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West Midlands Quality Review Service presents its review approach to Tynwald Members

Wednesday, 13 November 2013

Members of Tynwald were yesterday briefed by Jane Eminson, Acting Director of the West Midlands Quality Review Service, with an overview of the approach and processes involved in the quality assurance review of the Island’s Health Service, along with the opportunity to ask questions. 

The aim of the WMQRS’ peer review process is to provide an assessment to the Manx public, politicians and the Isle of Man Health Service of the quality of care provided to Manx patients. 

Minister for Health, David Anderson MHK, said:

'The Department welcomes the opportunity to have its services peer reviewed as this will assure quality and safety, share innovation and good practice, and result in improved patient outcomes and experience. We invited Tynwald Members to this presentation in order to share information about how the West Midlands Quality Review Service will conduct the peer reviews, and to give more background on their quality standard indicators, governance, timetables, and the reason for forming an independent Programme Board, all of which demonstrate the openness of the WMQRS approach. 

'I have also offered an opportunity for my colleagues in Tynwald to meet representatives of the WMQRS review team to raise any specific issues about services being reviewed, on behalf of their constituents, on 26November 2013 in tandem with the first review taking place that day.'

The WMQRS has been commissioned by the Department of Health to undertake a rolling programme of external independent quality assurance peer reviews of health services over the next two to three years, with individual reports for each of the service areas reviewed.  The WMQRS review process on the Island will be identical to the way they carry out reviews within the UK NHS. 

The first WMQRS peer review will take place at Noble's Hospital on 26 November 2013, in the Emergency Department, Critical Care, and Theatre and Anaesthetic Services.  It will be undertaken by a multi-disciplinary team of 13 reviewers made up of practicing clinicians, patient representatives and managers working within the UK NHS. Clear guidance has been provided to the staff of these areas on preparing for this review visit, which aims to make the process as easy as possible. 

As well as the announced meeting with Tynwald Members, each WMRQS review visit will include meetings with groups who can represent the views of patients and carers who use the services being reviewed and meetings with patients who have used the services recently.  Questionnaires will also be available in the relevant service areas, which patients and carers can use to tell the reviewers about their experiences.  These questionnaires will also be available electronically.  Guidance for the public has been developed including how WMQRS will engage with patients, carers and relatives. 

It should be noted that any issues raised by patients, carers, relatives or representative groups with WMQRS reviewers are not part of the Department of Health complaints procedure and action will not be taken on individual issues raised during these meetings or in questionnaires.  Reviewers will be looking for common themes emerging from patient and carer feedback.  Individual feedback will not be provided, but review reports will be publicly available on the WMQRS website at www.wmqrs.nhs.uk/review-programmes/view/isle-of-man-health-services when finalised.

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