The International Learning Collaborative was founded in 2008 at Green Templeton College, Oxford University, UK, in response to two key issues:

1. The Francis Inquiry into care in the Mid Staffordshire NHS Trust, UK. This inquiry, which began in 2006, demonstrated poor levels of care for patients in Mid Staffordshire hospital. Most of this poor care centred on the fundamentals, such as nutrition, toileting, dignity, respect, communication and safety. The inquiry highlighted the need for radical transformation within our healthcare systems. Since this inquiry, many more reports internationally have continued to show deep-seated problems with the delivery of fundamental care.
2. The growth of Academic Health Science Centres. These Centres bring together academic institutions (Universities) with healthcare providers (e.g., hospitals) to ensure the latest, cutting-edge research is translated into practice and directly benefits patients and healthcare consumers. The development of Academic Health Science Centres internationally presented an opportunity to create robust empirical evidence for fundamental care that can be immediately translated into practice to positively influence how healthcare is delivered and experienced.

The ILC held its first meeting in 2008, hosted by Green Templeton College, and has since facilitated an annual international Conference, held in alternate years at Oxford. The annual conference provides an opportunity for ILC members and local delegates to engage in thought-provoking discussions and debate on how we can improve the delivery of fundamental care globally.