"Applying Quality Improvement Science to Performance Challenges"
Introduction
This programme is designed to remodel the way general practice works to improve access and reduce delays for patients and also improve outcomes for people with Long Term Conditions.
The Scottish Primary Care Collaborative aims to improve the overall experience and outcomes for every patient by identifying and removing the barriers that cause delays. Similar work in other countries has already led to significant benefits for patients.
To date there has been almost 500 GP Practices participating in the SPCC. The programme has provided assistance to all participating practices in the redesign of their systems and their ways of working and will eventually involve half of all practices in Scotland.
Phase I of the SPCC focused on improving patient access to GP practices and improving the management of care for people with diabetes. The practices who participated in Phase I of the programme achieved significant improvements through the use of the improvement methodology; the results are available online.
Phase II focuses on improving access for patients and also works towards improving secondary prevention of Coronary Heart Disease. Phase II started in May 2005 and the final practices will complete Phase II in May 2008. The results for Phase II are available online.
Wave 5 began in March 2007. Similar to the previous waves, these practices will again work to make improvements in patient access to GP services but alternatively will focus on improving the management of care for people with Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) and Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD). The results for Wave 5 are available online.
Innovative approaches have included:
- Rescheduling pre-booked appointments to avoid Mondays - the busiest day of the week
- Using telephone appointments instead of seeing the GP face-to-face.
- Practice staff taking on routine work to free up nurses and doctors to use their skills to the full
The key contact for this programme is Catherine Buchanan.