Working through a quality improvement project example

This episode is part 2 of our focus on Quality Improvement. This time Drs Lisa and Sara are joined by Dr Varshini Rajakulendran alongside Dr Joanna Bircher. Varshini is a GP who is on the NHS England fellowship, and she talks to us about a quality improvement example that she is currently working on around weight management. Joanna (our resident QI expert) has a passion for the subject and has been involved in writing guidelines and teaching for QI. 

We hear why Varshini chose this particular project, and the context to it including enablers and barriers. Joanna then helps us break it down further, thinking about the tool used, considering the aim of the project, what was and could be measured and what ideas were implemented and tested during the project. 

If you haven’t already, we recommend listening to “An Introduction to Quality Improvement” which provides some great initial theoretical knowledge about QI.

Useful resources: 

• Quality Improvement Resources by the Royal College of General Practitioners: https://www.rcgp.org.uk/clinical-and-research/our-programmes/quality-improvement/quality-improvement-guide-for-general-practice.aspx

• RCGP QI Ready: https://qiready.rcgp.org.uk/

• Domains of Healthcare Quality: http://www.ihi.org/education/IHIOpenSchool/resources/Pages/Activities/DefiningQualityAimingforaBetterHealthCareSystem.aspx

• Public Health England National General Practice Profiles: https://fingertips.phe.org.uk/profile/general-practice/data#page/8/gid/2000005/pat/166/par/E38000220/ati/7/are/M85736/yrr/1/cid/4/tbm/1 

• GP Patient Survey data: https://www.gp-patient.co.uk/

• Prescribing data: https://openprescribing.net/

• Institute for Healthcare Improvement (IHI) Model for Improvement: http://www.ihi.org/resources/Pages/HowtoImprove/default.aspx 

• The Health Foundation booklet: Quality Improvement made simple, written by Bryan Jones, Esther Kwong and Will Warburton: https://www.health.org.uk/sites/default/files/QualityImprovementMadeSimple.pdf

• RCGP Quality Improvement Webcast with Dr Joanna Bircher Aug 2019: https://youtu.be/BJSbvu3j0cE

• The Q Community Webcast: ‘Can QI help us to match capacity and demand in General Practice with Dr Joanna Bircher’: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RS-GMMZgbfw

• Run Chart Tool: https://www.england.nhs.uk/improvement-hub/wp-content/uploads/sites/44/2017/11/A-guide-to-creating-and-interpreting-run-and-control-charts.pdf 

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This podcast has been made with the support of Greater Manchester Health and Social Care Partnership, GP Excellence, Greater Manchester Training Hub and the GP Fellowship Programme, as well as Wigan Borough CCG. Given that it is recorded with Greater Manchester clinicians, the information discussed may not be applicable elsewhere and it is important to consult local guidelines before making any treatment decisions. 

The information presented is the personal opinion of the healthcare professional interviewed and might not be representative to all clinicians. It is based on their interpretation of current best practice and guidelines when the episode was recorded. Guidelines can change; To the best of our knowledge the information in this episode is up to date as of it’s release but it is the listeners responsibility to review the information and make sure it is still up to date when they listen.

Dr Lisa Adams, Dr Sara MacDermott and their interviewees are not liable for any advice, investigations, course of treatment, diagnosis or any other information, services or products listeners might pursue as a result of listening to this podcast - it is the clinicians responsibility to appraise the information given and review local and national guidelines before making treatment decisions. Reliance on information provided in this podcast is solely at the listeners risk.

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