About the Enjoying Work Collaborative

The collaborative drew upon the Institute for Healthcare Improvement’s (IHI) Joy in Work framework. Each team was supported by a skilled and experienced NCCMH QI Coach who guided them through a structured process that allowed them to develop, test and collect data on ideas that could increase joy, reduce burnout and make their team a place that they would recommend to others.

Members of the participating teams were engaged at all levels and a culture of openness was created where everyone was invited to contribute ideas. Teams tested a range of change ideas across several themes including reflection, wellbeing, appreciation, increasing connection within the team, shared aims and improving safety. The teams were encouraged to adapt the ideas and approaches to their local context in order for them to engage with the work fully.

The QI Coaches worked with the teams using tools like Appreciative Inquiry and Nominal Group Technique to understand the strengths and assets within the team, and to generate ideas from all members of the team. These ideas were sorted and ranked before teams voted on which ideas to take forward using the multi-voting, rank ordering and structured conversations thinking technique. This was an inclusive process as it was anonymous and included all team members. Team members felt that they were able to volunteer ideas freely and that ideas were selected fairly as the team voted on preferences.

Through the use of Plan, Do, Study, Act (PDSA) cycles, teams learnt how ideas played out in their work environment and were able to reflect and tweak ideas where needed and retest. As ideas were tested on a small scale, they were low risk which built trust and confidence in the process. Successful ideas could then be scaled up and implemented within the team. This culture of learning and collaborative working extended across the Collaborative as teams and coaches shared ideas together through six virtual learning sets and other informal sharing. You can find the recordings and resources from these learning sets on our Collaborative events page.

The skills learnt by teams are not just relevant to approaching the question of ‘Joy in Work’ but a way of thinking about a team’s culture as a whole. Coaches have been able to build teams’ skills in QI methodology so they will be able to approach future challenges with the open and inclusive mindset they have adopted during the Collaborative.

In total 38 teams from 16 healthcare organisations in England and Wales participated in the Enjoying Work collaborative. They included NHS and private organisations.

• Abbeygate Ward, Norfolk and Suffolk NHS Foundation Trust 
• Tegid Ward, Older Persons Functional Mental Health, Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board 
• Ardenleigh Hospital Women's Blended Secure Service Medium and Low Secure CAMHS, Birmingham and Solihull Mental Health NHS Foundation Trust 
• Older People’s Mental Health Service,  Cambridgeshire and Peterborough NHS Foundation Trust 
• Beatrice Place, Central and North West London Foundation Trust
• Kershaw Ward, Central and North West London Foundation Trust 
• Redwood Ward, Central and North West London Foundation Trust 
• CAMHS LD Community Services, Coventry and Warwickshire Partnership NHS Trust 
• Locality Based Community Mental Health Teams, Coventry and Warwickshire Partnership NHS Trust 
• Psychology Cygnet South, Cygnet Heath Care
• HR Operations, Devon Partnership NHS Trust 
• Apprenticeships Team (National), Health Education England 
• Chair and Chief Executive’s Office, Health Education England 
• Communications and Engagement Team, Health Education England 
• Corporate Communications (National), Health Education England 
• HR and OD, Health Education England 
• Performance and Delivery, Health Education England 
• Pharmacy Team (London and South East), Health Education England 
• Primary Care School Team (East of England), Health Education England 
• Quality and Commissioning, Health Education England 
• Quality Team (Kent, Surrey, Sussex), Health Education England 
• Quality Team (Wessex), Health Education England 
• Workforce Transformation, Health Education England 
• Wellfield Road Resource Centre Shared Care Model, Hywel Dda University Health Board 
• Community CAMHS, Isle of Wight NHS Trust 
• Community Mental Health Team, Isle of Wight NHS Trust 
• Northgate Ward, Norfolk and Suffolk NHS Foundation Trust 
• Southgate Ward, Norfolk and Suffolk NHS Foundation Trust 
• College Centre for Quality Improvement, Royal College of Psychiatrists 
• Training and Workforce Team, Royal College of Psychiatrists
• London Spinal Cord Injury Centre, Royal National Orthopaedic Hospital NHS Trust 
• Long Term Neurological Conditions, Sheffield Health and Social Care Trust 
• Older Adults Community Mental Health Team/ Home Treatment, Sheffield Health and Social Care Trust 
• Older Persons Community Mental Health Team, Solent NHS Trust
• The Orchards, Solent NHS Trust
• Crisis Resolution Home Treatment Team, Brighton and Hove, Sussex Partnership NHS Foundation Trust 
• Specialist Older Adults Mental Health Service, Brighton and Hove, Sussex Partnership NHS Foundation Trust 
• Winchester and Test Valley CAMHS, Sussex Partnership NHS Foundation Trust 

• Amar Shah – National QI Lead
• Tom Ayers – Director, NCCMH
• Saiqa Akhtar – QI Coach, NCCMH
• Rosanna Bevan – QI Coach, NCCMH
• Emily Cannon – Head of Quality Improvement, NCCMH
• Matthew Milarski – QI Coach, NCCMH
• Renata Souza – QI Coach, NCCMH
• Ros Warby – QI Coach, NCCMH
• Hazel Webb – Project Manager, NCCMH