NHS Quality Improvement Scotland (NHS QIS) is comprised of a number of specialist units that work to improve the quality of healthcare delivered by NHSScotland, and that directly interact with healthcare professions and the general public. Below, you will find information relating to the work of these units. The units are listed in alphabetical order.
- Standards development unit
- Clinical governance support and development unit
- Health services research and effectiveness unit
- Performance assessment unit
- Practice development unit
- Public involvement unit
Standards development unit
A major part of our remit is to develop and run a national system of quality assurance of clinical and non-clinical services.
The role of our standards development unit is to:
- develop clinical and non-clinical standards ensuring consultation with stakeholders
- develop Quality Assurance Frameworks and accreditation programmes for Managed Clinical Networks
- liaise with other standard setting organisations eg National Care Standards Committee
Working in partnership with healthcare professionals and members of the public, NHS QIS sets standards, assesses performance throughout NHSScotland against these standards, and publishes the findings.
The standards are often based on a patient's journey as they move through different parts of the health service.
For each project in the work programme, the Standards Development Unit appoints a group comprising appropriate healthcare professionals on behalf of NHS QIS. They are expected to:
- adopt an open and inclusive process involving members of the public, voluntary organisations and healthcare professionals
- work within NHS QIS policies and procedures
- test the measurability of draft standards by undertaking pilot reviews.
The standards will be used by NHS QIS to assess performance in these areas in NHS Boards throughout Scotland, and this role is a function of the Performance Assessment Unit.
Contact the Standards development unit
Clinical governance support and development unit
In 2003, NHS QIS was tasked by the Scottish Executive Health Department with supporting the implementation of clinical governance across NHSScotland.
In response, NHS QIS has established a Clinical Governance Support and Development Unit to take forward support for this important area of work. As part of this development, a Clinical Governance Support and Development Team was created (March September 2004) to carry out the groundwork that would inform both the strategic direction and work programme for the newly established unit.
The team has undertaken three key pieces of work that will underpin the future work programme of the unit:
- Risk management workshops
- Clinical governance development day for non-executive directors and chairs of clinical governance committees
- Clinical governance scoping exercise
The information from each of these pieces of work has been used to develop the work programme for the unit which focuses on two workstreams:
- support and development
- networking and information sharing.
Contact the clinical governance support and development unit
Visit the clinical governance section of this site
Health services research and effectiveness unit
The role of the unit is to provide NHSScotland with advice and guidance to support improvements in patient care and service delivery. It achieves this through:
- assessments of clinical and cost effectiveness of health interventions,
- overseeing the collection, analysis and publication of clinical outcome and performance data
- undertaking and commissioning national programmers of clinical effectiveness and audit.
The unit also provides the wider organisation with evidence which is used in a variety of ways in support of improving patient care and outcomes throughout NHSScotland
Contact the Health Services Research and Effectiveness Unit
Performance assessment unit
Performance assessment enables NHS QIS to evaluate what NHSScotland is doing and how well services are performing against standards we set and quality indicators we publish. Through self-assessment and external peer review, we identify strengths and challenges, and make recommendations for improvement where shortcomings are noted. This process helps to make sure that services are being carried out in a safe and effective manner.
NHS QIS employees organise and manage performance review visits across NHSScotland and all of our reports are published and freely available.
The unit is also responsible for monitoring the performance of managed clinical networks. This is achieved by means of an annual report, which is submitted to NHS QIS during the three-year accreditation period.
Contact the performance assessment unit
Equality & Diversity
NHS QIS is committed to equality and diversity. This unit and the work it produces has been assessed for any likely impact on the six equality groups defined by age, gender, race/ethnicity, religion/faith, disability and sexual orientation. For a summary of the equality and diversity impact assessment, please see http://www.nhsqis.org/nhsqis/files/EQRIA0063.pdf
Practice development unit
Practice development is key to NHS QIS' aim of working with health service staff across Scotland to identify and share good practice between nursing, midwifery and allied health professionals. The Practice Development unit facilitates programmes of practice development, supports networking for nurses, midwives and allied health professionals and encourages sharing of best practice and learning from each other.
Contact the Practice development unit
Visit the practice development section of this site
Public involvement unit
We believe that all improvements made to NHSScotland must be sensitive to the needs and wishes of patients, carers and the public. The Public Involvement Unit is responsible for ensuring that patients, carers and members of the public play an important partnership role in our work. The unit is responsible for:
- developing and overseeing implementation of the NHS QIS Patient Focus and Public Involvement (PFPI) Framework. The Framework is our plan for how public involvement will be embedded in and across all business activities of NHS QIS
- providing person-centred support to enable effective patient and public involvement in all NHS QIS business activities
- recruiting, training and supporting lay members of project/working groups and review teams
By involving the public we aim to:
- learn from the experiences and views of patients and carers, and improve our understanding of their needs and wishes
- take account of the views and opinions of individuals from across Scotland's diverse range of communities, and meet the needs of those individuals
- increase openness and transparency within NHSScotland by making the public a vital part of how we review the quality of care received by those using NHS services in Scotland
- ensure that the knowledge and opinions of healthcare professionals is complemented and balanced by the needs and wishes of the public.