Individual international consultant to assist Ministry of Health to Establish a Continuous Quality Improvement Process in Health Care Facilities with focus on Maternal, Newborn and Child Health

If you are a committed, creative professional and are passionate about making a lasting difference for children, the world's leading children's rights organization would like to hear from you.

If you are a committed, creative professional and are passionate about making a lasting difference for children, the world's leading children's rights organization would like to hear from you.

For 70 years, UNICEF has been working on the ground in 190 countries and territories to promote children's survival, protection and development. The world's largest provider of vaccines for developing countries, UNICEF supports child health and nutrition, good water and sanitation, quality basic education for all boys and girls, and the protection of children from violence, exploitation, and AIDS. UNICEF is funded entirely by the voluntary contributions of individuals, businesses, foundations and governments.

Purpose of the Assignment

The overall objective of the consultancy is to assist the MoH to establish a Continuous Quality Improvement (CQI) Process as part of core Practice of Health Care Management in the country; and through the CQI process, enable Health Facility Leaders (HFL) and Health Workers (HW) to:

• Re-organize patient care to ensure quality care,
• Make efficient use of available resources,
• Engage in a process of continuous learning to enhance clinical skills, client relation skills and management skills;
• Engage in an on-going process of self-assessment to identify problems, developing and implementing self-assessment guided solutions, reviewing progress and learning from it; and
• As and when needed, communicate effectively with Municipality or National Level sector managers and partners to secure additional resources/support to implement solutions. 

The specific objectives of the consultancy are:

• Develop a Continuous Quality Improvement Approach and a Roadmap for Public Health Facilities in Timor-Leste
• Develop/adapt appropriate Continuous Quality Improvement Guidelines and Coaching manuals and facilitation Manuel and quality assessment tools
• Conduct CQI leadership training of CQI leadership team at national level and for a selected two municipalities
• Assist the CQI Leadership Team of two municipality to facilitate at least one facility in respective municipality to initiate their own CQI process.
• Develop work processes and tools for facilitative supervision by the National Quality Assurance Cabinet and Municipality QA focal points to support Health facilities in the country to establish, implement and sustain their own CQI process.
• Develop a model annual National and municipality level Health Care Quality Improvement Plan to guide investment in supporting CQI processes in Health Facilities. This plan, among others, should include a) Facilitative Supervision of QI leaders and QI teams; b) measure and monitor QI processes in facilities, c) training and support to staff involved in the QI process including on use of quality tools/techniques; d) communication and advocacy within the sector and outside to support QI process; e) conducting evaluation of activities; and f) ensuring recognition and rewarding of successful QI teams.

Assignment Tasks

1. Develop an Inception Report and a draft Continuous Quality Improvement Framework to provide organizational foundation for Continuous Quality Improvement (CQI) in Public Health Facilities in Timor-Leste (refer to section-5 scope of work for further details)
2. Develop context-relevant Maternal and Newborn and Child Health Quality Standards adopting from WHO’s “Standards for Improving Quality of Maternal and Newborn Care in Health Facilities” and as adding relevant Child Health Care standards from Integrated Management of Childhood Illnesses and other existing national guidelines
3. Develop Maternal, Newborn and Child Health Services Quality Domains and Quality Assessment Tool (using the defined domains). Please refer to section-5, scope of work for key consideration for defining the Quality Domains and Tools
4. Develop Tool Book for Quality Improvement of Maternal, Newborn and Child Health Care in Public Health Care facilities in Timor-Leste for use by QI leaders and QI teams. Please refer to section-5, scope of work for further detail the tool-book
5. Develop CQI leadership Manual (to be used together with the tool-book) by CQI leaders as a resource book and guide
6. Presentation and discussion of the CQI Framework, draft Maternal and Newborn and Child Health Quality Standards, Quality Domains and Quality Assessment Tool, Tool Book for CQI of Maternal, Newborn and Child Health Care and CQI Leadership Manual to Council of Directors of MoH and adjustment as necessary
7. Develop Curriculum, Trainers Guide and training materials (linked to above mentioned manual and tools) for conducting Quality Improvement Leadership Orientation
8. Conduct Quality Improvement Leadership Orientation of National QI leaders and Quality Improvement Team Leaders of two selected Health Facilities (Hospital, CHC and Health Post) of two municipalities
9. Guide/assist the National QI leaders and Quality Improvement Team Leaders of two selected Health Facilities (one Hospital and one CHC) of two municipalities to conduct Quality Assessment and start the CQI Process
10. Prepare and submit final report of the consultancy along with full set of deliverables described above.

