60 seconds with… quality improvement coach Auzewell Chitewe
Registered mental health nurse and quality improvement coach Auzewell has supported numerous quality improvement projects across East London NHS Foundation Trust (ELFT) where he works.
In this interview, he explains what it takes to be a coach and his mantra for anyone thinking of starting out.
What’s your first memory of quality improvement?
I was working on a psychiatric admissions ward and taking part in a national programme called Essence of Care. This opened my eyes to how staff, service users and carers can work together to solve problems in healthcare.
The most exciting part was having the permission to change things.
But in reality, I’ve been involved in quality improvement throughout my entire career, because I’ve always seen it as my job to improve the service I deliver.
What’s coaching all about?
The primary role of a coach is to give teams taking part in their own quality improvement projects advice and support.
Coaches typically sit outside of the team they’re coaching, which provides a really fresh perspective on how things could be done.
Best of all, coaches get to nudge teams to do all sorts of weird and wonderful things – and ask difficult questions too – that can help to move their projects forward.
It’s really exciting!
What does it take to be a coach?
You’ve got to be curious and willing to challenge.
We have more than 100 coaches at ELFT who all bring their own life experience to the role – as care givers, patients, parents, siblings, volunteers – it’s something you cannot teach.
Don’t worry about data either – we don’t expect our coaches to be statistical grandmasters.
Just bring your whole, genuine self. The improvement science bits, we can teach!
Should I apply to be a coach?
Yes! You’ll soon immerse yourself in the world of quality improvement and gravitate towards the things you’re passionate about.
I know an amazing coach with a background in engineering who’s worked in healthcare management most of their career.
They have even designed their own contraption to visualise the key components needed for a successful quality improvement project… amazing!
Is training available?
Yes! This includes the fundamentals of quality improvement and how to use the Institute for Healthcare Improvement’s Model for Improvement – the methodology behind it all.
You’ll also learn about how to best engage with your teams and create a true support network.
What advice would you give to a new coach starting out?
My mantra, which I repeat to all the teams I coach, is: “test small, fail fast, learn incrementally.”
This reminds me that the real reason people have come together is to solve a problem and the sooner they get testing ideas, the better.
It also gives the team the belief that they can change things and, even if they’re not successful first time, they’ll still have learnt an awful lot.
WeImprove is our approach to quality improvement. It provides a clear and methodical way to make improvements that really matter to you.