The new Quality Improvement and Innovation Centre at the South Eastern HSC Trust has been officially opened by Health Minister Edwin Poots at the Ulster Hospital.
QIIC has been set up as a central hub to harness the wealth of staff knowledge, ideas and expertise within the Trust, and ensure these are supported and developed. As well as providing leading edge technology and meeting space for staff, the centre will bring together expertise from across the organisation to support improvement activity which will, in turn, have a positive impact on patient and client care.
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Health Minister Edwin Poots opens the new innovation centre.[/caption]
A feature of today’s launch was the final of the QIIC “Dragon’s Den” type competition in which staff were challenged to come up with an idea for innovation, with the chance to win support and cash to take their project forwards.
Hugh McCaughey, Chief Executive of the Trust, said: “It is usually staff on the front line who are best placed to see how we can do things better. We have to empower them to innovate, improve and reform. For this to happen, we have to create a culture of continual improvement and learning.
“The world of healthcare does not stand still for a minute. Yet some innovations can take as long as 17 years from idea to implementation. We want to be talking about months, not years.
“We are delighted that the Health Minister, who has been proactive in supporting innovation in health and social care, has been present to launch our new centre.”
QIIC, which is situated on the ground floor of Trust HQ on the Ulster Hospital site, is a resource to all Trust Staff. It features syndicate rooms with teleconferencing facilities and a flexible central space divided by Portable Display Units, with touchscreen capability.
The Centre also includes the Medical Education Centre which provides support to all clinical and professional staff.
QIIC will facilitate training courses and improvement events for Trust staff but is also in demand as a venue for regional conferences, and other external events.
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