Meet the Quality Improvement Clinic Team

Nicola has been a leading voice in Quality Improvement for over 15 years. A pharmacist by profession, she founded the Quality Improvement Clinic in 2013 after numerous roles leading Quality Improvement across the NHS in England and Wales. She has also contributed to National Patient Safety Campaigns, Patient Safety Collaboratives, and QI initiatives with Royal Colleges. 

Since forming QIC, Nicola has maintained relationships with QI experts across Wales that she formed whilst working at the NHS Institute for Innovation and Improvement, undertaking work periodically with the national team for patient safety and quality improvement. In 2015, Nicola revisited a long-standing collaboration with the Welsh Institute for Health and Social Care (WIHSC) to undertake the Evaluation of the Improving Quality Together (IQT) National Learning Programme. 

In 2019-2020 Nicola was the Quality Improvement Lead for Portsmouth Hospitals NHS Trust. At this time, the Trust were actively exploring the concept of Quality Management Systems and presenting their improvement method to staff using the Juran Trilogy, using language that spoke to front line staff as well as to the Executive Team. Nicola used this approach and saw how it helped service managers understand the interplay between techniques such as LEAN and Flow methodology, and continuous improvement using the Model for Improvement. 

She now works with a wide and expanding range or organisations in health and social care through QIC as well as being a former Trustee for the Clinical Human Factors Group.

Heather has been leading the development, description and application of Quality Management Systems for a decade. She was part of the team who began the work on Quality Management Systems within Healthcare Improvement Scotland (HIS) (2015-2018) and was part of the project that pre-dated that (Quality Improvement Infrastructure).  

She led Board Development stream for HIS, designing and convening a programme of work to support NHS Boards in Scotland to ‘lead and govern for quality’ including national workshops and individual board development programmes. This included specific sessions on QMS as well as positioning QMS alongside ‘competing’ strategic priorities. 

She subsequently worked as an external partner to support HIS run an internal collaborative to apply QMS within 6 teams across the organisation (2019, 2020).  

She was a member of the Slainte Caire Advisory Group in Republic of Ireland (2018-2021), an international group providing expert advice on national reform to the Health Minister.  

Heather is an Executive Coach (accredited as Senior Practitioner by the European Mentoring and Coaching Council) who coaches Board Members, Senior Leaders and leaders at all levels within organisations. She has coached over 100 separate clients at all levels within health and care organizations, including individuals within Wales. 

Heather completed Improvement Advisor Wave 7 (IHI) under the guidance of Associates for Process Improvement Faculty and later commissioned API faculty to guide efforts to establish Quality as a Business Strategy within NHS Fife.  

She is a Fellow of the Academy of Medical Educators and holds a PG Certificate in Medical Education.

Abi is an experienced facilitator of Board development in the NHS and voluntary sectors. She is a nurse with more than 20 years of experience working with Boards and government departments as a consultant in all four countries of the UK. Abi has held non-executive/trustee roles at a university and at two health and social care service delivery charities. She uses insights gained from these experiences and her extensive coaching experience with executive directors to design and deliver board interventions that work. 

Clients report that when working with Boards, Abi builds trust quickly and establishes a productive and supportively challenging relationship. She injects energy into the room and uses a client centered consulting approach to design meaningful interventions that deliver real and sustainable change in board performance. 

She is regularly commissioned to design and deliver board development interventions in NHS and not-for-profit organisations. She established her consultancy company in 1998 and has successfully delivered people, organisation and system level projects for organisations including NHS Trusts, professional associations, government departments of health, regulatory bodies, charities and higher education institutions. I have extensive networks across the health and care sectors in the four countries of the UK.   

 Current consultancy contracts include:    

• Board and Senior Leadership Team development and group coaching for NHS Trusts and a range of national and regional charities 
• Coaching board level executives in a range of health, social care and education institutions in the public, private and not-for-profit sectors 
• Coaching system leaders on several bespoke system leadership programmes for North Central London Integrated Care Board and NHSE London 

Abi also has an extensive, long-standing, experience as a Board member, most recently as a trustee for Morden College, with stewardship of £300m assets and £12m annual expenditure. 

Tom is a widely experienced board-level clinician with extensive experience in leadership and coaching. As Medical Director and/or CEO he has led the delivery of Quality Management Systems in two organisations (Rare Disease Research Partners, Spoonful of Sugar) and As Director of Research Delivery and Impact for National Institute for Health Research Evaluation, Trials and Studies Coordinating Centre he was responsible for directorate of 80 staff and an annual research budget of £130M with 700+ projects.

Tom has implemented and evaluated healthcare QMS systems at service level (laboratory, radiology, ward, and department) and organisational as a board member or board advisor.

Tom was first introduced to formal quality improvement in 2002 as part of the wave 4 Advanced Access collaborative during which he led his GP practice through a transformation in their systems. Since then, he has continued to learn and apply Quality Improvement Science in a wide variety of system including within Primary, Regional and National Commissioning organisations and primary, secondary, and tertiary Healthcare organisations within service provision, board, and consultancy roles.

