ABSTRACT

The main theme for this case study came clearly to the fore during the fi eldwork at the Peterborough and Stamford Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust and the radiology department within that organization (see Box 7.1). During this time we were repeatedly told about a myriad of factors associated with quality, including:

the role of a central change team in facilitating service improvement (by others ❒ throughout the organization) the non-hierarchical structure, which encouraged strong links between the ‘top’ and ❒ ‘bottom’ of the organization the emphasis placed on ‘local solutions’ and networking with external stake-❒ holders the inclusive culture of the organization. ❒

These features and the constant references in the interviews to ‘openness’, being ‘supportive’, and even the specifi c terms ‘empower’ and ‘empowerment’, all pointed us to the notion of an empowered culture and the implications this has for healthcare quality.