The South East London (SEL) Improvement Collaborative is an informal partnership between the acute and mental health NHS provider trusts, SEL Integrated Care Board (ICB), Clinical Effectiveness South East London (representing primary care) and King’s Improvement Science (KIS).
The Collaborative was set up in 2023 in response to NHS England’s NHS IMPACT initiative to provide a platform for Quality Improvement (QI) leads to share learning, build trust, and align system-wide approaches to improvement.
The group is facilitated by KIS and works together to develop shared principles for improvement, to strengthen collaboration, and shape aligned priorities across health and care services in SEL.
Project aim
- Build a joined-up, system-wide approach to continuous quality improvement across SEL
- Support better health outcomes and experiences for patients and staff
- Strengthen shared learning, trust, and strategic alignment across partner organisations.
Key objectives
- Develop a shared vision and language for improvement, supported by co-produced definitions
- Exchange tools, training resources, and approaches to strengthen improvement capability across the system
- Foster peer accountability and shared measurement of improvement culture
- Develop a framework for a system-level Quality Management System (QMS) tailored to SEL’s needs
- Shape system-aligned priorities and promote practical, cross-partner collaboration.
How the project is conducted
The Collaborative meets regularly through system-wide sessions, workshops, and knowledge-sharing events.
Key activities include:
- System learning sessions to share approaches, challenges, and innovations
- Knowledge exchange on improvement models
- Co-produced outputs, such as shared definitions of improvement terms (Quality Improvement Glossary), developed with KIS staff and Patient and Public Involvement (PPI) contributors
- QMS development work to shape principles, infrastructure and frameworks for a future system-wide approach
- Rapid evaluation, including interviews, document review, and focus group, to assess the Collaborative’s effectiveness and make recommendations for future impact.
Main collaborators
- Guy’s and St Thomas’ NHS Foundation Trust
- King’s College Hospital NHS Foundation Trust
- South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust
- Oxleas NHS Foundation Trust
- Lewisham and Greenwich NHS Trust
- South East London Integrated Care Board (SEL ICB)
- Clinical Effectiveness South East London (CESEL)
- King’s Improvement Science (Facilitators)
Notable outputs and activities to date
- Quality Improvement Glossary: Co-produced and accessible definitions of quality improvement concepts to support consistent understanding across SEL.
- Outline Framework for a System-Wide QMS: Draft principles and infrastructure components to inform a coordinated system-wide approach to quality.
- Knowledge Exchange Sessions: Cross-system sessions to inform training and build improvement capability.
- Evaluation in Progress: A rapid qualitative evaluation is underway with the final report expected in August 2025.
Current work
KIS is completing the Collaborative’s rapid evaluation to understand its impact and effectiveness. Findings will help inform its future development, strengthen system alignment, and guide the next phase of collaborative improvement work across South East London.
Meet the project team
Maria Milenova
Health Services Researcher, King’s Improvement Science, King’s College London
Dr Bernadette Khoshaba
Research Fellow, King's Improvement Science, King’s College London
