What does high-quality NHS care look and feel like – and how can a national strategy translate into a better experience for patients?

In this episode of Leading Improvement in Health and Care, Penny Pereira speaks with Professor Frankie Swords, National Medical Director for NHS England and the Department of Health and Social Care, and Sarah Barley-McMullen, strategic lived experience partner for NHS England and Chair of Long Covid SOS.

They explore why quality must become the NHS’s guiding principle, encompassing safe and clinically effective care as well as a positive patient experience. The conversation considers the role of leadership and organisational culture, the use of meaningful data and shared metrics, reducing unwarranted variation, and making it easier for people throughout the health and care system to do the right thing.

Sarah brings a vital lived-experience perspective, arguing that quality cannot be understood through performance data alone. It can be felt in whether care is joined up, whether patients are heard and involved in decisions, and whether their experience gives them the confidence to seek help and remain engaged in their care.

Hosted by Penny Pereira, managing director of Q, each episode aims to spotlight where improvement is working well, as well as the challenges it faces. This podcast is part of Learning and Improving Across Systems, a partnership between the Health Foundation, the NHS Alliance and the Q community to support health and care systems to learn and improve. 

Additional resources

• Recommendations for local leaders onembedding QMS
• Embedding and sustaining Quality Management Systems | Q Community  
• Managing quality during change | Q Community
• QMS webinar series - is this still relevant?  
• Quality Management Systems: resources to help you get… | Q Community

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What does it really take to make change work in the NHS?

In this episode of Leading Improvement in Health and Care, we explore the Scottish Approach to Change—a system-wide effort to rethink how transformation actually happens across health and social care.

Rather than another top-down initiative, Scotland is bringing together quality improvement, service design, strategy, and frontline experience into one unified approach—with a shared language and a clearer pathway for change.

We are joined by Clare Morrison, Director of Engagement and Change at Healthcare Improvement Scotland, who led the development of the Scottish approach to change, as well as two leaders from the Pathfinder sites who have already started embedding it in their organisations. So Gareth Marr, Chief Officer Dumfries and Galloway Health and Social Care Partnership, and Jennifer Champion, Director of Public Health at NHS Forth. 

Hosted by Penny Pereira, managing director of Q, and former NHS Confederation chief executive, Matthew Taylor, each episode aims to spotlight where improvement is working well, as well as the challenges it faces. This podcast is part of Learning and Improving Across Systems, a partnership between the Health Foundation, NHS Confederation and the Q community to support health and care systems to learn and improve. 

Additional resources

• The Scottish Approach to Change - Scottish Approach to Change – Healthcare Improvement Scotland 
• Q’s An effective approach to change - An effective approach to change | Q Community 
• Scotland’s Health and Social Care Service Renewal Framework - Health and Social Care Service Renewal Framework - gov.scot 
• Quality Management System - Quality Management System (QMS) – Healthcare Improvement Scotland 
• Q’s Quality Management Systems: resources to help you get started - Quality Management Systems: resources to help you get… | Q Community 

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Leaders set the tone for improvement, but what does that actually look like in practice?

In this episode of Leading Improvement in Health and Care, highlights from NHS Impact 2026 explore how leadership can move improvement beyond isolated projects and into whole health and care systems. From system thinking and co-production to visible leadership, standard work and the shift from problem-solving to problem-framing, speakers share what it takes to lead change that lasts.

• Adam Sewell-Jones, chief executive officer, East and North Hertfordshire NHS Trust 
• Nicola Burgess, Professor of Operations Management, University of York  
• Andy Hardy, Chief Executive, University Hospitals Coventry and Warwickshire NHS Trust  

And for the last session of the day, Penny Pereira, our podcast host, hosted a panel discussion exploring how improvement can move beyond individual projects and begin to reshape whole pathways of care with staff and populations. Joining her was:  

• Caroline Clarke, NHS London Regional Director 
• David Fillingham, a Chair in the NHS and Chair of the National Improvement Board 
• Rich Amos, Patient Partner with NHS England 

This podcast is part of Learning and Improving Across Systems, a partnership between the Health Foundation, NHS Confederation and the Q community to support health and care systems to learn and improve. 

Useful resources

• National Improvement Conference 2026 - resources | NHS Confederation 
• Boost | Our Learning and Improvement Community 
• NHS England » NHS IMPACT 
• Leading Healthcare Transformation| Virginia Mason Institute UK 
• Microsoft PowerPoint - DBA Conference Presentation K Maitra.pptx 
• UHCW-Leaders infographic.pdf 
• Point of Care Foundation 
• NHS England » National Improvement Board 

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In this episode we erxplore the role improvment can make in co-production, transforming how clinicians, patients, and healthcare leaders work together to improve outcomes, experience, and system performance.

