Quality and Improvement Outcomes Framework information

Each NHS organisation with an Education Contract (former Learning and Development Agreement) with Health Education England will need to carry out and submit a self-evaluation

This includes Higher Education Institutions (HEIs). Any questions or concerns can be directed to the local KLS lead.

Outcome levels

For each outcome the framework offers a spectrum of five cumulative levels. Each level builds on the previous one to enable service improvement. These range from a Level 0, where a service is not developed, up to Level 4 which suggests a highly developed service in relation to the outcome.

Within each level there are a series of indicators which suggest whether the level has been met.

If all indicators within a level have been met, and can be evidenced, this suggests the organisation and library and knowledge specialists have achieved that level and may be working at the next level. If only some of the indicators within a level appear to have been met then the low, medium and high sub levels may provide a further way of tracking progress.

The narrative needs to evidence both the level at which you have assessed your service and those below it but in some cases it is not possible to evidence the higher level without evidencing the levels below. Where items are mentioned in lower levels and don’t automatically appear in the higher it is expected that the narrative and evidence captures these too.

The validated self-valuation for your organisation will give a level for each outcome. This includes a visual radar chart/spider graph demonstrating current levels and over time where improvements have been achieved.
This can be shared with stakeholders. The report will highlight areas of strength and good practice against all the outcomes, as well as areas for improvement.  This will provide an accurate and more meaningful way of reporting.

Evidence

For each outcome a list of suggested evidence has been provided. Don’t see these as a prescriptive list; there may be evidence more relevant to your organisation and service.

The evidence shows what you did and the outcomes for your service in the period being reviewed.

The same piece of evidence can be used for each submission. You should ensure that, if it is generic, it covers the relevant organisations in sufficient detail to evidence the narrative at the levels you are demonstrating.

Ask the “So what?” question of the evidence. Why is it relevant and what does it tell us? This will help you identify “evidence” that is not appropriate so it can be omitted.