Expected Deliverables

1. Inception report that shows at least the following:

• Broad understanding of the core issues to be addressed through this work
• Key steps in the process (how the work will be executed)
• Work plan with time frame and support needed from MoH, Partners and UNICEF

• Draft CQI Framework to provide organizational foundation for CQI in Public Health Facilities in Timor-Leste.

Timeline: 10 days

2. Draft Maternal and Newborn and Child Health Quality Standards

Timeline: 10 days

3. Draft Maternal, Newborn and Child Health Services Quality Domains and Quality Assessment Tool (using the defined domains) developed

Timeline: 15 days

4. Tool Book for Quality Improvement of Maternal, Newborn and Child Health Care in Public Health Care facilities in Timor-Leste for use by QI leaders and QI teams developed

Timeline: 15 days

5. CQI leadership Manual (to be used together with the tool-book) by CQI leaders developed

Timeline: 15 days

6. Draft Maternal and Newborn and Child Health Quality Standards, Quality Domains and Quality Assessment Tool, Tool Book for CQI of Maternal, Newborn and Child Health Care and CQI Leadership Manual presented to council directors and document adjusted based on the input.

Timeline: 2 days

7. Curriculum and Trainers Guide (linked to above mentioned manual and tools) for conducting Quality Improvement Leadership Orientation developed

Timeline: 5 days

8. Quality Improvement Leadership Orientation of National QI leaders and Quality Improvement Team Leaders conducted for at least 25 people in total

Timeline: 5 days

9.1. Quality Improvement Leadership Orientation of National QI leaders and Quality Improvement Team Leaders of two selected Health Facilities (Hospital, CHC and Health Post) of two municipalities conducted

9.2. Report of quality assessment and start the CQI Process in two selected Health Facilities (one Hospital and one CHC) is prepared and submitted

Timeline: 10 days

10.1 Detailed technical reports with deliverables 1 to 10 submitted as follows:

• One full set in print
• Reports and training materials is in PDF file and editable MS word file
• Digital tool in flash drive with relevant information on how to access it and modify it.                                                                

  10.2. Final report, including executive summary

  Timeline: 5 days

Qualifications of Successful Candidate

Education

Advanced university degree in clinical medical discipline, nursing, midwifery, public health, public health or related social science with minimum of 10 years of work experience.

Skills and experience

• Proven experience of designing and implementing quality processes in public health care setting in developing countries.
• Proven experience of training public health care managers, and health workers on quality improvement processes and quality leadership.
• Excellent English writing and documentation skills including skills in using MS Words, MS Excel and MS Powerpoint for document organization.
• Ability to work with a translator and getting written work translated in a timely manner is a must as products of the consultancy need to be translated to Tetun, the working language of the government.  The consultant can take the option of either including a local consultant to team up with him/her, or work with one assigned by MoH/UNICEF and that is expected to be reflected in the proposal.

To view our competency framework, please click here. 

Interested applicants are to include the following documents in their submission:

• Letter of Interest containing the statement on candidate’s experience in the field of recruitment.
• Technical and financial proposal
• Samples of deliverables
• Updated CV

Applications submitted without a daily/monthly rate will not be considered.

UNICEF is committed to diversity and inclusion within its workforce, and encourages qualified female and male candidates from all national, religious and ethnic backgrounds, including persons living with disabilities, to apply to become a part of our organisation.