This book is for anyone who is interested in improving quality in healthcare. It will appeal to those who are traditionally responsible for quality matters, as well as practicing clinicians and leaders. Unusually, it will also be as relevant to those who have the keenest interest in the quality of care - interested citizens. It is a deliberate antidote to the anti-intellectual, QI tool driven, mechanistic approach that still dominates much of healthcare quality improvement work. The authors - both of whom have extensive experience of working in and around quality issues in healthcare at a national, regional and local level - challenge such approaches, which they believe fail to take account of patient and organisational context and invite reductionism, cherry picking, atomisation of complex issues, leading ultimately to simplistic and unsustainable outcomes. Key features of the book: ·       An exploration of some of the often-overlooked and misunderstood core concepts of quality; their history and meaning in a contemporary context. ·       A framework to "question the work" using four interconnected conceptual domains as a valuable framework to consider improving quality and reducing failure demand. ·       Critical re-examination of the dominant approaches to change that are frequently adopted in "quality" work, many of which have been rooted in scientific management that have failed to live up to their promise – particularly transformational. ·       Exploring how an inter-disciplinary perspective can reframe aspects of quality thinking.

The growing number of networks delivering healthcare, and professionals learning together to improve care, has created a need for new kinds of management and leadership. This timely book highlights key lessons for network leaders in a world where care must increasingly be managed through partnerships and networks as a response to complex health needs requiring better solutions across health economies. Using their own research and case studies, the authors set out the context: why networks are here to stay; the benefits: why networks work well and for what; the difference between networks and hierarchies and when to use each form to improve care and learn; the different types of network; and how to lead a network effectively. Written for health and social care professionals wanting to set up or currently leading a network, this book by two leading experts is practical, informative, but theoretically grounded. Also useful for academics teaching health care leadership, it includes practical diagnostic materials and up to date examples from care sectors world-wide.

This book is for anyone who is interested in improving quality in healthcare. It will appeal to those who are traditionally responsible for quality matters, as well as practicing clinicians and leaders. Unusually, it will also be as relevant to those who have the keenest interest in the quality of care - interested citizens. It is a deliberate antidote to the anti-intellectual, QI tool driven, mechanistic approach that still dominates much of healthcare quality improvement work. The authors - both of whom have extensive experience of working in and around quality issues in healthcare at a national, regional and local level - challenge such approaches, which they believe fail to take account of patient and organisational context and invite reductionism, cherry picking, atomisation of complex issues, leading ultimately to simplistic and unsustainable outcomes. Key features of the book: ·       An exploration of some of the often-overlooked and misunderstood core concepts of quality; their history and meaning in a contemporary context. ·       A framework to "question the work" using four interconnected conceptual domains as a valuable framework to consider improving quality and reducing failure demand. ·       Critical re-examination of the dominant approaches to change that are frequently adopted in "quality" work, many of which have been rooted in scientific management that have failed to live up to their promise – particularly transformational. ·       Exploring how an inter-disciplinary perspective can reframe aspects of quality thinking.