Quality Improvement Outcomes Framework –

The second edition of the ‘Quality and Improvement Outcomes Framework’ (Outcomes Framework), is part of the wider Quality Framework for NHS organisations in receipt of funding through the NHS Education Contract. It forms part of the requirement of Placement Provider organisations in receipt of funding through the NHS Education Contract to “ensure that there is a proactive, high-quality knowledge and library service that is available to all staff and learners” (‘NHS Education Contract’, 2021-24).

The Outcomes Framework also enables NHS organisations to demonstrate their commitment to working with and enabling high-quality NHS knowledge and library services to equip the organisation, staff, learners and patients to make decisions informed by evidence from research and knowledge mobilised by knowledge and library specialists.

The quality assurance and service improvement dimensions of the Outcomes Framework underpin the strategic framework for NHS-funded knowledge and library services in England, ‘Knowledge for Healthcare 2021-26’. The Outcomes Framework will integrate policies for NHS knowledge and library services and updates to ‘Knowledge for Healthcare’ over time.

There are six Quality and Improvement Outcomes

Outcome 1: The organisation resources and champions a proactive knowledge and library service for all staff and learners, aligned to organisational priorities and ‘Knowledge for Healthcare’ policies and priorities.

Outcome 2: Decision making across the organisation is underpinned by high-quality evidence, provided by the knowledge and library services team, working with the organisation to facilitate the use of knowledge.

Outcome 3: The knowledge and library services team works with the organisation to identify its knowledge and evidence priorities and the needs of its staff and learners, and designs and delivers services to meet those needs.

Outcome 4: The organisation ensures that the knowledge and library services team has the right roles, capacity and skill mix to meet the needs of staff and learners and deliver on its strategic goals and ‘Knowledge for Healthcare’ priorities.

Outcome 5: The knowledge and library services team use and contribute to the knowledge base of the profession and relevant disciplines to develop and improve knowledge and library services.

Outcome 6: Services provided by the knowledge and library services team demonstrate positive impacts on the delivery of healthcare and on organisational priorities.

Downloadable pdf of the framework