The Improvement Foundation offers a number of development programmes at local and national level to help create the capacity and capability for improvement in individuals and organisations.

We also provide bespoke leadership development programmes across an SHA or PCT area and our regional centres can offer tailored support for quality improvement in a variety of ways.

Our current programmes include the Quality Improvement Skills Programme, the Advanced Commissioning Course, and the Leadership for Quality Improvement Programme.

Quality Improvement Skills Programme

The locally-delivered Quality Improvement Skills Programme is aimed at helping small groups learn how to apply practical quality improvement skills to priorities within their organisations. The programme can be booked at any time of the year, usually with six to eight teams of two to four people within one local area, and involves three separate days with action periods in between over a period of three months.

Advanced Commissioning Course

The 15-month national postgraduate certificate in Advanced Commissioning is aimed at helping clinicians and managers lead commissioning through a full commissioning year. It is supported by the Department of Health and delivered by the Improveemnt Foundation in partnership with the University of Teesside. We are currently recruiting for the 2008/9 course.

Leadership for Quality Improvement

The national 12-month Leadership for Quality Improvement Programme is aimed at developing the leadership skills and confidence of frontline professionals and managers to enable them to drive forward improvement work in their organisations. The course is offered to a range of public sector professionals, recognising the benefits participants get from cross-sector working, and participants can choose to take a university-accredited post-graduate certificate if they wish. The latest course started in March 2008 and future courses are currently under discussion.

If you are interested in working with the Improvement Foundation please go to How we can help or click here to contact us.

HSJ 2008/9 Top 100 Employing Healthcare Organisations

To complement our Leadership work we are also sponsoring the Leadership category of the HSJ's 2008/9 Top 100 Employing Healthcare Organisations.

Based on surveys of public and independent sector employers and employees conducted by Ipsos MORI, the awards will identify the best overall employer, as well as in particular categories such as best organisation leadership. Results will be available towards the end of 2008 and the winners celebrated at a special awards lunch in early 2009.

It is free to register your organisation to take part in these unique awards, but registration must be done by 15 September 2008. For further information, see www.healthcare100.co.uk