With inshightful firsthand stories from clinicians, patient leaders, and quality improvement experts, this episode features five guests talking about their experiences of co-producing change. Our guests are:

• Peter Lachman, former CEO of ISQUA, the International Society for Quality in Healthcare, and one of the early Quality Improvement Fellows funded by the Health Foundation 
• Jono Broad, volunteer and patient leader in improvement and an active member of the Q community  
• Amar Shah, Clinical Director for Improvement in England, and former Chief Quality Officer at East London NHS Foundation Trust  
• Dr Guddi Singh, consultant paediatricianpediatrician and Trustee for the National Centre for Creative Health  
• Victoria Saffin, Assistant Director of Quality Management at Oxleas NHS Foundation Trust 

This is also your first chance to get a taste of an amazing project: 100 Voices. Led by Dr Andrea Gibbons, Founder of The QI Hub, and supported by Q, the project is developing a bank of personal stories of people leading improvement.  

Hosted by Penny Pereira, managing director of Q, and Matthew Taylor, chief executive, NHS Confederation, each episode aims to spotlight where improvement is working well, as well as the challenges it faces.  

This podcast is part of Learning and Improving Across Systems, a partnership between the Health Foundation, NHS Confederation and the Q community to support health and care systems to learn and improve.

Additional links and resources

• Dr Andrea Gibbons (nee Barrow) | LinkedIn 
• 100 Voices | theqihub 
• About Us | theqihub 
• Fab NHS Stuff 
• Peter Lachman | LinkedIn 
• ISQua - The International Society for Quality in Health Care 
• Jono Broad | LinkedIn 
• Amar Shah | LinkedIn 
• Welcome - Quality Improvement - ELFT 
• NHS England » NHS IMPACT 
• Guddi Singh | LinkedIn 
• National Centre for Creative Health 
• Victoria Saffin | LinkedIn 

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In this episode, we're looking at how improvement can play a role in population health, with examples from Scotland to London. We hear about the approaches needed to achieve change that spans large systems and addresses inequities in experience and outcomes. 

Our guests are Dominique Allwood, Director of Population Health at Imperial College Healthcare, and Ruth Glasborrow, director of Population Health and Wellbeing at Public Health Scotland. 

Hosted by Penny Pereira, managing director of Q, and Matthew Taylor, chief executive, NHS Confederation, each episode aims to spotlight where improvement is working well, as well as the challenges it faces.

Links to relevant resources:

• Q theory of change 
• Home | Institute for Healthcare Improvement 
• Scottish Patient Safety Programme (SPSP) – Healthcare Improvement Scotland 
• Home | PHS Learning 
• Support to innovators - Imperial College Health Partners 
• Scottish Prevention Hub - Edinburgh Futures Institute 
• Execution of Strategic Improvement Initiatives to Produce System-Level Results | Institute for Healthcare Improvement 
• Briefing: Improvement as mainstream business | The Health Foundation 
• Q_Working_with_Data_to_Improve_Access_and_Address_Inequalitiesspreads.pdf 
• Evidence hub: What drives health inequalities? - The Health Foundation 
• UK’s campaign for improving health opportunities | Health Equals 
• Revisiting Relational Coordination: A Systematic Review - Rendelle Bolton, Caroline Logan, Jody Hoffer Gittell, 2021 
• Improving health and care at scale | NHS Confederation

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In this episode, we're looking at how improvement approaches can help redesign services for frail older people, taking a whole system approach. We hear practical advice from a national and local perspective on how to inspire and support change that spans different departments and sectors.   

Our guests are:  

• Dr Tom Downes, consultant geriatrician at Sheffield Teaching Hospitals, and national clinical director for older people.  
• Dr Simon Harlin, GP and community clinical lead, Walsall Healthcare NHS Trust 
• Peter Chessum, associate director of nursing, Walsall Healthcare NHS Trust 

Hosted by Penny Pereira, managing director of Q, and Matthew Taylor, chief executive, NHS Confederation, each episode aims to spotlight where improvement is working well, as well as the challenges it faces.  

This podcast is part of Learning and Improving Across Systems, a partnership between the Health Foundation, NHS Confederation and the Q community to support health and care systems to learn and improve.

Walsall NHS Trust Frail elderly pathway: https://www.walsallhealthcare.nhs.uk/our-services/frail-elderly-pathway/#:~:text=The%20main%20aim%20of%20the,Appropriate%20signposting%20to%20other%20agencies

10 Principles at the human heart of improvement: https://q.nhsconfed.org/evidence-and-insights/opinion-pieces/10-principles-at-the-human-heart-of-improvement-tell-us-what-you-think

The challenge and potential of whole system flow: https://www.health.org.uk/reports-and-analysis/reports/the-challenge-and-potential-of-whole-system-flow

Chief Medical Officer's Annual Report 2023: Health in an ageing society: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/chief-medical-officers-annual-report-2023-health-in-an-ageing-society

Launch of a framework to improve how the NHS makes large scale change: https://www.health.org.uk/features-and-opinion/blogs/launch-of-a-framework-to-improve-how-the-nhs-in-england-makes-large

NHS England National Frailty Improvement Collaborative: https://www.england.nhs.uk/nhsimpact/learning-and-improvement-networks/national-frailty-improvement-collaborative/

Rockwood frailty scale: https://www.england.nhs.uk/south/wp-content/uploads/sites/6/2022/02/rockwood-frailty-scale_.pdf

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Hosts Matthew Taylor and Penny Pereira explore how improvement practices can help with neighbourhood-level working. Hospital to community is a key part of the governments 10-Year-Plan, and this episode reveals insights into how Improvement approaches have been used to usher in more integrated, community-focused care.

