Leading Quality and Value Improvement

Professional Diploma
Institute of Leadership, Dublin

Course details

The Professional Diploma in Leading Quality and Value Improvement is an exciting new offering, which aims to develop quality improvement (QI) competencies in healthcare professionals and managers to help contribute to the development of a high-quality health system.

On successful completion of the programme you will be skilled in QI methods and measures. You will be able to facilitate team-based clinical quality improvements and lead broader organisational improvements. Crucially, you will be able to demonstrate 'value' for health service users by providing evidence of economy, efficiency and effectiveness.

The Professional Diploma in Leading Quality and Value Improvement is delivered over nine months with three in-class days per module (nine in-class days in total). On-site classes run from 9am until 5pm and all teaching takes place at the Institute of Leadership, Sandyford, Dublin 18. 

Applications are accepted on a rolling basis. Currently, there are two intakes each year. The next intake will start in Autumn 2019 (pending accreditation).

Modules

Module 1: Fundamentals of Quality Improvement for Healthcare Professionals (10 ECTS) The aim of the module is to assist healthcare professionals to become familiar with key improvement methodologies and to apply these to their practice setting. There is an emphasis put on developing the skills required for team-based clinical quality improvement.
Measurement for Quality and Value Improvement (10 ECTS) Leading and managing people and teams are key capabilities for healthcare professionals. The ability to influence people and events in your clinical organisations and across boundaries is a key requirement. The aim of this module is to develop your knowledge and skills in managing human and financial resources.
Module 3: Leadership & Strategy for Quality Improvement in the Health Services (10 ECTS) The module aims to empower healthcare professionals and managers with the skills to optimise the performance of the health system where they reside. Key skills addressed will be how to use time series data to inform decision – making about improving the quality of care and the health of populations, and for reducing the cost of healthcare.

The Professional Diploma in Leading Quality and Value Improvement aims to: 

  • Develop participants’ as reflective practitioners and their knowledge of quality improvement research and theory to enable them to diagnose and treat quality and value opportunities in the healthcare system.
  • Develop participants’ knowledge of theories of quality improvement and leadership to enable them to facilitate teams to initiate and sustain improvement at all levels of the healthcare system.
  • Apply skills in improvement methods, measurement for improvement and health economics in relation to the management of quality opportunities in complex healthcare environments.
  • Develop participants’ competence in group facilitation and organisational culture awareness so that quality and value improvement techniques employed best fit with the organisational context.
  • Demonstrate the ability to challenge assumptions and to question processes, policies and procedures in the unpredictable environment of healthcare improvement work, both at individual and organisational levels.
  • Develop participants with the confidence, skills and insight to enable their capacity to fulfill a quality improvement leadership role in a healthcare environment. 
  • Develop a strategic mindset in relation to the implementation of quality improvement in the health services and demonstrate the capacity to employ this in practice.
  • Recognise and reflect on the importance of demonstrating value in negotiating quality improvements in the healthcare setting.

This programme is delivered over a nine-month period and incorporates three contact days per module (nine contact days in total).

The first intake will commence June 2019 (pending accreditation).