Improvement Academy

What Improvement Academy does

Improvement Academy is an NHS-hosted quality improvement and patient safety organisation established in 2013 as part of the Bradford Institute for Health Research and hosted by Bradford Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust. It operates as the implementation arm of the NIHR Applied Research Collaboration in Yorkshire and Humber and delivers the regional Patient Safety Collaborative on behalf of the Yorkshire and Humber Academic Health Science Network. Core products span tiered Quality Improvement training (Bronze/Silver/Gold), proprietary programmes including Safety Huddles (HUSH), Achieving Reliable Care for Safety (ARCS), and the Patient Experience Toolkit+ (PET+), plus Structured Judgement Review methodology for mortality review and condition-specific safety programmes covering maternity, mental health, emergency care, and medicine safety. Underlying technology is theory-based and framework-driven — built on Deming's Principles of Improvement, the Theoretical Domains Framework, Lean principles, and validated safety culture survey instruments — rather than a software platform, with delivery primarily through in-person workshops, virtual training, and a free Bronze e-learning tier.

The Academy serves NHS acute trusts, mental health trusts, community services, ambulance trusts, and care homes across Yorkshire and Humber, with national reach through NHS England commissions and partnerships with the Royal College of Physicians, Sue Ryder, and Ramsay Health Care. Revenue is entirely public-sector: NIHR ARC infrastructure funding, AHSN Patient Safety Collaborative commissioning, NHS England and NHS Improvement programme contracts, and direct trust-level commissions. The Academy reports no commercial pricing for most offerings, with Bronze QI training provided free of charge and Silver/Gold programmes commissioned institutionally. It maintains an 18-person team in Bradford and operates under a non-profit, government-hosted structure with no external investors, funding rounds, or subsidiaries.

Name

Improvement Academy

Legal name

Improvement Academy

Website

https://improvementacademy.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2013

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Improvement Academy is an NHS-hosted quality improvement and patient safety organisation in Bradford, delivering tiered QI training, Safety Huddles, ARCS, mortality review methodology, and condition-specific safety programmes to NHS trusts across Yorkshire, Humber, and nationally.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Healthcare Quality Improvement and Patient Safety Services

NAICS

Professional and Management Development Training (611430), Educational Support Services (611710)

akta.pro primary industry

Audit, Inspection & Quality Compliance (Internal Auditing, CAPA) (EDABAKAN)

akta.pro secondary industry

Institutional Effectiveness & Continuous Improvement Reviews (EDADAGAD)

Keywords

• Quality improvement training
• Patient safety programmes
• Healthcare improvement consulting
• Clinical training services
• Implementation science support

Headquarters

HQ city

Bradford

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Others

Revenue model

1. NHS Commissioning and Grant Funding: The Improvement Academy is hosted within the NHS by Bradford Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust. It operates as the implementation arm of the NIHR Applied Research Collaboration in Yorkshire and Humber and delivers the Patient Safety Collaborative on behalf of the Yorkshire and Humber AHSN. Work is commissioned from a range of sources including academic health science networks, royal colleges, research bodies, health improvement charities, NHS England & NHS Improvement, and directly from NHS provider organisations. As an NHS-hosted body, funding is derived from public health commissioning and research grants rather than commercial revenue.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

Improvement Academy delivers theory-based quality improvement and patient safety training, programmes and implementation support to NHS and healthcare organisations. It provides tiered Quality Improvement training (Bronze/Silver/Gold), specialist clinical and human factors training, evidence-based programmes such as Safety Huddles (HUSH), ARCS, Patient Safety Collaborative, and condition-specific safety improvement programmes, alongside toolkits including ABC for Patient Safety, PET+, and the Yorkshire Contributory Factors Framework.

