Increasingly, general practitioners are
working as part of an extended practice-based team. The ability to
work in an effective team can take forward the range and standards
of care that a practice can offer.
The College in Scotland has been instrumental in developing a
number of assessment and educational tools that test and develop a
team’s ability to provide good and excellent levels of care in
appropriate environments and by a range of professional
staff.
Quality Practice Award (QPA) is set
at a much higher level, pushing teams to aspire to an excellent
standard of care and service. Upon successful assessment by a
multi-disciplinary team, a plaque, which can be displayed in
practice premises, is awarded to practices and this marks
achievement for five years. In addition the practice is entitled to
use the QPA logo on all stationery. Developed in Scotland, this
initiative is now available throughout the UK.
In response to requests
from a large number of practices who would like to take part in QPA
but feel unable to complete the entire project in an 18 month
timescale. RCGP Scotland has developed a pilot version
“Modular Quality Practice Award” (known as “mQPA”) which will be
offered to all practices in Scotland from April 2008.
GP practices that embark
on this Award will be able to take the following modules in any
order.
- Patient Centred
- Management of illness
- Records
- Special Groups
- The Learning Organisation
- The Practice Team
To assist the practice in
achieving the modules they will have access to a personal QPA
advisor. On completion of each module they will be awarded a
certificate of achievement. The cost is £200 payable at the
start of each module.
If the GP practice
completes all of the modules over a five year period they can, if
they wish, submit for a practice visit with an aim of converting
the six module passes into the QPA award, which would be valid for
five years. The cost of the visit would be based on the
current charge for QPA less the monies already paid for the six
modules
For more information
please contact Claire Godley on cgodley@rcgp-scotland.org.uk.
Quality Team Development (QTD) is a formative quality initiative developed for practices
in England and Wales. It has some similarities to Practice
Accreditation in Northern Ireland.
Primary Care Research Team Assessment
(PCRTA) is an assessment scheme for
primary care research teams, which focuses on individual general
practices and their teams as the unit of assessment. At present it
is not provided in Scotland.