Building on Evidence and Experience
IST has been running national improvement programmes that engage with every NHS Board since early 2005 (and prior to this as the Centre for Change and Innovation). These national programmes are designed to improve patient experience and service delivery.
Our publications " Delivering Better Health, Better Care Through Continuous Improvement: Lessons from the National Programmes", is now available.
There are now 3 new National Improvement Programmes to support the improvement of patient experience and service delivery.
In addition to learning from the Scottish based programmes, IST look outwards to identify the best evidence for service redesign and collaborate with international leaders of industry who pursue and define excellence and Quality in Healthcare. They include the Institute for Innovation and Improvement, the Institute for Healthcare Improvement ( IHI), and the Advisory Board's Council of International Hospitals.
In all the work IST delivers, across the Institute of Medicine's ( IOM) definition for quality and its six specific goals to ensure continuous quality improvement. They state that quality health care should be:
Safe - helps cure the patient instead of causing more injury or discomfort
Effective - provides the right services to the right people only when they really need them
Patient-centred - considers the patient's preferences and requests in every health care decision regarding diagnosis and treatment
Timely - provides treatment quickly, reducing waits and sometimes harmful delays
Efficient - targets the application of resources (staff, supplies, equipment) to maximize resource use and avoid passing on costs to the patient
Equitable - ensures that every patient receives the same standard of care regardless of gender, ethnicity, geographic location and socioeconomic status
As the IHI advocates, by building will, generating ideas and executing change, the Improvement & Support Team helps support the delivery of continuous quality improvement in NHSScotland.
THE IMPROVEMENT & SUPPORT TEAM SUPPORTS NHSSCOTLAND BY APPLYING QUALITY IMPROVEMENT SCIENCE TO PERFORMANCE CHALLENGES.
The Improvement & Support Team ( IST) has three main areas of activity:
- Designing and delivering National Improvement Programmes in partnership with NHSScotland
- Developing Performance Support Programmes
- Working in partnership with NHS Quality Improvement Scotland and others, to develop capacity and capability for continuous quality improvement.
The Team's activities and resources are aligned to the key priorities of the Cabinet Secretary for Health and Wellbeing as expressed in the Better Health Better Care Action Plan and through the Heat Performance Framework. The Team supports the NHS through its expert knowledge of service improvement, innovative and leading-edge practice and by focussing on the spread and sustainability of evidence based improvements.
The Improvement and Support Team aim to support NHSScotland to make services better for patients and their families. Quality Improvement should be based on delivering across all 6 dimensions:
These are the 6 dimensions of quality as defined by the Institute of Medicine.
NATIONAL IMPROVEMENT AND SUPPORT PROGRAMMES
IST launched new National 3 year Improvement Programmes:
PERFORMANCE SUPPORT PROGRAMMES
In addition to National Improvement Programmes, IST develops and delivers tactical support which addresses potential performance issues to support NHS Boards to meet key HEAT targets.
CAPACITY & CAPABILITY BUILDING
In addition to providing support for service redesign, the Improvement & Support Team hosts a series of events, training sessions and workshops which help build capacity for service redesign and sustainable improvements.
These events are offered in a variety of locations all over Scotland and include Core Improvement Skills Training, Regional and Programme specific events and Master Classes.
To find out more please visit the IST website at:www.scotland.gov.uk/Topics/Health/NHS-Scotland/Delivery-Improvement
Questions and comments to:
Email: istmailbox@scotland.gsi.gov.uk
Health Delivery Directorate
Improvement & Support Team
The Improvement & Support Team aims to support NHSScotland through its expert knowledge of service improvement, innovative and leading edge practice by a focus on the spread of evidence based sustainable improvements.
www.scotland.gov.uk/Topics/Health/NHS-Scotland/Delivery-Improvement
CONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT TOOLKITS
The Improvement & Support Team recently launched the Continuous Improvement Toolkit. Created for managers, clinicians and frontline staff in NHSScotland, the Toolkit is a generic resource that can be used for any service improvement work. It provides practical support, guidance and training materials and is built on the Centre for Change and Innovation Guide to Service Improvement. Designed and peer-reviewed by a cross section of improvement leaders the Toolkit is presented in two sections:
Creating an Improvement Culture - which provides essential knowledge on change management approaches and continuous improvement.
Core Improvement Tools - which provides the essential tools and techniques for service improvement, including newly released Lean tools for improvement.
To access the Continuous Improvement Toolkit please visit:www.scotland.gov.uk/Topics/Health/NHS-Scotland/Delivery-Improvement/2441/toolkits then select Toolkit 3 "continuous improvement toolkit"
National Improvement Programmes - support sustainable delivery of key targets and ministerial priorities.
Continuous Improvement Toolkits - created for managers, clinicians and frontline staff in NHSScotland to provide practical support, guidance and training materials.
Events and Training - are offered in a variety of locations all over Scotland to help build capacity for service redesign and sustainable improvements.
More information about these and the other areas of activity of the Improvement & Support Team can be found on their website: www.scotland.gov.uk/Topics/Health/NHS-Scotland/Delivery-Improvement .
CHAIN
IST also supports the availability of CHAIN as one of only two Scottish sponsors of these important and useful networks.
Contact, Help, Advice and Information Networks ( CHAINs) are online networks for people working in health and social care in the public or private sector. They give people a simple and informal way of contacting each other to exchange ideas and share knowledge. CHAINs are multi-professional and cross organisational. There are currently four main CHAINs based around specific areas of interest:
Chain 1: Research and Evidence-based practice
Chain 2: Widening Participation in Learning
Chain 3: Innovation and Improvement
Chain 4: Macmillan Cancer Care
To join CHAIN for free, or find out more, please visit:www.chain.ulcc.ac.uk/chain/
or email enquiries@institute.nhs.uk