Product overview

Improvement Academy is a training and improvement organisation offering a comprehensive portfolio of quality improvement, patient safety, and clinical training programmes and toolkits for NHS and healthcare organisations. The portfolio includes: (1) Training programmes at Bronze/Silver/Gold levels for Quality Improvement, plus specialised training in Human Factors, Behaviour Change, Paediatric Nursing, Leadership, Teamwork, and Structured Judgement Review; (2) Evidence-based programmes including Patient Safety Collaborative, Safety Huddles (HUSH), ARCS, and condition-specific programmes for maternity, mental health, emergency care, and deterioration management; (3) Toolkits including ABC for Patient Safety, Patient Experience Toolkit+ (PET+), Yorkshire Contributory Factors Framework, and PRASE; (4) Expertise areas covering Behaviour Change, Human Factors, Implementation Science, and Patient/Staff Experience; (5) Support networks and the Clinical Leadership Fellows programme. The organisation operates as the implementation arm of NIHR Applied Research Collaboration Yorkshire and Humber, hosted within the NHS by Bradford Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• HUSH (Huddle Up for Safer Healthcare): Safety huddles programme developed by Improvement Academy to reduce patient harm, improve communication, culture and overall patient safety in healthcare teams.
• ARCS (Achieving Reliable Care for Safety)
• PET+ (Patient Experience Toolkit)
• ABC for Patient Safety (Achieving Behaviour Change)
• Quality Improvement Training (Bronze, Silver, Gold)

Products and services

• Quality Improvement Training - Bronze Free entry-level online training providing foundational knowledge around concepts of quality improvement, the Model for Improvement, and tools for improvement, available to all healthcare providers via the online training platform and NESR.
• Quality Improvement Training - Silver Practical virtual course delivered in two parts, allowing individuals to learn by doing through a guided journey using the Model for Improvement with a relatable case study.
• Quality Improvement Training - Gold Train-the-trainer programme equipping improvement leaders with knowledge and skills to provide strategic and operational support for developing sustainable improvement culture.
• Human Factors Training - Silver One-day face-to-face training building on Bronze e-learning to equip staff with knowledge and skills to apply Human Factors principles to reduce patient harm.
• Achieving Behaviour Change Workshop One-day workshop developed with the Yorkshire Quality and Safety Research Group providing opportunity to learn behaviour change techniques and apply tried and tested theories from Psychology.
• Enhanced Paediatric Nursing Skills (EPNS) Blended learning programme designed to inspire, equip and empower paediatric nurses to deliver enhanced care with confidence and capability to assess children within a safe governance framework.
• Leading Well, Staying Well One-day interactive workshop equipping participants with knowledge and skills to role model behaviours for psychologically safe and inclusive workplaces.
• Teams Connect Four-hour interactive workshop for teams to strengthen cohesion, improve communication, and embed compassionate, collaborative behaviours that underpin patient safety and staff wellbeing.
• Structured Judgement Review Training Training in evidence-based mortality review methodology developed by Professor Allen Hutchinson, enabling trained reviewers to identify, describe, and score quality of care. Delivered across 19 acute and mental health trusts with 800+ clinical staff trained.
• Safety Huddles (HUSH - Huddle Up for Safer Healthcare) Structured daily team brief aimed at reducing patient harm through enhanced teamwork and communication, adaptable to various healthcare environments including hospitals, care homes, mental health and non-clinical settings. Implemented by 400+ teams with 30% ROI based on falls avoided.
• Achieving Reliable Care for Safety (ARCS) Evidence-based intervention putting patient needs at the heart of delivering care, based on Lean principles to improve coordination across multidisciplinary teams and reduce delays, with 20% average reduction in length of stay. Used on 98 wards at Leeds Teaching Hospitals.
