Sustainability in Quality Improvement

This intensive course introduces health professionals and educators to the concept of ‘sustainable value’ and the ‘SusQI’ framework for integrating sustainability into quality improvement.

Workshop: Thursday 18 April 2024 [8.00-12.00 BST]
- Self-study period opens: 21 March 2024
Workshop: Wednesday 22 May 2024 [8.00-12.00 BST]
- Self-study period opens: 24 April 2024
Workshop: Thursday 20 June 2024 [13.00-17.00 BST]
- Self-study period opens: 23 May 2024
Workshop: Wednesday 10 July 2024 [9.00-13.00 BST]
- Self-study period opens: 12 June 2024
Workshop: Thursday 26 September 2024 [13.00-17.00 BST]
- Self-study period opens: 29 August 2024
Workshop: Wednesday 16 October 2024 [13.00-17.00 BST]
- Self-study period opens: 18 September 2024
Workshop: Wednesday 20 November 2024 [9.00-13.00 GMT]
- Self-study period opens: 23 October 2024
Workshop: Wednesday 4 December 2024 [13.00-17.00 GMT]
- Self-study period opens: 6 November 2024

If you have booked on a course click here for access.

Pricing structure: £160 - £350 + VAT

Course description

Sustainability has been recognised by the Royal College of Physicians as a domain of quality in healthcare, extending the responsibility of health services to patients not just of today but of the future. As a domain of quality, it follows that sustainability should be explicitly addressed as part of ‘quality improvement’ activities. But how?

This intensive course introduces health professionals and educators to the concept of ‘sustainable value’ and the ‘SusQI’ framework for integrating sustainability into quality improvement. Learning from real examples, participants explore in depth how the framework can be applied in practice to develop preventative, holistic, lean, low carbon care. The course includes 4-6-hours of multi-media self-study, a 4-hour interactive workshop and a follow-up interactive masterclass 1-2 months after the workshop to discuss projects-in-progress.

This course is endorsed by

Learning objectives

By the end of this course you will be able to implement a 'triple bottom line' quality improvement project. This includes:

Defining a problem and setting sustainability goals
Studying the system and assessing resource use locally
Applying the principles of sustainable clinical practice
Measuring ‘sustainable value’ using a multi-dimensional approach of environmental, social, financial and patient outcomes at the micro and population-level

Part I. Self-study online

All course content is presented in an interactive online module. You will need about 4-6 hours to go through this round-up of theory and practice. A discussion forum allows you to meet fellow participants and get to know each other's areas of interest and work. At the end of the module, you are invited to sketch out a plan of work that you might want to undertake, in preparation for the workshop discussions. All online content will be available to you until your Work-in-Progress session. You can see a table of contents for the self study materials here.

Part II. Live workshop online

This 4 hour virtual workshop consolidates your understanding of the course materials. Small group discussions with CSH experts and colleagues from around the world allow further exploration of topics that interest you and tips on how to translate your ideas into action. The timetable includes pre-session technical assistance and networking, followed by a review of the self-study material review with Q&A. In breakout groups you will then share your ideas for a sustainability intervention in your setting and make plans to address it, using the range of resources, tools and methods developed by CSH and partners.

By the end of the workshop you should feel equipped to get started on putting SusQI into action in your workplace. Don't worry if you don't feel that you have a perfect, in-depth understanding of SusQI by the end of the workshop. We know that people become proficient in SusQI by running their own SusQI projects or by teaching others get started with SusQI.

Part III: Work-in-Progress

To support you after the initiation of your project we offer the opportunity to meet again as a group after the Workshop. In a two-hour session you will hear how others have progressed, and can present what you've done so far, answer questions and take feedback from participants and expert facilitators.

Participant feedback

"The most holistic approach to QI that I have come across and great to spend the day surrounded by enthusiastic, like-minded individuals.”

"Being able to ask questions of presenters as we worked through material was really valuable. Knowing what trusted sources of information are and where to find them."

"The self-study material] gave me the time to explore some of the core concepts myself instead of learning everything from scratch on the day. [It gave a] good overview of Sus QI with a systematic approach to implementation. [There was a] good mixture of information and activities. The [supplementary] material was great; it’s good to have the option to explore things in more detail."

"Conversations in the breakout rooms were invaluable [for] networking, reflecting with others, exploring real life examples in practice, being able to share and ask questions and getting some advice from the facilitators."

Pricing Structure

Book here

Book a course with peace of mind: We realise that healthcare workers may have to change their plans at short notice. If you are unable to attend a workshop, we can offer you a workshop at a later date for no charge. We can also offer a refund as long as you cancel before the course opens for self-study, which is 4 weeks before the workshop. There will be an admin fee of £30 for refunds.

