Practice Improvement & Public Health
Practice improvement is a vital component of public health strategy and delivery. It ensures that services are continually refined based on evidence, evaluation, and feedback, leading to better outcomes for communities. By embedding a culture of learning and adaptation, public health teams can respond more effectively to emerging challenges, reduce inequalities, and optimise the use of resources. Ultimately, practice improvement strengthens accountability, supports innovation, and enhances the impact of public health interventions across the system.
What is Practice Improvement?
Practice Improvement is a collaborative approach to enhancing public health services by integrating key methodologies—Sector-Led Improvement (SLI), Quality Improvement (QI), public health audit, and assurance. It fosters a shared understanding across the system, encouraging continuous learning and improvement.
Practice Improvement is about working together to tackle complex health challenges. It’s a collective responsibility that strengthens the quality, effectiveness, and efficiency of public health practice.
What Drives Practice Improvement?
- Sector-Led Improvement (SLI): Local authorities lead their own progress, supported by peers and evidence-based strategies.
- Public Health Assurance: Ensures services are accountable and effective through robust monitoring and evaluation.
- Public Health Audit: Systematic reviews align programmes with standards and best practices.
- Quality Improvement (QI): A structured framework to refine service delivery, often rooted in clinical settings.
Guiding Principles
- Commitment to continuous, measurable progress.
- Evidence-based and inclusive collaboration.
- Transparent assurance for stakeholders.
- A focus on reducing health inequalities and promoting equity.