About This Course

The MSc Leading Quality Improvement will support you to become an expert in health care quality improvement and innovation based on effectiveness (the use of evidence); efficiency (service reliability); and acceptability (the service user experience). Using leading evidence based research we’ll ensure you can, as the next generation of improvement and innovation experts, apply this evidence in practice – making research real, and impacting directly on the quality of frontline services.

You’ll develop skills to help you identify and explore problems and opportunities in order to deliver valuable solutions to improve healthcare in practice. All of this will be supported by developing your critical thinking and ability to research the problems and opportunities you face, and help you to identify the cutting edge solutions. We’ll help you to gain insight into your own leadership preferences and styles in order to lead and challenge others to develop health services.

This is a very broad qualification that appeals to a wide variety of people in clinical and non-clinical roles working in any area that healthcare is delivered or it’s delivery monitored. We attract students from very diverse backgrounds including nursing; medical; allied health professionals (e.g., Therapy professionals; paramedics; laboratory staff); NHS and wider healthcare management, the Royal College of Veterinary Nurses and journalism.

Course Content

What will you study on this course?

During this course you’ll develop a comprehensive understanding of relevant research and scholarly approaches applicable to quality improvement in healthcare and an informed knowledge of how the results of this application may improve service processes and outcomes and develop research ideas/policy. This will enable you to drive forward improvements in a number of modern healthcare settings.

You’ll be able to effectively articulate the concepts and the context of your professional work in relation to different elements of quality and critically evaluate the different theoretical and empirical foundations for the different components of improving quality (e.g., Professional Behaviour Change, Governance, Risk Assessment, Quality Improvement Methods and Service User Involvement.) You’ll be taught to apply appropriate methods for advancing thinking and practice within the context of a healthcare quality challenge relevant your organisations priorities and learn how to resolve complex organisational and practice issues. You’ll also develop advanced technical skills in at least one approach to quality improvement (e.g., evidence synthesis and appraisal; performance measurement and feedback; and user engagement).

Careers

This course is intended to support the academic, professional and career progression of healthcare professionals working in, or aspiring to clinical leadership and quality roles within UK and international health care organisations. The learning within the programme will also be of key relevance to professionals from social care and related policy areas, especially those working in leadership roles.