Ward accreditation schemes have been shown to promote safer patient care by motivating staff and sharing best practice between ward areas (Coward et al. 2009; Central Manchester University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust 2013), and so we embarked on a Ward Accreditation Scheme in order to promote better health outcomes, better patient experience and ensure the Royal Berkshire NHS Foundation Trust is a better place to work, train and learn.We intended to develop a system whereby we would have ward to Board reporting of quality focused key performance indicators (KPI’s) and enable an objective process for wards to apply for Ward Accreditation status.
The project aims are:
(a) to improve quality of patient care
(b) to increase staff pride within their ward areas.
We researched the best way of achieving our aims and visited / networked with other Trusts who already had systems of Ward Accreditation in place. Key targets were set by our Steering group that needed to be achieved prior to formal application for Ward Accreditation. We piloted the process and the technology on 6 wards for a period of three months prior to full Trust roll out in October 2014.
Revisions have been made on an ongoing basis, based on feedback from the clinical areas, so that we have full stakeholder buy in for the project. Our previous process for measuring KPI’s was cumbersome and sometimes unreliable. Having revised the KPI’s to ensure they accurately reflected what we needed to report from ward to Board, we divided the dashboard into three areas that best represent our aims as a Trust: best health outcome, best patient experience and best place to work, train and learn.
Our KPI dashboard gives the Board this valuable information in a clear, comprehensive manner. Given that the burden of collecting audit data manually was immense at ward level and valuable data was sometimes lost in the processes of transcribing from paper to electronic forms, we developed a system whereby audit data could be collected electronically using iPads. This reduces the time needed to complete audits, reduces the risk of error and gives us the ability to analyse the data in real time. The data is f
ed from the iPads directly to the Meridian platform and can be analysed immediately. We can look at heat maps to monitor a wards performance over certain months and ensure any quality concerns are addressed immediately.In terms of achieving Accreditation status, alongside measuring metrics on the KPI dashboard, wards will complete a substantial portfolio of evidence to submit to the Ward Accreditation panel. This evidence is the qualitative data that supports the quantitative data in determining when wards achieve Accreditation. The panel will do a walkabout on the ward to meet staff and patients so they have a real sense of the ward, and not just base their decision on data.
In terms of reward; it will be a proud moment when our first ward receives Accreditation and as well as the positive publicity and morale boost; the ward will receive a wall plaque that publically displays their achievement, a financial boost for use towards purchasing patient resources and a donation to use for the benefit of the ward staff.
While none of our wards have achieved Accreditation yet; many are actively working on their portfolios and all are keen to be first to be awarded the prestigious accolade!
If you would like any further information on our Ward Accreditation project, please contact Joan Potterton at [email protected] or Karen O’Leary at karen.o’[email protected] or on Twitter @o_karenoleary02