Implementing a quality improvement programme in a locality mental health service

In healthcare, quality improvement (QI) involves organisations and staff aiming to continually improve how they work, quality of care and patient outcomes. In the summer of 2017, a QI programme was endorsed and supported by the clinical director and the head of nursing in the mental health delivery unit of a Welsh health board. This article describes the process of introducing the QI programme in one of the three locality mental health services in the health board. A QI board was established to oversee the process and provide support, and QI champions were introduced to develop QI skills and capacity among staff across the locality mental health service's clinical teams. Improvements made by the QI champions during the first 12 months of the programme included: increased accuracy of electronic transfers of care; reduced readmission rates; the co-production of guides to engage ward-based staff; and the creation of digital staff stories. The authors also reflect on the challenges they experienced in introducing the QI programme and make recommendations for organisations and senior nurses for implementing such programmes effectively.