The Primary Care Medical Education team within the Nuffield Department of Primary Care Health Sciences has been awarded Sustainable Quality Improvement Beacon Site Status by the Centre for Sustainable Healthcare. This international recognition highlights our commitment to embedding sustainability at the heart of medical education and preparing future doctors to deliver healthcare that is environmentally responsible, socially equitable and clinically effective.
The Beacon Award acknowledges sites that demonstrate exemplary practice in integrating Sustainable Quality Improvement (SusQI; pronounced 'sus Q-I') into teaching and clinical placements. At Oxford, SusQI is firmly embedded within the Community Based Medicine course in Year 5 / Graduate Entry Year 3 of the medical degree. Each year around 180 students on their Community Based Medicine rotation undertake a GP placement across the Thames Valley. During this 7-week clinical block, the students design and deliver QI projects to address real-world challenges such as sustainable prescribing, preventative healthcare and efficient care pathways. The projects are developed collaboratively with stakeholders at the practices, in response to the needs of patients, the practice and local community.
General Practice is particularly well suited to SusQI work. Its commitment to Generalism places it at the intersection of clinical care, organisational systems and local communities, creating naturally networked environments in which sustainable QI projects can grow and connect multiple stakeholders, including clinicians, managers, patients and community partners.
Authors: Dr Laura Ingle and Professor Sophie Park
Read the full story on the Nuffield Department of Primary Care Health Sciences website.