ABSTRACT
This chapter focuses on the method of 'clinical microsystems' to advance an organisational culture of quality improvement. Quality Improvement is about engaging with patients in co-production to advance new ways of delivering healthcare services. The most successful healthcare systems embed values of patient involvement and patient engagement to achieve effective quality improvement: "Patients and their carers should be present, powerful and involved at all levels of healthcare organisations from wards to the boards of Trusts". Clinical Microsystems as a method has evolved over time; however, it was a method originally developed from the statistician W. Edward Deming and Professor Quinn, who taught us that systems by their nature must have an aim, and their subcomponents must be working synergistically to achieve the overarching aim. There is overwhelming evidence demonstrating that coaching behaviours improve ownership, engagement and performance and that an engaged workforce delivers better outcomes for patients.
