Making progress on health and care challenges

Essays, Learning and Insights

Working on a single challenge for a year, the Q Lab is developing new approaches to making progress on complex health and care challenges. It brings organisations and individuals together to pool what is known, uncover new insights and test ideas.

Project three

2019-2020

Creative and collaborative change
Resources from the Q Lab on what it takes to make change happen collaboratively and creatively.

Collaboration and creativity have been core to the Q Lab's approach to make progress on health and care challenges. These resources draw on the learning from the Q Lab, Lab participants and partners for others to use and apply to their own projects and contexts.

#1
Sep '20

Skills for collaborative change

A practical tool for individuals and teams, developed in partnership with Nesta

(7 min read)
Project two

09/18 to 09/19

Mental health and persistent back and neck pain

In partnership with
This essay collection is a summary of the learning and insights from the Q Improvement Lab's second project in partnership with Mind - the mental health charity - focusing on how care can be improved for people living with both mental health problems and persistent back and neck pain.

The essays focus on what the Lab learned about the topic, as well as the wider learning from developing the Lab approach: the methods used, what it takes to test new ideas in practice and the skills required for delivering change in complex environments.

#1
May '19

Mental health and persistent pain: an introduction

An overview of the project with Mind, the connection to mental and physical health and what we hope to achieve

(9 min read)

#2
May '19

Challenges and opportunities to improve

A summary of what’s been learned about mental health problems and persistent back and neck pain

(19 min read)

#3
Nov '19

Practical solutions to improve care

An interactive guide to support practitioners to improve services for people living with both mental and physical health problems

(2 min read)

#4
Nov '19

What matters to me? Service principles for providing care

Guiding principles for providing care for people with both mental health problems and persistent back and neck pain

(3 min read)
With huge thanks

To all Q Lab participants, in particular Adam Laybourn, Adrian McGregor, Alison Trewhela, Amy Clark, Amy Semple, Anna Simpson, Anna Sussex, Anne Thurston, Antoni Chan, Barbara Dancer, Benjamin Ellis, Chris Naylor, Chris Penlington, Chris Thomas, Christine Roach, Clare Clark, Dale Webb, David Trigger, Deepak Ravindran, Dinesh Perera, Doug Crix, Ella Gibbs, Elspeth Desert, Eve Jenner, Fay Sibley, Frances Cole, Gail Sowden, Hannah Pidsley, Helen Leigh-Phippard, Helen Wadley, James Forrester, James Rodriguez-Hughes, Jane Everett, Jenny Fainberg, Jillian Patchett, Joanne Smithson, John Gibson, Joy Ngai, Karen Machin, Karen Oliver, Kate Corner, Katie Clarke-Day, Kay Stevenson, Kelly Holehouse, Kerry Robinson, Laura Bell, Lily Mukurah, Louise Jones, Meherzin Das, Michelle Farr, Nick Downing, Nick Errington-Evans, Nuzhat Ali, Oli Hart, Owen Hughes, Philip Hulse, Rebecca Gill, Sarah Burlinson, Sarah Markham, Sonal Mehta, Stephanie Killgallon, Stewart Loughlin, Sue Brown, Ted Beckwith, Thomas Rose, Tom Kingstone and Zahida Adam.
Project one

04/17 to 04/18

Peer Support Available to All
This essay collection is a summary of the learning and insights from the Q Improvement Lab's first year-long project, exploring what it would take for peer support to be more widely available.

The essays focus on what the Lab learned about peer support, as well as the wider learning from setting up and running a Lab: the methods used, the impact the Lab seeks to achieve and how the learning will be applied in future Lab projects.

#1
May '18

What is the Q Improvement Lab?

A broad overview of what the Q Improvement Lab is, where the idea came from and what we seek to achieve

(9 min read)

#2
May '18

Learning and insights on peer support

A summary of what we learned about peer support, drawing on current evidence and the knowledge and experiences of Lab participants

(20 min read)

#3
May '18

How do people make decisions in peer support?

Insights from a UK-wide survey on what's important to people when referring, recommending or using peer support

(13 min read)

#4
Aug '18

Impact that counts

An overview of how the Lab seeks to support people and make change happen

(12 min read)

#5
Aug '18

Learning from the Lab’s approach to evaluation

Sharing evaluation learning and insights from the Lab's pilot year

(12 min read)
With huge thanks

Alan Cribb, Allan Anderson, Amanda Brittain, Amy Semple, Andrew McCracken, Andrew Seaton, Ann Clark, Ann Innes, Anne Kelleher, Anya De Iongh, Brigid Morris, Brooke Leigh, Caitlin Lord, Caroline Poole, Caroline Wild, Cherry LeRoy, Clare Clark, Clive Acraman, Dan Beale-Cocks, Danielle Chadderton, Daniela Hart, David Trigger, David Elder, David Paynton, Dawn Plimmer, Debs Taylor, Diane Johnson, Ed Holloway, Emma Watson, Gary Copitch, Habiba Nabatu, Hannah Chalmers, Helen Billings, Helen Crimlisk, Hilda Campbell, Hildegard Dumper, Jocelyn Thompson, Jono Broad, Julian Simcox, Karen Machin, Kate Green, Katie Clarke-Day, Lee Lester, Liz Angier, Mandy Rudczenko, Mary Ryan, Matt Hill, Matt Jameson Evans, Nicki Thomas, Owen Hughes, Peter O’Brien, Phil Walters, Rachel Gibbons, Robert Namushi, Ruby Smith, Ruth Campbell, Sandra Jayacodi, Sarah Campbell, Sarah Rae, Selena Stephen, Sharon Gilfoyle, Sheinaz Stansfield, Stella Franklin, Tamar Whyte, Thomas Jones, Tim Benson, Tim Parkin, Trevor Wright, Ursula Clarke, Vicky Dunne and Wayne Jepson.

Essays, Learning and Insights

With huge thanks

With huge thanks