Improvement Fundamentals

Improvement fundamentals

A radical programme of online courses for those involved in health and social care

Are you:

  • Working in, or with, health or social care?
  • Enthusiastic about making things work better in your local service?
  • Keen to put your improvement ideas into practice, but not sure how?
  • Eager to hear from colleagues across the country with the same concerns?
  • Looking for free, bite-sized Quality Improvement training that you can access at your desk or on the go?

If so, the Improvement Fundamentals learning programme could be for you.

Improvement Fundamentals is a programme of online, self-directed mini-courses in quality improvement (QI) for those involved in heath or social care services.

Short: This brand new programme of short, bite-sized mini-courses, takes you through the preparation and delivery of an improvement within your workplace step-by-step.
Practical: It is focussed on equipping you with practical knowledge, skills and support, helping you undertakes your own improvement project as you progress through the mini-courses.
Collaborative: The course is designed to provide ample opportunity for discussion and collaboration with peers and facilitators to provide learners with a network of support.

The courses are free to take part in, and are delivered entirely online in the form of videos, articles, discussion and practical exercises that contribute to your own improvement project.

The programme is organised into four essential learning areas or suites.

  1. Quality improvement theory
  2. Quality improvement tools
  3. Measuring for quality improvement
  4. Spreading quality improvement

About the courses

Each course will be facilitated for a week, during which time participants will have access to SI’s topic experts for guidance and advice. Following this, participants will have time to work on their own local project.

Learners are able to complete the courses in their own time, with each taking around 2.5 hours in total. This can be done all together or in half hour chunks throughout the week.

Throughout the programme, participants will be guided to put their theory into practice and can submit a piece of work at the end showing how they have done this.

After successfully completing each mini-course, you will receive a certificate of completion for your Continuing Professional Development (CPD) records.

By completing all of the four courses available, you can apply for Advanced QI Hiker status.

Improvement Fundamentals – Introductory courses running all year!

The first four courses in the Improvement Fundamentals programme are running one a month all year. Our schedule of courses is:

Course Dates
Course 101: An Introduction to Quality Improvement Theory April, August, December
Course 201: Developing Improvement Aims and Conducting PDSA Cycles May, September, January
Course 301: An Introduction to Measurement for Improvement June, October, February
Course 401: An Introduction to Spreading Improvement July, November, March

The courses are now open for enrolment on the QI Learning platform. If you are a new user, please register on our QI Learning Platform first, and then enrol onto the courses from the home page

During the first week, our expert facilitators from NHS England’s Improvement team will be on hand to answer your questions and offer their insights in the social spaces on the courses.

You can follow us on Twitter @QIFundamentals and join the conversation using #QIHikers.