• Patient Safety Collaborative One of 15 PSCs across England focused on creating safer systems of care, culture of safety, learning from errors, reducing avoidable harm, and sharing learning across the Yorkshire and Humber region.
• Managing Deterioration Safety Improvement Programme Programme focused on improving recognition, response and communication for deteriorating care home residents using tools like RESTORE2 Mini and safety huddles.
• Maternal and Neonatal Safety Improvement Programme (MatNeoSIP) Programme aiming to reduce preterm births and stillbirths, neonatal deaths and brain injuries by 50% by 2025 through early recognition and optimisation interventions.
• Medicine Safety Improvement Programme Programme aiming to reduce severe avoidable medication-related harm by 50% by 2024, focusing on improving chronic non-cancer pain management by reducing high-risk opioid prescribing.
• Mental Health Safety Improvement Programme Programme to improve safety by reducing harm to people using mental health services through quality improvement approaches to reduce restrictive practice.
• Emergency Care Programme Programme working with Emergency Department teams to improve patient safety through teamwork, patient feedback tools, and Achieving Behaviour Change approaches.
• Emergency Laparotomy Collaborative Collaborative to improve safety and quality of care for adults undergoing emergency bowel surgery using a care bundle approach.
• Applied Research Collaboration Implementation arm of NIHR-funded ARC for Yorkshire and Humber, maximising impact of research and delivering improved outcomes for patients.
• System Safety Improvement Programme Programme to create optimal conditions for patient safety improvement across systems through Patient Safety Improvement Networks and adoption of PSIRF.
• Lightening the Load Initiative to improve staff morale and relationships, building partnerships with managers to enhance support through team-based approaches.
• Mental Health Mortality Review Programme Training programme for organisations using Structured Judgement Review methods in mental health or community settings, delivered in train-the-trainer format.
• Clinical Leadership Fellows Fellowship programme under the Future Leaders Programme providing doctors-in-training and clinical professionals opportunity to develop leadership skills and lead patient safety projects.
• Safety Culture Measurement Validated team-level safety culture survey using a 33-question questionnaire developed by University of Texas, providing diagnostic and intervention capability to improve culture across teams and organisations.
• Patient Experience Toolkit + (PET+) Evidence-based facilitator's guide with 6 systematic steps for listening to patients and frontline teams, using improvement and engagement methods to support positive changes.
• ABC for Patient Safety Toolkit Toolkit offering direction and examples for every step of the behaviour change journey, based on the Theoretical Domains Framework for achieving behaviour change in healthcare.
• Yorkshire Contributory Factors Framework First evidence-based framework of accident causation in hospitals aimed at optimising learning and addressing causes of patient safety incidents.
• Patient Reporting and Action for a Safe Environment (PRASE) Tool for patients to report on safety of their care, adapted for use in various healthcare settings including emergency departments.
• Second Victim Support Support resource for healthcare staff who experience emotional distress following patient safety incidents.
• Behaviour Change Expertise Expertise service in applying behaviour change methods using the Theoretical Domains Framework and ABC for Patient Safety toolkit to address sticky quality improvement challenges.
• Human Factors Expertise Expertise in understanding human psychology in design of healthcare systems to enhance clinical performance through better teamwork, tasks, equipment, workspace, culture and organisation.
• Implementation Science Expertise Implementation training, coaching and action learning sets, plus specialised support for research teams and clinical staff to optimise interventions for implementation success.
• Improving Patient and Staff Experience Expertise in patient-centred care delivery and understanding of staff experience in trying to provide care, informed by published research reports.

