Assessment for improvement : our approach : have your say / Healthcare Commission.

  • Great Britain. Commission for Healthcare Audit and Inspection
Date:
[2004]
Catalogue details

Licence: Open Government Licence

Credit: Assessment for improvement : our approach : have your say / Healthcare Commission. Source: Wellcome Collection.

    61/96 (page 59)
    The Department of Health's National standards, local action set out a common set of requirements to ensure that all healthcare organisations meet core standards in relation to the safety and quality of services. Within these core standards are 20 existing targets that healthcare organisations are expected to meet before 2005/2006, or which need to be met during the period to 2007. The Government also requires healthcare organisations to meet developmental standards, in order to achieve continual improvement in the overall quality of care. To support progress towards meeting developmental standards, the Department of Health has set new national targets to be achieved in the coming years. The national service frameworks (NSFs] and National Institute of Clinical Excellence (NICE] guidance are also very important elements in the drive towards standards of high quality. Core standards The Department of Health's National standards, local action, published in July 2004, indicate that meeting the core standards is not optional for NHS bodies. Healthcare organisations are expected to comply with them from the date of publication. The core standards should, therefore, provide a mark by which to measure current performance. As part of the annual assessment, all healthcare organisations should be satisfying themselves that they are meeting core standards. The elements of the standards In the tables that follow, column one sets out the elements of the core standards which are measurable. They are pitched at a high level and are applicable, in most cases, across different healthcare sectors. They usually describe the activities that healthcare organisations should expect to be carrying out in order to meet the core standards. We will be undertaking further work to ensure that the role of primary care trusts (PCTs) in commissioning healthcare is included, where appropriate, and that in all cases, we measure what matters in relation to different types of healthcare organisation. The suggested prompts The second column presents suggested prompts that boards may wish to take into account in satisfying themselves that they are meeting the relevant standard. The prompts are intended to focus attention on whether the organisation has appropriate and effective means to deliver the quality of healthcare required by the core standards. The prompts are drawn from a variety of sources including research, guidance on policy and expert advice. However, they are examples only. The list is not exhaustive, nor is it intended to prevent boards from using other systems, processes and outcomes to satisfy themselves of compliance with the standards. Most of the prompts are relevant to all types of healthcare organisation, except when it is indicated that the prompt Is only relevant to specific sectors of healthcare, such as ambulance trusts, PCTs or mental health Services. If the evidence and indicators available to the Healthcare Commission suggest that more information is needed to establish whether an organisation is meeting core standards, the Healthcare Commission may use the prompts as a Starting point for further enquiry.