The role of the Service Improvement Team is to work with PCTs, acute trusts and the South East Coast Ambulance Service to bring about service improvement at the local level.
Methods
The team uses tried and tested service improvement tools and techniques.
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Process mapping - analysing processes and identifying ideas to make improvements
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PDSA (Plan, Do, Study, Act) - small sale changes are tested before implementation on a bigger scale
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Demand and capacity modelling
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Statistical Process Control - a diagnostic tool to understanding variation in a process.
National recognition for Kent based service improvement projects
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AMI, secondary prevention, heart failure and rehabilitation have all been mentioned as examples of good practice in National CHD work stream progress reports.
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A patient held leaflet, designed by the Kent team, has been included on the CD ROM titled ‘Service Improvement Guide for heart failure’.
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The Service Improvement Team presented at three major national conferences about the Maidstone AMI project.
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The Heart Failure Project, based at SW Kent, was short listed for a CHD Collaborative Improvement Prize.
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Both David Fillingham (CE of Modernisation Agency) and Mark Dancy (National Clinical Chair CHD Collaborative) praised Kent projects in their keynote speeches at the 2005 CHD National Conference (March 2005).
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Reduction in waits for cardioversions at Maidstone Hospital have been cited as an example of good practice in ‘Making a Difference’ CHD Collaborative Progress Report March 2005.
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The Heart Failure Pathway for patients requiring end stage care in Kent and Medway is cited as an example of good practice in the NHS End of Life Care Programme Progress Report (March 2006) DOH page 13.
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Two Kent projects were reported as service improvement case studies in the document 'Making Moves: Results of a data audit and review of service improvements in Inter-hospital Transfer arrangements for cardiac patients' (April 2006).
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National recognition for Medway Primary Care Trust Heart Failure Team: The Medway Primary Care Trust Heart Failure Team swept the board at the ‘National Guidelines in Practice’ awards at a ceremony at The Landmark Hotel, London, on 9 November 2006 taking home three awards. Lee Basso was the Kent Cardiac Network project manager who used service improvement methodologies to develop the service and project managed the introduction of the new service.
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18 Week Patient Pathway – Workforce Development Resource Pack – two case studies cited as examples of good practice, Nurse Led RACPC and Cardiac Co-ordinators in Cardiac Investigation Departments (page 44-45) (2006).
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Cardiac Transport Vehicle Contract Document cited in Heart Improvement Programme Inter Hospital Transfer Good Practice Guide (2006).
A full list of improvements made by the Kent Team is available at Service Improvement Online. This is a national reporting system managed by the National Heart Improvement Programme. Using Rapport enables information about improvements to be shared across the CHD community. All Cardiac Network Service Improvement Teams have access.
