Why do it
This step shows that making a change part of daily business takes ongoing effort. It is important to maintain that change over time. If you do not keep working to protect what makes your change last, things might go back to how they were.
What is it
Embedding a change means making it a part of your daily routine or culture. This means ensuring it is part of the processes, systems, management, and governance.
Sustaining a change over time is about protecting the time, relationships and other things that keep the change working.
Who might you involve
It can be helpful to think about who you might need to involve or get help from during this step.
Think about:
- what skills, knowledge, and experience do you need?
- what roles and responsibilities do you need in the room to think together and make decisions
- who might you need to support your work to get agreement?
The skills and professions you might need to have involved in the change include:
- health and social care clinicians and professionals
- people with lived experience
- third and independent sector staff
- support staff (like data analysts, project managers, service designers, quality improvers, engagement experts, strategic planners, and organisational development professionals)
Practical support
Project management is essential to ensuring process rigour when making a change. It guarantees that you follow the steps of change and consider all relevant factors. This increases the likelihood of successful delivery of change. In addition, you can access further practical support below.
Taking the next step of change
Once you’ve sustained and embedded the change, you’re ready to advance to the review for spread step, where building an understanding of what ideas generated in the change can be spread and adopted more widely can begin.
In some instances, you may not always follow the steps in order, and it may be necessary to revisit a previous step as new insights or evolving circumstances emerge.