A new report from the Northern Triangle explores the real-world challenge of leading change across health and care systems – where solutions lie beyond the control of any single organisation. Rather than offering a simple framework, the research provides a powerful reflection of the lived experience of system leadership, highlighting the importance of relationships, shared learning, and collective leadership in driving meaningful change. Boost is proud to feature in this work as a relational learning system – focused on building the “social glue” that enables improvement across partners and communities. To bring these insights to life, we hosted a Connect & Learn session on Wednesday 1 July. This interactive session […]

April is Stress Awareness Month, a time to raise awareness of stress, its impact on our lives, and the importance of looking after our mental and emotional wellbeing. Stress is a natural response to pressure, but when it becomes prolonged or overwhelming it can affect our health, relationships and ability to function well day to day. Across health, care and community services, ongoing change, high demand and complexity can increase this risk. Taking time to notice stress, talk about it openly and access the right support is an important step in protecting wellbeing.   Remembering the whole person While work can be a source of pressure, it’s important to remember […]

Across the North East and North Cumbria, teams are driving incredible improvements in health and care – from innovative redesigns to new approaches that make a real difference for patients, service users, and staff. Every success story has the power to inspire others, and we want to make sure these ideas are shared widely.   Why share your story? By telling your improvement story, you can: Showcase the impact of your work, and celebrate with your colleagues Help others learn from your experience Spark new ideas and collaborations across the system Contribute to a culture of continuous improvement – help us be the best at getting better!   Ways to […]

As we wrap up an incredible 2025, we want to thank you for being part of our journey. This year has been full of progress and collaboration: Thousands of learning modules completed across programmes like Leadership & Improvement, Health Literacy, Making Every Contact Count, and Oliver McGowan Mandatory Training – helping us reach over 9,800 completions and build capability across the region. Our Improvement in Health and Care Conference brought together hundreds of colleagues to share ideas, challenge thinking, and celebrate innovation – reinforcing that improvement is a collective endeavour. We’ve expanded our Learning Academy, offering new resources, development opportunities, and communities of practice to support personal and professional growth. […]

Are you passionate about improvement, innovation, and making a difference in health and care across the North East and North Cumbria? Do you want to help shape the future of our learning and improvement community? If so, we’d love to hear from you! What is the Boost Guiding Group? The Boost Guiding Group is a dynamic, cross-sector forum that brings together voices from across the system – including the NHS, voluntary and community sector, local authorities, and academia – to steer the direction of Boost, our regional learning and improvement community. Boost is more than a platform – it’s a movement. It connects people who are passionate about change, supports […]

Are you passionate about improvement, innovation, and collaboration in health and care? Do you want to help shape a digital space that connects and empowers people across the North East and North Cumbria? If so, we’d love your help. Boost is our region’s learning and improvement community – a vibrant hub for sharing ideas, connecting people, and supporting change across health and care. It’s where we come together to be the best at getting better. We’re now entering an exciting new phase. We want to build on the existing Boost website to make it more useful, more interactive, and more collaborative. This means developing the platform to not only share […]

We are pleased to share some exciting news from our colleagues at the Applied Research Team at Newcastle University, led by Dr. Charlotte Rothwell and Dr. Sophia Brady. They are currently conducting an evaluation of our Boost learning academy platform. Many of you have already expressed your willingness to participate by ticking the consent box on the platform. Over the next few weeks, you may be contacted by the research team as they reach out to gather valuable insights from users and stakeholders who have supported the design and implementation of the platform. Charlotte and Sophia will be looking for participants to join in targeted interviews or focus groups. Your […]

The North East and North Cumbria Integrated Care Board (ICB) has proudly launched a dedicated sustainability webpage on the Boost platform, marking a significant step in the mission to reduce the health and care system’s environmental impact and embed sustainability into regional health strategies. Peter Lillie, the ICB’s Sustainability Programme Lead, introduced the initiative in a newly recorded video (below), where he outlined the board’s commitment to addressing climate change through healthcare reform. Peter said: “We’re really proud to launch this… The platform will act as a central reference point for best practices and policy updates related to environmental sustainability across our region.” The ICB’s sustainability programme aims to lead […]

Boost is a system-wide learning and improvement community that brings together improvers from across the North East and North Cumbria Integrated Care Partnership. It is founded on the belief that meaningful change happens when we learn together, connect across organisations, and take collective action to drive improvement in health and care. As a valued member of our Boost community, we want to understand the priorities you are interested in, your preferred ways to engage, and the learning, development, and functionality that would best support our shared aspiration to be ‘the best at getting better’. That’s why we have put together a community learning and improvement survey, and your insights will […]

As we approach the end of another year, we would like to take this opportunity to wish you all the best for the upcoming holidays and thank you for your ongoing support. Whether you’re a seasoned Boost member, or have recently discovered us and the work we do – everyone is welcome in our collective journey to improve the health and wellbeing of people living in the North East and North Cumbria. Throughout 2024, we have continued in our efforts to learn, connect, lead, and improve. There have been lots highlights and important work happening. Just some of these have included: Our recent LOC in the Lakes conference, which focused […]