Links
The following websites have been reviewed by members of the Clinical Audit Support Centre. All websites featured will be of interest to staff working in clinical audit and quality assurance. Websites were reviewed in relation to the following criteria:
- 1) The website provides information relevant to the aims of the centre, e.g. high level of content relating to clinical audit, clinical governance and quality assurance in healthcare
- 2) The website provides authoritative, precise and current content
- 3) Websites are freely accessible to visitors
Highly Recommended
Healthcare Quality Improvement Partnership
www.hqip.org.ukThe Healthcare Quality Improvement Partnership (HQIP) is led by a consortium of the Royal College of Nursing, Long-Term Conditions Alliance and Academy of Medical Royal Colleges. In April 2008, HQIP gained responsibility for the management of the National Clinical Audit and Patient Outcomes Programme. HQIP will initially take responsibility for running the 20 national audits that they inherited from the Healthcare Commission and will in time commission new audits as considered a priority by the Department of Health and National Clinical Audit Advisory Group.
National Clinical Audit Advisory Group
www.advisorybodies.doh.gov.uk/ncaag/index.htmNCAAG were established in 2008 to help drive forward the reinvigoration programme and provide a national focus for discussion and advice on matters relating to clinical audit. NCAAG have many responsibilities, including acting as a steering group to NCAPOP and as an advisory body to the Department of Health. Visitors to the website can find out more about NCAAG members and view meeting minutes, NCAAG’s programme of work and their latest news and press releases. There are also links on the website to Department of Health policies on national audit.
Healthcare Commission
www.healthcarecommission.org.ukThe Healthcare Commission promotes improvement in the quality of the NHS and independent healthcare. The Healthcare Commission have a wide range of duties all aimed at improving the quality of healthcare. The website includes information on the annual health check, patient and staff surveys, and the national clinical audit programme – which the commission held responsibility for until April 2008. The site also includes information on how unresolved local complaints are renewed by the Healthcare Commission. Visitors can subscribe to a free monthly newsletter.
National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence
www.nice.org.ukNICE is an independent organisation responsible for providing national guidance on promoting good health. NICE helps health professionals implement national guidance by providing tools such as cost templates, audit criteria and slide sets. NICE develop clinical guidelines and technology appraisals, all of which have audit criteria attached. Visitors to the site can view all the above documents and resources and also subscribe to alerts and a monthly e-newsletter.
National Patient Safety Agency
www.npsa.nhs.ukThe National Patient Safety Agency (NPSA) is a Special Health Authority created to co-ordinate the efforts of all those involved in healthcare, and more importantly to learn from, patient safety incidents occurring in the NHS. Visitors to the site can access Safety Matters newsletter and find out about forthcoming patient safety events. The website includes details on how to report an incident to the NPSA and patient safety alerts can also be reviewed. The health professional zone includes many excellent resources, including the Seven Steps to Patient Safety document in PDF format and information on root cause analysis and the incident decision tree.
National Audit and Governance Group
www.nagg.nhs.ukThe National Audit and Governance Group are a group of clinical audit and governance experts spread across the UK. NAGG meet quarterly in London and aim to represent clinical governance professionals in relation to the key national decision making processes. The NAGG website includes a range of tools, including a calendar of forthcoming events and a forum where you can post ideas and ask questions to NAGG members.
Clinical Governance for Community Pharmacists
www.cg4cp.org.ukClinical Governance for Community Pharmacists is an online e-learning course developed by the Royal Pharmaceutical Society of Great Britain and the National Clinical Governance Support Team. Although materials are obstensibly aimed at Commuity Pharmacists, the website provides exceptional information on clinical governance. Seven interactive learning modules have been established and visitors can listen to powerpoint presentations and undertake online activities and assessments.
Recommended
Royal Pharmaceutical Society of Great Britain
www.rpsgb.org.ukThe Royal Pharmaceutical Society website includes a range of clinical governance and audit resources. There are a number of useful policies and papers relating to governance and numerous clinical audit templates for pharmacists.
Clinical Governance Bulletin
www.rsmpress.co.uk/cgb.htmThe Clinical Governance Bulletin is an excellent journal that can be viewed free of charge. The Bulletin includes a range of peer-reviewed articles and there are many published clinical audit projects. Although the last Bulletin was published in summer 2007, the site remains an excellent resource and all former editions of the journal from 2000-2007 can be accessed online.
International Society for Quality in Health Care
http://www.isqua.orgThe International Society for Quality in Health Care, is a non-profit, independent organisation with members in over 70 countries. ISQua hold an annual international conference and their website provides information of other international events in the field of quality assurance.
Institute for Healthcare Improvement
www.ihi.orgThe Institute for Healthcare Improvement (IHI) is a not-for-profit organisation leading the improvement of healthcare throughout the world. The IHI website includes a wide range of materials and resources.