Improvement Resources

We have created a Quality Improvement Handbook and some useful help sheets for you, which are listed below:

Quality Improvement

NHS Education for Scotland has created an online eLearning module to support learning around Quality Improvement.

To access these modules, you need to register on the digital platform Turas Learn.

Once registered, we would recommend that you access the modules in the following order:

1. Understanding your system
2. Developing your aims and changing ideas
3. Measurement for improvement
4. Testing your change ideas
5. Implementation and Spread

Research Awareness

ACC and its partners do research all the time to inform decision making, for example, a public consultation is a research project. A very short course on Research Awareness ACC Learn shows the importance of local authorities doing research.

Theory of Change and Logic Modelling

A proposed change always has a theory behind it. This 20 minute online course (create a free guest account) guides you through the common components to consider when trying to explain, discuss and improve on the theory underlying your proposal. This will help you communicate and collaborate with transparency, increasing the likelihood of a successful change. This course is particularly suited to LOIP System Change Leaders (and their collaborators) and council officers working on service strategies.

Introduction to Evaluation

Evaluation is a crucial component of change pilots. It is designed alongside the pilot itself and, at a time appropriate for the change, it asks ‘did this change work, for whom and why?’ While these questions will be asked in all pilots, answering them requires  preparation earlier in the process. So, if you have not done that preparation, you cannot evaluate the change or show that a change was genuinely successful. This 30 minute online course offers an introduction to the types of evaluation that you might design for your change pilot (create a free guest account to access it). This course is particularly suited to LOIP System Change Leaders and council officers working on service strategies.

Quality Improvement Journey – QI Improvement Journey

Quality Improvement Journey – Creating Conditions

Quality Improvement Understanding Systems

Quality Improvement Developing Aims

Quality Improvement Testing changes

Quality Improvement Implement

Quality Improvement Spread

Quality Improvement Leadership and Teams

Quality Improvement Project Management

Quality Improvement Measurement 

• Supporting Improvement Booklet
• This video from the Children and Young People Improvement Collaborative learning session held in November 2019 explains how the Quality Improvement approach is being used across Scotland to support improved outcomes for children and families.
• NHS Improvement – Making Data Count
• Learning Together for Better Lives seminar series
• Academic Induction to ACC – a 15 minute online course for academic researchers who would like to work with the council so first need to understand its structure and decision-making processes

ACC and CPA do research, such as consultations and gathering lived-experience stories, all the time, as do all local authorities. The below resources will help ACC and CPA to continue to develop their expertise in creating new knowledge about Aberdeen City.

Introduction to Qualitative Research

How much do you know about qualitative research? Are you using it to support your LOIP improvement aims?

Watch our Introduction to Qualitative Research video to support your use of qualitative research methods

Join Dr Zoe Skea, Lecturer and Advanced Research Fellow, and Professor Louise Locock from the Health Services Research Unit, University of Aberdeen, who cover the following areas:

• What qualitative research is
• Why qualitative research is important
• When qualitative research can be useful
• Different methods of capturing qualitative data
• Explore some common assumptions/reservations about using qualitative data
• Real examples of ‘lived experience’ data being used effectively to help shape quality improvement initiatives.

Introduction to Quality Improvement and The Model for Improvement

This short video introduces a common model for designing improvement, consisting of Plan, Do, Study and Act.

Additional Guidance

Below you will find additional guidance around creating and analysing new evidence.

ACC and CPA do research, such as consultations and gathering lived-experience stories, all the time, as do all local authorities. The below resources will help ACC and CPA to continue to develop their expertise in gathering existing knowledge that applies to Aberdeen City.