As the Hospital Network Lead at LOGEX, she was responsible for expanding and strengthening a real-world evidence network (ARWEN) for epidemiological and outcome research in Europe. With over eight years of experience in healthcare analytics, improvement science, and clinical integration she works closely with leading hospitals, physicians, and scientific organizations to facilitate data-driven decision making and value-based healthcare across various domains and conditions.

Dionne worked as Clinical Integration Manager from 2019-2022 across three NHS Trusts (Kings Health Partners), using quality improvement methods to support and deliver integration and innovation projects. She was an Improvement Science Manager (2015-2019) in the North-West London CLAHRC where she led programmes of work in applied and rigorous application of quality improvement methods. She managed projects that include a COPD primary care bundle, a Heart Failure acute care bundle, Common rehabilitation services for patients with COPD and/or Heart Failure, Atrial Fibrillation Screening and Asthma Mental and Physical Wellbeing. Dionne has published peer reviewed publications on the use of quality improvement methods and how to effectively implement change. Dionne also supports learners through QIClearn programmes.

After completing a Biochemistry and Medical degree, Stephanie is a now an Academic Clinical Fellow Registrar in Palliative Medicine with full membership to the Royal College of Physicians.

She has a keen interest in working to improve the quality of care delivered and the job satisfaction of those around her. In her early career as a foundation doctor, Stephanie took part in one of QIClearn’s initial programmes learning about QI methodology and putting them into practice. This has set her up throughout her career to use the techniques effectively and build on that experience. After seeing the cascade of positives coming from completing the programme, including scoring highly on both portfolio and interview stations in job applications as she has progressed through her career, she is now pleased to be able to share her knowledge to facilitate the same development in others.

Stephanie is also currently undertaking an MSc in Medical Sciences by thesis.

Liz has expertise in designing, supporting and advising learning networks in NHS settings. She created the NHS Improvement Directors Network whilst in the Transformation Directorate of NHS England. Building upon her experience, she established and convened the National Improvement Directors Network, comprising the most senior 300 Improvement Leads in both NHS provider and NHS commissioner organisations. This was built upon the evidence-base she had gathered to form a national, evidence-based, learning platform to strengthen the value and impact of networks and network leadership capability. Which then formed the basis for her design and delivery of a vanguard national, accredited network leadership development programme, for 250 senior clinical leaders, in partnership with London South Bank University 

Liz has over 40 years’ experience in the public and commercial sector, as a senior manager specialising in business management, organisational change, innovation and improvement, learning and leadership development. Over the last 30 years, her career in the NHS has focused on leading major organisational change at national, regional, and local level, both in provider and commissioning organisations. 

Her current portfolio consists of faculty and network development, accelerated large- and small-scale event facilitation, OD consulting, capability building design and delivery, leadership and board development, executive coaching, and action learning for senior leaders. 

Liz holds a master’s in management and organisational learning, a diploma in business management, is qualified as a psychometric practitioner and holds executive coaching qualifications with the University of Strathclyde and Ashridge Management School.

Becci supports the Quality Improvement Clinic and QIClearn in administration and marketing. She has a background in healthcare as well as education and event administration.

Becci is currently focussing on our bid and framework offer to make us more accessible to clients while supporting Laura with our social media presence.

Her interest lies in streamlining processes and systems and she has been working with the team to improve the experience for our clients through making the internal functions of the company as efficient as possible.

Laura is responsible for the identity and presence of QIClearn, she liaises with our learning designers to lead the development and continual improvement of our QIClearn programmes .

Laura is an experienced business development manager, with a background in learning/training. Laura has extensive experience working in business management, marketing, channel enablement and public relations. Her passion is finding a role where she can showcase her creative skills which includes managing the QIClearn online presence and identity. Laura works closely with our clients to showcase the value QIClearn can bring.

Laura is excited by social and virtual learning and helps to create experiential learning, adapted to client needs, she is always looking for ways to improve the expanding business.

Emma supports the QIClearn programmes in an administrative function, ensuring the smooth and efficient running of all programmes and workshops.

Emma has extensive programme management experience working mainly in the health and not-for-profit sector. She has a wide range of excellent skills including diplomacy, analytical ability, superb written skills, and an extensive knowledge of technical and computer software. Emma enjoys being organised and using her own initiative to ensure all the small details and more complex challenges are met in a timely manner. Emma has high standards of efficiency and enjoys using her relational skills to ensure all programmes are delivered on time with everything perfectly in place.

Emma also has a background in visual art and enjoys utilising her graphic design skills where possible.

Rose has been an integral part of the QIC team for many years. She is responsible for our account management activities and ensuring the smooth running of the business. Rose works with our clients to make sure they are invoiced and communicated to within a timely manner. Rose is a key point of contact with our clients and also responsible for sending out learner resource and goody packs for our virtual workshops. She plans and executes the learning course administration, making sure all our learners are where the need to be to get the most out of their learning.