Community and Health Research Unit

A new e-learning website ‘QI Learning‘ has been launched by CaHRU as an introduction to quality improvement for health and social care professionals. The e-learning programme is based on CaHRU’s work on quality improvement and covers four main areas: managing quality, tools and techniques, evaluation and improving practice.

QI learning was developed with the BrandFour Design Agency as part of the ImPACT-ASCQI project, with support from the Health Foundation’s Widening Improvement Programme, based on a new book by Steve Gillam and Niro Siriwardena, ‘Quality improvement in primary care‘ published by Radcliffe Publishing in 2014. Also included in the resources section of the e-learning programme are a series of webinars which build on this material. The aim of the programme is to foster a sustainable and long-term increase in quality improvement knowledge and skills to the wider community of healthcare (medical, nursing and allied health) staff .

The programme also includes an evaluation and self-assessment for learners to complete and print out a certificate of learning.

The Resources for Effective Sleep Treatment (REST) project, led by Prof Niro Siriwardena, was featured on “Tonight” the flagship ITV1 documentary programme, the highest rating current affairs series on UK television for the past decade. In the programme “Waking up to Insomnia” screened on 17 November at 7:30pm, Geraint Vincent revealed some results of the Great British Sleep Survey and found out from sufferers how it affected their lives. The programme discussed the problems of insomnia, why sleeping tablets were not a good solution and why Cognitive Behavioural Therapy for insomnia (CBTi) although effective is not widely available in the NHS. The REST project funded by the Health Foundation aimed to improve primary care for insomnia by developing primary care friendly sleep assessment and CBTi. A follow-on translational project, Improving Primary Care Resources for Effective Sleep Treatment (IPCREST) funded by East Midlands Health Innovation and Educational Cluster aims to spread the learning through seminars, workshops and an e-learning programme for healthcare practitioners. Further information is available on the University website and at the REST website. Niro is presenting on “How to provide better care for insomnia: Resources for effective sleep treatment in the general practice consultation” at the Sleep and Mental Health conference at the Royal Society of Medicine on 23 November 2011.