Achieving a culture of continuous improvement by adopting the principles of self-assessment and business excellence.

Following a brief description of the inception of self-assessment and the European Foundation for Quality business excellence model, this article describes how one clinical directorate in an NHS Trust used the principles of both to secure a culture of continuous improvement. The journey from a mainly hierarchical, bureaucratic, individualist culture to one where the norms, values and beliefs reflected teamwork, involvement and empowerment is described. The highs, lows and learning points are all included, in an attempt to enlighten other healthcare organisations considering the benefits and pitfalls of using the business excellence model to improve the quality of their healthcare delivery.