Improving health care is one of the most pressing and complex challenges facing western societies. Beyond the Toolkit provides practical help, hope, energy and ideas about how to combine the toolkit of improvement methods with the leadership and humanity required to ensure success in practice over time. It argues that understanding the methods is necessary but not sufficient. Beyond the Toolkit is readable and accessible, packed full of learning, insights, research and experiences, appealing equally to those setting out on the journey of improvement as well as those ready to make improvements on a larger scale. It will leave readers informed, energised and hopeful about their own ability to make a difference in their local health contexts. Beyond the Toolkit includes chapters written by leaders in health care who have been involved in improving the quality of patient care in practice, and who share their experiences, warts and all. These stories are powerful, empathetic, first-person narratives that are very different from the sanitised case studies that are often published.

The authors co-lead GenerationQ, a Master’s programme in Leading for Quality Improvement for senior leaders in health, social care and health charities. The programme is sponsored by the Health Foundation and designed and delivered at Ashridge Executive Education, Hult Business School.