Independent Evaluation of the Q Community

In April 2023, Picker and research partners Researching People (ResPeo) and Healthcare Priority Solutions (HPS), were commissioned to conduct an Independent Evaluation of the Q community (‘Q’).

Q is a free membership community that brings together thousands of individuals working to improve health and care across the UK and Ireland. Members learn, share and collaborate to address pressing health system challenges. Sharing insight and expertise, Q influences the health sector to create the culture and conditions in which improvement efforts succeed.

The thorough two-year evaluation aimed to build a clear understanding of Q’s impact, including how that impact is achieved and how it can be increased in the future. Using a mixed-methods approach that combined a realist evaluation (which explores what works for whom, in what context and why) with a performance evaluation (which examines the value for money of Q offers and portfolio optimisation simulations), we set out to:

• Assess how different programmes and activities that Q delivers deliver impact, both individually and collectively.
• Explore whether and how Q creates impact for individual members, organisations and systems, and at scale.
• Directly inform Q’s strategic development decisions moving beyond 2025.

The evaluation used qualitative and quantitative methods with Q members and senior leaders to build a clear picture of the impact of the community. This included:

• 48 semi-structured, in-depth interviews
• 7 case studies
• 5 workshops
• 2 surveys with a total of 680 responses

Additionally, two deep-dive evaluations took place into Q’s flagship offers: Q Lab and Q Exchange. These evaluations had their own distinct methodologies, including interviews, workshops and focus groups, to gain targeted insight into the specific offers.

The report details the impact experienced by members and senior leaders operating in the health and care sector, and provides 21 recommendations for increasing impact. These include offer-specific recommendations, content recommendations and operational and strategic recommendations.

Client Testimonial

“The Picker-led evaluation has provided high quality data collection and analysis of Q’s impact to date. But most importantly, Picker’s strong commitment to collecting meaningful and actionable learning has meant the work is directly informing our strategic direction and choices. The evaluation has been conducted rigorously and independently but never at the expense of being inclusive of diverse perspectives across our community and being highly flexible in responding to our evolving needs. I wouldn’t hesitate to work with Picker again and would recommend them to any organisation looking for an evaluation partner that combines technical excellence with a collaborative approach, focused on practical application.”

(Matthew Hill – Head of Insight, Evaluation and Research, Q)

To access the main report in full, please contact the Q team at: [email protected].