Improvement Collaborative Handbook

This handbook provides background information and a step-by-step approach to organising and leading short-term improvement collaboratives, bringing together teams from various health care settings to address focused topics.

Improvement collaboratives have been used for over 20 years as a successful strategy for employing quality improvement (QI) methods and approaches. 

QI is a well-established, evidenced-based approach to understanding processes and systems, pinpointing improvement opportunities, and designing sustainable solutions.

Improvement collaboratives use a structured approach to support individuals, teams, and systems all at the same time.

There are several improvement approaches to address these challenges and strengthen the quality of health services, including Lean, Sigma Six and Model for Improvement.

The shared learning and mutual support that comes from participating in a collaborative motivates professionals to do things differently, which in turn works as an effective vehicle for change to improve patient outcomes, service use and costs.

Download the handbook to access:

• step-by-step guidance for organising and leading collaboratives
• worked examples from previous successful collaboratives
• integration of toolkits, templates and resources for data-driven results
• tried-and-tested methods to tackle challenges across health care sectors.

It was designed to support staff and teams who wish to implement an improvement collaborative in their service. 

Its versatility makes it applicable across all sectors of health care, both clinical and corporate, and it brings together the extensive experience of the National QPS Directorate and subject matter experts who have delivered collaboratives for over a decade.

This resource was developed by the Quality and Patient Safety Improvement team at the National Quality And Patient Safety Directorate, Health Service Executive Ireland.