Q’s System-wide Change Lead Jen Morgan talks to Heather White (South Hambleton and Ryedale Primary Care Network) and Dr. Catherine Heffernan (South West London ICB) about practical examples of neighbourhood health in action — from multidisciplinary teams and local diagnostic hubs to community pharmacy-led wellbeing initiatives.

Q’s new home at the NHS Confederation | NHS Confederation 

about Catherine Heffernan 

https://www.linkedin.com/in/catherine-heffernan-42ba0a106/ 

https://www.linkedin.com/in/heather-white-64b5b882/ 

Our Team - South Hambleton and Ryedale PCN 

10 Year Health Plan for England: fit for the future - GOV.UK 

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In this episode we explore how improvement methodologies can enable NHS leaders to implement digital transformation successfully. Hear practical examples of how to better engage staff and communities, really understand problems systemically and target resources effectively, and implement technology in a way that releases time to care. 

Hosted by Penny Pereira, Managing Director of Q, and Matthew Taylor, CEO NHS Confederation, our guests for this episode are Sadia Khan, clinical lead for innovation at West Middlesex University Hospital, and Abigail Harrison, executive director for digital estates and improvement at Lancashire and South Cumbria NHS Foundation Trust.

Useful links: 

• NHS England » NHS IMPACT 
• Q Lab | Q Community 
• Q Lab | Technology enabled remote monitoring 
• Trust and confidence in technology-enabled care | The Health Foundation 
• Q | Digital adopters in health and care: What you need to know  
• Q | Improving communication and care with technology  
• Q | Addressing digital exclusion in mental health services  
• CW+ charity of Chelsea and Westminster Hospital NHS Foundation Trust 
• CW Innovation - CW+ 
• Understanding and sustaining the health care service shifts accelerated by COVID-19 | The Health Foundation 
• Video consultations. What’s needed now? | Q Community 
• AI and quality improvement resources | Q Community 

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In this episode recorded live at Confed Expo 2025 we are joined by Professor Paul Corrigan CBE and Dr Amar Shar, exploring how to resource improvement and transformation in the NHS.

We explore how the NHS of tomorrow can come to the aid of the NHS today. And how the finances and resources available over the next decade can best be used to deliver on the ten-year health plan.What's the role of the improvement movement in supporting this NHS transformation?

We also explore how East London FT NHS Trust has successfully embedded and resourced an improvement approach across the organisation.

Hosted by Penny Pereira, Managing Director of Q at the Health Foundation, and Matthew Taylor, our CEO, each episode aims to spotlight where improvement is working well, as well as the challenges it faces.

This podcast is part of Learning and Improving Across Systems, a partnership between the Health Foundation, NHS Confederation and the Q community to support health and care systems to learn and improve.

Professor Paul Corrigan CBE is Special Adviser to the Department for Health and Social Security: https://www.gov.uk/government/news/paul-corrigan-appointed-by-the-government-to-help-shape-health-plans

Dr. Amar Shah is National Clinical Director for Improvement at NHS England: https://www.england.nhs.uk/author/dr-amar-shah/

The Health Foundation - A guide to making the case for improvement: https://www.health.org.uk/resources-and-toolkits/quick-guides/a-guide-to-making-the-case-for-improvement

Q Community - Developing system-wide improvement approaches: https://q.health.org.uk/resources/developing-system-wide-improvement-approaches

East London NHS Foundation Trust - Building the business case for quality improvement: https://qi.elft.nhs.uk/resource/building-the-business-case-for-quality-improvement-a-framework-for-evaluating-return-on-investment

Macmillan - Social investment in end of life care: https://www.macmillan.org.uk/healthcare-professionals/news-and-resources/blogs/social-investment-in-end-of-life-care

This podcast was produced by HealthCommsPlus.

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Welcome back to the second series of Leading Improvement in Health and Care, brought to you by the NHS Confederation, The Q community and The Health Foundation.

In this episode we’re exploring how to mobilise change effectively within and between organisations, particularly in relation to the government’s forthcoming Ten Year Plan for the NHS.

With unique insights into how effective change has been implemented, core principles to apply and how to approach these in relation to the Ten Year Plan, we’re joined by Dr. Gary Howsam, Chief Clinical Improvement Officer NHS Cambridgeshire and Peterborough ICB and Annie Williamson, research fellow in health and care at the IPPR.

Leading Improvement in Health and Care is presented by Matthew Taylor, Chief Executive of NHS Confederation and Penny Pereira, Managing Director of Q at the Health Foundation.

For more information on out Learning and Improving Across Systems Peer Learning Programme, please visit: https://www.nhsconfed.org/learning-improving-systems/peer-learning

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