South West Academic Health Science Network Hosts Q Community Launch Event in Exeter

The South West Academic Health Science Network (SW AHSN) held its inaugural ‘Welcome to Q event’ with at Sandy Park in Exeter on Wednesday 29 March. The event was attended by over 90 health and care professionals from across the South West of England, all of whom joined the Q community in February.

Q is an initiative connecting people with improvement expertise across the UK to create a community of people. It is led by the Health Foundation and supported and co-funded by NHS Improvement.

The interactive and engaging event was an opportunity for new Q members to share ideas, enhance skills and collaborate on improvement work. The day was opened by Louise Witts, Interim CEO, SW AHSN and Helen Smith, Medical Director at the Devon Partnership Trust. Patient Leader Jonathan Broad gave an overview of why he had chosen to become a part of the Q community. Georgie Denis of the Health Foundation gave an illuminating overview of Q’s vision. After a round of workshops including a fascinating insight into hackathons by Stuart Monk and Matt Bell of the SW AHSN, we heard from Georgie Denis again about the benefits of networking and sharing across the Q community. The event closed with a thought-provoking address from Louise Witts and Helen Smith about how to take forward what the attendees had shared that day.

Feedback from delegates who attended the day showed that 93% of attendees rated the day as ‘good’ or ‘excellent’.

Georgina Denis, Regional Partnerships Manager, Health Foundation said: “This was a really fantastic event and wonderful to see so many people in the South West coming together. There is a real feeling that the new members will use the Q community to energise themselves in their quest to enhance quality of care for patients.”

Dr Jillian Denovan, GP at Pathfields Practice said: “What an amazing day! Really inspired by this event – a fantastic opportunity to network with and learn from like-minded people.”