Background In 2013 the Junior Doctor Service Improvement Board (JDSIB) was created to support multi-disciplinary staff in Quality Improvement Projects (QIP) across Dartford and Gravesham NHS Trust. In 2018–2019 the JDSIB introduced four co-chair roles from varying specialities. This unique advantage provides valuable perspectives and crucial trust-wide links.

Aims Identifying and supporting opportunities for meaningful, sustainable improvement.

Methods JDSIB’s rebranding using distinct logos and colour scheme improved visibility and recognisability and thus engagement. Despite staff identifying areas for improvement across the Trust, there was a perceived notion that the culture was not receptive to change. To tackle this, JDSIB held regular events to showcase QIP ideas in the presence of senior key leaders such as the medical director, CEO, and the audit team. These forums discussed solutions to roadblocks and provided a dedicated space to listen to, and inspire new projects. Cross-team collaboration with the audit team proved crucial in combining resources, expertise and preventing duplicated effort.

Results JDSIB was deemed ‘inspirational’ by management and ‘very useful’ by colleagues. JDSIB linked motivated individuals and supported colleagues in implementing QIPs, but most importantly emphasised that investigating roadblocks can lead to sustainable solutions. Challenges ranged from co-ordinating rota commitments with events, to influencing senior staff involvement.

Conclusion Employing a senior solely dedicated to QI and leadership would be a useful resource. The strong emphasis on junior doctors to become more engaged, provides opportunities for organisations to nurture their trainees for future leadership roles. Trust wide engagement is by no means an easy feat, yet slowly changing micro-cultures is the start to embracing wider change. The JDSIB are dedicated to encourage improvement and support healthcare professionals to create meaningful change.