UK - Nine teams chosen to improve primary care
Nine successful teams have been chosen to take part in the £5.5 million,three-year scheme which aims to improve the quality of primary care across the UK. The teams are working on a diverse range of improvement projects including the treatment of back pain, helping school nurses to recognize and treat mental health problems and improving services for women who have experienced domestic violence.
The teams are made up of clinicians from general practice, primary care trusts, universities and patients, service users and their representatives from voluntary organizations and patient forums.
Over 80 per cent of contact between the public and the health service takes place in primary care settings. The Engaging with Quality in Primary Care teams have been chosen by The Health Foundation as they have all identified potential ways of reducing gaps between current known best practice and everyday care.
“We know we have chosen leading teams with impressive quality improvement skills and knowledge,” Wendy Buckley, Assistant Director at The Health Foundation, said. “We’ll be giving them intensive coaching in quality improvement methodology and leadership development, we hope this will be a two-way process and that we will also learn from them as they progress over the next three years. Our long-term aim is to see the results of these nine projects rolled out further afield, possibly informing the development of future healthcare policy.”
The Health Foundation has commissioned the Improvement Foundation to provide each team with a package of technical support and leadership development. This is in addition to the funding given by The Health Foundation to each team worth in the region of £500,000. The teams will set up processes to measure the current quality of clinical care in their area, and then implement activities to change clinical practice and monitor the results. They will also meet regularly as a group at a number of national residential learning events to discuss and share their latest experiences and findings.
