11 September 2019
A number of different projects are seeking to improve the delivery of rheumatic and musculoskeletal disease services. The society has developed a system of peer review and an upcoming Quality Review Scheme for the UK. Getting it Right First Time is a England-wide scheme with former BSR trustees as clinical leads. Here, we discuss the differences between each of these, and explain why they're so important.
Peer Review
Peer Review is a long-established, voluntary, formative exercise designed to evaluate the standards of care within a rheumatology unit. It is a full 360 examination of the service, with the aim of supporting departments to deliver high-quality health care in rheumatology. The society believes peer review is a great way to prepare for the more formal, summative quality reviews that the Quality Review Scheme (QRS) is about to pilot. Peer Review is usually run at a regional level, led by regional peer review leads.
Quality Review Scheme
Building on all the good work done in peer review, QRS is a summative exercise that will deliver a 'snapshot' measure of quality assurance. This means that rheumatology services will be visited and formally assessed against a set of standards, with a view to gaining national recognition for the quality of their service.
Similar schemes in other specialties have had a transformational effect in improving standards and raising the profile of individual services. The QRS is a national project, developed and run by the society, involving clinicians and patient representatives. Quality reviews are also a voluntary, full 360 examination of the service, but overseen by trained assessors and involving a fee to cover costs. The QRS is still in its infancy, with the first pilot due to take place next month.
BSR is currently looking for assessors from all branches of practice (training provided). If you're interested in getting involved, please get in touch.
Getting it Right First Time
Getting it Right First Time (GiRFT) is an NHS Improvement scheme, covering England only; it focuses on data and is aiming at improving care by reducing variation in practice. Units have already completed the only data collection required by GiRFT in their unit questionnaire. Unit visits have started to present their analysis and recommendations, with implementation subsequently supported by GiRFT’s regional networks.