NHS Quality Improvement Scotland (NHS QIS) has been given responsibility for overseeing the standard setting and accreditation process associated with risk management within NHSScotland. This requirement involves incorporating the CNORIS standards into the new Healthcare Governance Standards: Working Towards Safe and Effective, Patient Focused Care. It was therefore considered that this would be an appropriate time to invite risk managers to discuss current risk management practices.
As a result, the Clinical Governance and Patient Safety Support Team, along with Abbott Risk Consulting Ltd recently undertook a scoping study to explore current risk management practice across NHSScotland, identifying what is working well, where improvements could be made and where further support may be required.
The project was split into two stages. Stage one sought to identify current risk management practices using an anonymous questionnaire, which allowed stakeholders to express their views anonymously. The questionnaire was sent to risk managers in all NHS Board areas, with the request that they disseminate it to appropriate colleagues.
Stages two comprised of a series of three workshops on 27 April, 26 May and 24 June 2004, allowing peer groups to express their views on current practices, elicit their perceived needs for support in risk identification, assessment and control and explore how some of these needs may be met.
Click here for a copy of the final ARC Risk Management Report.
In response to the findings, NHS QIS has produced an action plan that aims to address the issues raised and provide the necessary support required to continue developing and improving this important area of work.