A celebration event was held at the Quality Improvement and Innovation Centre (QIIC) in Ards Hospital to mark the achievements of the 2024 cohort of the Regional Quality Improvement Programme for Social Work, Nursing and Midwifery.
The Department of Health’s Chief Social Services Officer, Aine Morrison, opened the event acknowledging the dedication and commitment of all participants in delivering improvements in patient, client and service user care across Northern Ireland. Those attending also had the privilege of hearing from Service User & Carer Representative Maria Somerville, who shared her personal insights on the importance and impact of quality improvement in Health and Social Care.
The event highlighted the outstanding quality improvement work carried out by staff across the five Health and Social Care Trusts, as well as Northern Ireland Practice Education Council (NIPEC), the Clinical Education Centre, the Northern Ireland Hospice and the Northern Ireland Social Care Council over the past twelve months.
The Regional Quality Improvement Programme is an eight-month initiative aimed at delivering meaningful improvements for patients, clients, and service users. This year’s programme, funded by the Department of Health, saw 46 participants from across the region present their Quality Improvement Projects and receive their prestigious Q2020 Level 2 Award.
Throughout the event, attendees engaged with poster presentations showcasing the successes of various quality improvement initiatives undertaken as part of the programme. The event concluded with an awards presentation, recognising outstanding contributions in the following areas:
- Special Recognition Award – Nursing Poster: Ciaran McArdle (Independent Sector)
- Special Recognition Award – Midwifery Poster: Rachel Chakravarti (Northern Health and Social Care Trust)
- Special Recognition Award Social Worker Poster – Kristy Williamson & Shauna Morrow (South Eastern HSC Trust)
Delighted to attend the event, Maria Somerville said, “I have been the service user, carer representative on the QI programme since it was developed and I am also part of the steering group. It is really important to me to be involved as the voice of the service user which is really essential in Health and Social Care.
“I represent my own family and others who use Health and Social Care Services as it is essential that these are shaped around our lived experience and our voices and are therefore very important. An event like this is really beneficial, as it helps the professionals to really focus on the outcomes rather than processes as Health and Social Care is full of processes. Nursing is full of tasks, but it helps professionals to focus on outcomes, including my family and those like mine, so it is really important that this course is available as it helps to design services with carers and services users at the heart of them.”
Chief Social Services Officer, Aine Morrison acknowledged the incredible work being undertaken and stated, “This is a great event and it’s really important to mark everything that Social Workers, Nurses and Midwives have done to improve services for patients and service users. I am very grateful for the effort, enthusiasm and the commitment that they show in improving the quality of care to help make a difference.”
South Eastern Trust, Director of Quality Improvement & Innovation, Claire Marie Dickson, added, “It is hugely important to recognise the achievements of Nurses, Midwives and Social workers who have been involved in these projects. For me, the exciting component of this programme is that it is not just Trust staff, it is the independent sector and our NIPEC colleagues all working together for the greater good of clients, families and service users. The breadth of what has been achieved within this programme, right from pregnancy to end of life and all in-between, across professions, is what we came into the Health Service for and to ensure that everything we do, that people are at the heart of it.”
NIPEC Senior Professional Officer, Brenda Carson, commented, “I think this is a wonderful event and a great opportunity to celebrate the hard work that all Nurses, Midwives and Social Workers have undertaken over the last number of months as part of their training and development and to build connections into the future. There are some wonderful projects that have been undertaken and fabulous posters, it was great to hear the detail around them.”
