Category: Improvement Science

U Lab Scotland

2/9/2015

U Lab is a new, highly participative learning experience that blends a global, online learning platform (called a MOOC, or Massive Open Online Course) with real-life "meet ups" in small coaching circles and hubs.

The main focuses are:-
• in a complex and rapidly changing world, how can we get a sense of the emerging future, as well as learning lessons from the past;
• how can we put engagement and participation at the heart of public policy in Scotland and across communities;
• how can we mobilise change, with others, to deliver the outcomes we want to see.

Over 600 have signed up in Scotland - from communities, public service workers, voluntary organisation workers and even some business people.

The online part consists of videos, reading and a small number of live sessions connecting the whole U. Lab community. The hubs are self-organising according to the needs and interests of their participants. They provide a space and support to practice what you learn online and to co-produce ideas. So far, some suggested hubs are on resilience, healthy lives, independent living, food and fairness.

I am going to organise a hub on Building Safer Communities and would welcome other who wish to join. The U.Lab course kicks off on Thursday 10 September for 8 weeks, and each live session is around 1.5 hours. It can be done 'live' on the Thursday afternoon when others around the world are also tuning in; or it can be done at another time that suits.

Wendy Wilkinson
Deputy Director, Safer Communities, Scottish Government

Read an overview of U Lab

Join Wendy's BSC Hub

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"Quality is never an accident"

26/6/2014

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A guest blog on improvement by Jason Leitch, Leading Improvement Team, Scottish Government

Early warning example

Patient safety example

Early years example

I am the Clinical Director of the Quality Unit in the Scottish Government’s Health and Social Care Directorate, and my passion is quality improvement. It's a science I was fortunate enough to be introduced to by the Institute of Healthcare Improvement (IHI) in Boston and then implement in the NHS Scottish Patient Safety Programme aiming to makes Scotland's hospitals the safest in the world.

I am a dentist by profession, but I now spend most of my time 'selling' improvement methodology and transformation of public services to government officials all over the country. I truly believe that the key to change is people and relationships. All of my talks have stories of real people - patients and service users whose lives are why we all do what we do.

Reshaping our localities to build a better Scotland, with lower levels of crime, safer shared communities and improved access to justice is an ambition that we all share, regardless of our backgrounds or where we live. I am therefore very encouraged and heartened by the programme which has been set up by the Scottish Government’s Building Safer Communities (BSC) team, who recognise the importance of quality improvement and how effective it can be when applied intelligently and relentlessly.

The BSC team have a clear vision and a strategic focus on prevention which demonstrates they are seeking to make improvements from the “bottom up”. That emphasis means they are doing what the Japanese call Gemba – going to where the work is. The inspiring stories which I have heard of and read on this site are a testament to the decisive shift that the BSC programme is making: from a public sector paternalistic “deficit reduction”approach to one which recognises the power of communities and has at its core co-production, building on assets and improvement.

Delivering improvement and transformational change in the public sector is challenging, risky and time consuming. It may even involve failure. However, as Einstein advocated “We cannot solve our problems with the same thinking we used when we created them”. The BSC programme is in the process of generating, testing and evaluating innovative ways of working in a number of communities across the country by energising and engaging people who want to change their lives and their futures.

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How will we build safer communities, and whose job is it anyway?

19/6/2014

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A blog by Paul Johnston, Director for Safer Communities, Scottish Government

I'm writing this update immediately after the June meeting of the Building Safer Communities programme board. We're focussed as a Board on working to reduce crime and victimisation. This is already being done by the organisations round the Board table - including Police Scotland, Scottish Fire and Rescue Service, Violence Reduction Unit, local government and third sector representatives. Our community safety team is joined by colleagues from health, housing and regeneration and the improvement team from within the Scottish Government. Our expectation is that we can achieve more by working together than we could do alone.

We are in very much in a learning phase. Today was no exception...

We met on the hottest day of the year so far at the premises of Resonate in Alloa. Resonate is a social enterprise that offers everything from painting, photography and wood turning classes, to tai chi and a printing and publishing service. Most of the work is done by volunteers and artists from a wide variety of backgrounds, many of whom have experienced unemployment and other challenges. In the process, "team Resonate" seek to build community connectedness and confidence.

The walls are bedecked with some wonderful art. I purchased a very fine picture of the Kelpies that will soon take pride of place in my meeting room. The picture was taken by a young man who had been helped to start up his own business through the support of Resonate.

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U Lab Scotland

"Quality is never an accident"

How will we build safer communities, and whose job is it anyway?

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