Q’s new home at the NHS Confederation
The NHS Confederation is delighted to announce that it will be the new home for the Q community, the membership community collaboratively accelerating the improvement of care in the UK and Ireland. Until now the Health Foundation has been home to Q, which plans to move fully to the NHS Confederation by the end of October 2025, subject to final sign off.
The NHS Confederation and Q recognise that leaders require a breadth of improvement, delivery and leadership skills if they are to deliver change in the health and care sector. The two organisations look forward to collaborating and opening up opportunities for greater influence and impact.
Having started and grown the Q community for the last ten years, the Health Foundation remains a committed core partner. Its support for the Q community moving to the NHS Confederation is in line with an intention from the start of Q that it would become more embedded in the NHS, with a mixed funding model. The Health Foundation will therefore continue to support Q’s valuable work, with funding committed until 2030.
The NHS Confederation, Health Foundation and Q already benefit from an existing strong partnership. As part of its leadership and improvement offer, NHS Confederation and Q deliver a programme of System Improvement Support, a tailored service for health and care leaders and their teams to help them transform services and achieve sustainable improvement now and for the future. The three organisations also produce a successful podcast series showcasing improvement work.
Dr Jennifer Dixon DBE, chief executive of The Health Foundation, said:
“Over the past decade the Q community has made a real difference to the reputation and practice of improvement in health care. Ably led by Penny Pereira, our talented and committed team have built a thriving network that’s making a lasting impact to patient care. My heartfelt thanks to everyone in Q – you have helped shape a movement that is now central to how we think about and deliver improvement. As Q joins the NHS Confederation, its future is bright – poised to extend its reach and deepen its impact across the system.”
Penny Pereira, managing director of Q, said:
“Thanks to the long-term support of the Health Foundation and our other partners, we’ve been able to establish Q as a vibrant community working to improve health care across the UK and Ireland. Now, further embedded in the NHS, we are in a strong position to see the Q community’s impact grow at a time when collaborative improvement is needed more than ever. When I look at all the possibilities for Q’s future within the NHS Confederation, I am excited for what we will be able to achieve together. Like many in the health sector, we're also adapting to a new funding model - which means making some choices on the services we can offer. As we change, we will always focus on where we can make the biggest impact in health and care.”
Matthew Taylor, chief executive of the NHS Confederation, said:
“I am delighted to be welcoming Q to the NHS Confederation. This is an exciting development for us as we continue to build our leadership and improvement support for our members, who will benefit hugely from Q’s expertise and experience. There has never been a more important time for exactly this type of investment in people and programmes, as we look to help our members deliver the ten-year plan, and support ambitions for health care reform across the UK. We look forward to working closer together to achieve lasting change."