Courses are facilitated by experts drawn from the faculty below:

Dr Frances Mortimer – Medical Director

Frances led the development of CSH's principles of sustainable clinical practice and the innovative Sustainable Specialties programmes. She has a particular interest in engaging health professionals in clinical transformation and sustainable leadership.

Catherine Richards - SusQI Programme Lead

Catherine has undergraduate degrees in Human Psychology BSc and Occupational Therapy BSc. She has worked in the NHS within adult and older adult community mental health teams as an Occupational Therapist before moving into roles within Clinical Governance and Quality Improvement. Catherine completed the IHI Improvement Coach and Improvement Advisor training and has been a QI lead within a mental health Trust, working on a range of QI initiatives. She has recently started studying for an MBA, with a focus on systems leadership within healthcare.

Rachel McLean, Green Ward Programme Manager

Rachel currently leads the CSH Green Team Competition, coaching healthcare teams to identify, plan, run and measure sustainable quality improvement projects targeting improved patient care, staff experience, environmental and financial outcomes. Rachel has degrees in psychology and speech pathology. She previously worked as a speech and language therapist in London Hospitals, specialising in neonatal therapy and parent coaching.

Florence Wedmore

Florence Wedmore is a medical registrar (IMT3) in London and was previously a Chief Sustainability Officer's Clinical Fellow (2022-2023), based at the BMJ. She has been involved in implementing sustainable healthcare initiatives at her trust, as well as setting up and previously running a staff sustainability network.

Dr Hayley Pinto – Education and Training Lead

Hayley was a lead consultant addiction psychiatrist with nearly 30 yrs experience in the NHS and publicly funded services. She is a medical educator, and currently senior honorary lecturer at the University of East Anglia, and has been involved in climate education, outreach, and activism for several years. Hayley also has a degree in psychology and completed general practice training before pursuing a career in psychiatry.

Nuala Hampson, Lead Facilitator for Education

Nuala Hampson is a pharmacist with a background in education, general practice and, more recently, sustainable healthcare. Nuala has worked as a clinical pharmacist in general practice for over 20 years and postgraduate pharmacy education for 15 years. Nuala is passionate about sustainability and enabling others through positive action. She is the sustainability champion at the Centre for Pharmacy Postgraduate Education, focusing on encouraging individual and organisational change, and is a member of Pharmacy Declares, a group of climate conscious pharmacy professionals based in the UK. Nuala is currently the Lead Facilitator for Education at the Centre for Sustainable Healthcare.

Ben Whittaker - Mental Health and AHP Lead

Ben has a background as an occupational therapist in mental health settings. Ben joined the Centre for Sustainable Healthcare in 2009, where he has led the Occupational Therapy, AHP and Green Walking programmes, and worked on the Green Ward competition and Sustainable Healthcare Education. In 2021 Ben became one of the first Chief Sustainability Officer's Clinical Fellows at Greener NHS, working with the Office of the CAHPO on projects aligned to the Greener AHP hub and furthering the AHP net zero plan.

Dr Alice Clack - Sustainable Quality Improvement Education Fellow 2022-2023

Alice is a consultant Obstetrician and Gynaecologist who since CCST has worked in The Gambia, Liberia and Sierra Leone as a specialist and educator, and with Chelsea and Westminster NHS trust and Betsi Cadwaladr NHS trust as a Locum Consultant. She will be supporting the CSH's SusQI Education project, which seeks to promote, and support the inclusion of SusQI into postgraduate and undergraduate clinical education. Alice has a background in climate activism, and is currently working with other Obstetricians and the RCOG to create a movement towards sustainable Obstetric care.

Dr Stuart d’Arch Smith

Dr Stuart d’Arch Smith is a specialist registrar in psychiatry with South London and Maudsley NHS Trust and was the CSH Education Fellow for Sustainable Quality Improvement in 2019-20.

Dr Rosie Spooner

Rosie is a Paediatric Trainee (St5) in Severn Deanery and CSH QI Education Fellow (2020-2021), working with universities and postgraduate education programmes to support the integration of sustainable healthcare into Quality Improvement teaching. She comes from a background in environmental activism, successfully lobbying the RCPCH to declare a climate emergency and established a hospital allotment society whilst a medical student in London.

Dr Pip Clery

Pip is a Core Psychiatry Trainee in North Central London and an Academic Clinical Fellow at University College London. She has been involved in Sustainable Healthcare Education and teaching Sustainability in Quality Improvement (SusQI) since 2019, working with the CSH to integrate SusQI teaching for medical students into the medical curriculum at the University of Bristol and in the Severn Deanery for Foundation Doctors. She is also is involved in climate activism and is the Education Lead on the Royal College of Psychiatrists Planetary Health and Sustainability Committee.

You are here