Quantifiable outcome

• 30% Return on Investment for Safety Huddles based on falls avoided (University of Bradford and York Health Economics Consortium, funded by Health Foundation, 2018)
• +5 more outcomes

Named customers10 records

Segments8 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature6 records

Partnerships

20 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• UK Improvement AlliancecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2015In 2015, the Improvement Academy became one of the eight founding members of the UK Improvement Alliance, a learning network focused on delivering better health and care for the UK.
• NIHR Applied Research Collaboration Yorkshire and HumbercoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2013The Improvement Academy is the implementation arm of the NIHR-funded Applied Research Collaboration for Yorkshire and Humber, building on its track record of translating evidence into policy and practice. The partnership aims to maximise the impact of ARC research and deliver improved outcomes for patients and the public.
• Yorkshire and Humber AHSNcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Academy delivers the Patient Safety Collaborative on behalf of the Yorkshire and Humber AHSN. Also collaborates on Emergency Laparotomy Collaborative and PReCePT programme.
• Patient Safety Translational Research CentrecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSupporting implementation of patient safety interventions through collaboration with the Patient Safety Translational Research Centre.
• Leeds Teaching Hospital NHS TrustcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerImplementing ARCS (Achieving Reliable Care for Safety) across 98 wards. One of the founding organisations developing centres of excellence with the Improvement Academy.
• Leeds Community NHS TrustcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSupporting QI and Patient Experience improvement work with the Improvement Academy.
• Barnsley Hospital NHS Foundation TrustcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSupporting Advanced QI and leadership. Used ARCS as a diagnostic tool with the Emergency Department.
• NHS England and NHS ImprovementcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSupporting implementation of the 'learning from deaths' guidance for ambulance services nationally. Also commissions the Patient Safety Collaborative and national SJR programme.
• Sussex Partnership NHS Foundation TrustminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerEvaluation of QI strategy in partnership with the Improvement Academy.
• Health Education EnglandcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerDelivering QI training and Clinical Leadership Fellowship opportunities.
• Yorkshire Ambulance ServicecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSharing analytics expertise, learning from deaths and QI methodologies. Improvement Academy provides SJR training for ambulance trusts across England on behalf of NHS England.
• Sue RydercoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSupporting implementation and scale up of safety huddles across Sue Ryder services. Case study partnership documented.
• Ramsay Health CarecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSupporting implementation and scale up of safety huddles across Ramsay Health Care hospitals.
• Royal College of PhysicianscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboratively providing training around SJR, learning from deaths and QI. Partnership from 2016-2019 for the national NMCRR programme across England and Scotland.
• City Healthcare Partners CICminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerImproving forensic services through QI and Patient Experience approaches.
• Yorkshire Quality and Safety Research Group (YQSR)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLongstanding academic collaboration with YQSR for behaviour change research, patient experience toolkit development (PET+), and human factors training. Hosts the Quality & Safety Patient Panel in partnership with YQSR.
• University of BradfordcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership for HUSH evaluation and Safety Huddle ROI analysis (University of Bradford in partnership with York Health Economics Consortium, funded by the Health Foundation).
• Health FoundationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFunded the HUSH (Huddle Up for Safer Healthcare) project, including impact evaluation conducted by University of Bradford.
• Ivy CareminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerFirst outreach partner of the Improvement Academy. Ivy Care is a specialist care provider supporting people with learning disabilities and complex needs. Regular consultations on Academy work.
• Yorkshire Patient Safety Translational Research CentrecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborated with academic psychologists to develop Human Factors training resources and the Yorkshire Contributory Factors Framework.

Scale indicators9 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Regional players

• Scottish Patient Safety Programme (Healthcare Improvement Scotland): Scotland's national patient safety improvement programme with comparable structure to NHS England's Patient Safety Collaboratives. Peer in delivering nationally mandated safety programmes (falls, deterioration, mortality review) using similar improvement methodologies.

Direct peers

• THIS Institute (The Healthcare Improvement Studies Institute): University of Cambridge-based research institute generating evidence on how to improve healthcare quality and safety. Peer in the academic-to-practice improvement space with overlapping methodology (SJR, learning from deaths, behaviour change) and NHS trust engagement.
• Q Community (Health Foundation): Health Foundation-funded UK-wide network of ~5,000 improvement experts. Direct peer as a QI training and community-building body serving NHS improvers, with overlapping methodologies and Bronze/Silver/Gold-style learning pathways.
• West of England Academic Health Science Network: One of England's 15 AHSNs that commissions its own Patient Safety Collaborative and QI programmes. Direct structural peer delivering similar NHS-hosted improvement services to its regional footprint.
• UCL Partners: Academic Health Science Partnership covering North London with QI, patient safety and implementation programmes for member NHS trusts. Comparable as an AHSN-style organisation delivering improvement training and collaboratives to NHS providers.
• Health Innovation Manchester: Manchester-based AHSN delivering QI, patient safety and innovation programmes to NHS trusts in Greater Manchester. Direct structural peer delivering PSC work, training programmes and improvement collaboratives in a competing region.
• Advancing Quality Alliance (AQuA): Northwest England-based NHS quality improvement organisation delivering QI training, safety huddles, and improvement collaboratives to NHS trusts. Directly comparable as a regional AHSN-affiliated QI delivery body competing for similar NHS commissioning work.
• NHS Horizons: NHS England-hosted improvement and transformation team that runs large-scale improvement programmes, virtual masterclasses and communities of practice. Comparable as a publicly-funded NHS improvement organisation with similar training, network and event-based delivery.

Broad incumbents

• Institute for Healthcare Improvement (IHI): Global leader in healthcare quality improvement with a much broader international footprint. Comparable as the originator of many improvement science methodologies the Academy teaches (Model for Improvement, PDSA), and a competitor for international QI training contracts.
• The King's Fund: Independent charity working to improve health and care in England through leadership development, QI training and policy insight. Peer in the NHS leadership and QI training space with overlapping executive education offerings.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

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• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/improvement-academy

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles14 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Improvement Academy