly encourage and support vaccination as this remains the best way to protect yourself, your family, your colleagues and of course patients and service users when working on our healthcare settings.
Detailed job description and main responsibilities
Deliver QI Curriculum- With other Improvement Advisor (IA) colleagues develop the QI training curriculum and prospectus. This will include a blend of classroom training, virtual training, on-the-job training, e-learning and self-directed study.
- To be responsible for the design, development and delivery of the trustwide QI curriculum to improve QI capacity and capability across the Trust.
- To provide analysis of the training delivered and adapt accordingly to ensure optimum effectiveness
- To act as a member of the QI faculty for developing/teaching improvement science
- To represent the Trust’s QI programme at internal and external event
- Develop and maintain effective networks with QI colleagues both across the Trust and externally
- Demonstrate QI competencies and be a credible, senior ambassador for QI across the Trust
- To provide leadership and improvement expertise for allocated division(s) within the Trust, supporting the development of QI infrastructure within division
- To be a point of contact for QI work within a division.
- Responsible for planning, and development of QI support across a specific division.
- Working closely with the Head of QI Team to ensure divisional improvement support is consistent and aligned to Trust approach
- Lead on identification and sharing of good practice amongst the QI team and subsequent spread across organisation.
- Provide expertise and coaching to staff in good improvement practice
- Maintain effective working relationships with operational management teams to ensure effective resolution of issues as they arise
- Ensure customer feedback on QI team performance is routinely obtained from operational teams, analysed and acted upon
- Ensure relevant organisational learning from improvement activity is identified, recorded and shared as appropriate
- Ensure operational management teams are provided with relevant reports in a timely manner
- To proactively support teams to involve service users and carers in improvement work. Supporting co-production as required.
- Oversee targeted QI campaigns for Trust priorities. Ensure all campaigns are appropriately resourced, have a clear scope and appropriate implementation plans
- Working closely with the Communications Team, ensure all targeted QI campaigns have an associated community of practice established to support and facilitate communication and ideas exchange and sharing of learning between participating teams
- Contribute to the overall development of the improvement approach at CNWL
- Raise the profile and support the development of the CNWL QI website
- To Programme Manager for identified priority programmes
- To liaise with the SRO for the central programme and establish programme governance, structure, reports and documentation
- To network with other centres of excellence and expert advisory groups as required to support quality and service improvement
- To provide written and verbal reports to Trust Boards, Sub-Committees, Executive Management Team, and other groups and committees as required
- To demonstrate an ability to convey complex information and ideas both written and orally
- To support consensus building and manage conflict or opposing views whilst encouraging participation from all involved
- To pro-actively influence and negotiate where issues arise
- To use presentations and reports effectively to raise awareness of quality and service improvement
For more information please view the job description and person specification
Person specification
Qualifications
Essential criteria- Masters degree in a relevant field or equivalent experience
- Evidence of ongoing Continued Professional Development
- Improvement qualification / accreditation
- Teaching / training qualification
- Coaching qualification
- Project management qualification
- Q membership
Experience
Essential criteria- Experience of leading significant projects that have led to quantifiable improvements
- Experience of developing and maintaining project documentation in a project management environment
- Experience of managing change in a complex multi-stakeholder environment
- Experience of facilitating workshops/events
- Experience of designing training programmes and evaluation frameworks
- Experience of delivering teaching/training
- Experience of coaching/mentoring teams in improvement methods
- Experience of using statistical methods in evaluating performance (e.g. SPC)
- Experience of service development, planning and policy development
- Experience of working within a multi-cultural framework
- Experience of multi-professional management of teams or services within the designated specialty
- Involvement in research programmes/projects
Skills and Knowledge
Essential criteria- Demonstrates an understanding of the health service national drivers and their practical application to service delivery
- In-depth knowledge of quality and service improvement methods, including, but not limited to: Model for Improvement, Lean, demand and capacity modelling, Problem solving, Patient co-production
- Advanced facilitation, negotiation and influencing skills
- Ability to develop and deliver high quality training programmes and relevant materials (including virtual training)
- Proven ability to communicate clearly in difficult and complex situations
- Skills in individual and group work and in programme planning/management
- High standard of advanced report writing for internal and external reporting
- Ability to meet agreed/specified service targets
- Skills in individual and group work and in programme planning
- High standard of advanced report writing for internal and external reporting
- Highly developed understanding of other professionals’ theoretical perspectives and clinical reasoning
- Evidence of continuing professional development
- Advanced keyboard and computer skills
- Highly developed knowledge of the theory and practice of specialised (service area)
- Experience of leading and carrying out improvement projects and interpreting data using statistical analyses
Other
Essential criteria- Willingness to be flexible and adaptable
- Willingness to adopt and exhibit CNWL values in everything you do
CNWL (Central and North West London NHS Foundation Trust) has almost 8,000 staff providing integrated healthcare to a third of London's population, Milton Keynes and areas beyond. We involve service users, carers, the public, staff and partner organisations in the way that we are run.
Our catchment area spans diverse communities, with over 100 first languages spoken. It contains areas of great affluence as well as areas of much deprivation. We are committed to providing services that meet the needs of the people who use them, and we actively encourage involvement from local people who can help make a difference.We’re proud of our diversity and we continue to undertake new initiatives to advance equality for LGBT+, BME and people with disabilities to promote good relations and understanding between our staff.
We are recognised locally, nationally and internationally for providing high quality, innovative healthcare. We aim to employ only the best people, and our experts are frequently called upon to contribute to national health strategy and policy, and many models of our care have been adapted for use in other countries.
We offer a generous relocation package (subject to eligibility assessment) and flexible working options, including bank assignments for most roles. For more information on these and other benefits of working for us, see our Benefits, Reward and Wellbeing page
Become part of our team. We care for you as much as you care for others.
CNWL NHS Foundation Trust are committed to safeguarding all children and vulnerable adults and expect all staff and volunteers to share this commitment. We follow safe recruitment practices to protect children and vulnerable adults.
Due to the high response levels we receive for some vacancies, we may expire any of them prior to the advertised closing date and advise you to submit your application as soon as possible.
Our Agenda for Change employment contracts are subject to a contractual 13 week probationary period.
If you are offered a job, information will be transferred into the national NHS Electronic Staff Records system.