Foreword
The Improvement and Support Team ( IST) was formed in September 06 bringing together the people and resources of the former Centre for Change and Innovation. The Improvement and Support Team is an integral component of the Health Delivery Directorate with clarity of purpose - to apply improvement science to performance challenges.
NHSScotland is on a journey to minimise waiting for patients. The next major step on this journey will be an 18 Week Referral to Treatment target by 2011. The case studies and improvement stories contained within this publication describe how important foundations have been laid by the work of the Planned Care Improvement Programme. Together with the Cancer Performance Support Programme, Cataract and Eye Care Redesign Programme, Diagnostics and Unscheduled Care Collaboratives, these programmes have promoted a view of healthcare that is based on explicit, reliable and safe patient pathways. This view of healthcare, informed by full clinical engagement, patient experience and lean principles is fundamental to the next steps of our improvement journey.
I would like to thank all those who have been involved in the Planned Care Improvement Programme at a local, regional and national level for their contribution to this programme.
Important foundations have been laid; the challenge now is to hold the gains and manage the transition of this knowledge and new ways of working into local and national efforts to deliver service transformation for 18 weeks.
Stephen Gallagher
Deputy Director Health Delivery
(Head of Improvement and Support Team)
Stephen.Gallagher@scotland.gsi.gov.uk