Quality Customer Service Action Plan 2005 - 2007

Quality Customer Service Action Plan 2005 – 2007 Quality Customer Action Plan

Quality Update No 2 - Winter 2004 (PDF 636 KB)

Better Health and Social Care in NI

Quality Update - Summer 2004 (PDF 144 KB)

Quality Update - Summer 2004

Annual Quality Report 2013/2014

Annual quality reports are a recommendation of the Department of Health, Social Services and Public Safety's (DHSSPS) Quality 2020: a 10 year strategy to protect and improve quality in Health and Social Care in Northern Ireland.

Implementing A vision for change: moving towards a modern, quality and responsive mental health service. Carlow / Kilkenny / South Tipperary.

The key element of the HSE South’s Programme is to enhance and develop community mental health services in Carlow, Kilkenny and South Tipperary, to enable the service user to remain in the community to the greatest extent possible. HSE South has prioritised the implementation of the change programme and has allocated more than €20m capital funding and over €1.75m revenue funding to support this comprehensive development programme. Speaking at the briefings Mr. Pat Healy, Regional Director of Operations, HSE South said, “When this plan is delivered, clients will have access to the highest standards of services in all three counties, which should significantly improve these clients’ treatment programmes and quality of life. The National Service Users Executive are supporting the change programme, which is of immense importance to HSE South. The programme heralds the enhancement and development of community mental health services, the closure of old long stay institutions, the separation of North and South Tipperary acute inpatient mental health services and development of appropriate acute inpatient services, for the extended catchment area, in line with the national strategy for mental health “A Vision for Change”. The programme also acts on recommendations of the Mental Health Commission.”This resource was contributed by The National Documentation Centre on Drug Use.

Partnerships in Caring - Standards for Service (PDF 96KB)

Health and Social Services are undergoing significant change and challenge as we move into a new millennium. The review of Regional Palliative Care Services, ‘Partnerships in Caring’ builds on the significant work already undertaken. The review highlights in particular the need for partnership with patients and their families – between the variety of care providers and with service planners and commissioners, as it is only in working together, in a co-ordinated way that we can hope to provide consistently high quality services. åÊ

Revised Service Framework for Respiratory Health and Wellbeing Consultation

The Service Framework for Respiratory Health and Wellbeing was originally launched in June 2009. It has recently been subject to a fundamental review and also to an independent review by the Regulation and Quality Improvement Authority (RQIA). The revised Framework includes 56 standards, which relate to a number of specific conditions, as well as communication and patient and public involvement, health improvement and protection, social emotional support, information, training, medicines management, and palliative and end of life care. åÊ

A strategy for cancer control in Ireland / National Cancer Forum

To address the rapidly rising burden of cancer, this second National Cancer Strategy A Strategy for Cancer Control in Ireland 2006 advocates a comprehensive cancer control policy programme. Cancer control is a whole population, integrated and cohesive approach to cancer that involves prevention, screening, diagnosis, treatment, and supportive and palliative care. It places a major emphasis on measurement of need and on addressing inequalities and implies that we must focus on ensuring that all elements of cancer policy and service are delivered to the maximum possible extent. This Strategy also focuses substantially on reform and reorganisation of the way we deliver cancer services, in order to ensure that future services are consistent and are associated with a high-quality experience for patients and their carers. There is evidence of considerable variation in cancer survival between regions and also significant fragmentation of services for cancer patients. These interrelated factors are of major concern to the National Cancer Forum.

Action Plan for People Management in the Health Service

In November of 2001 the Government launched its new National Health Strategy â?" â?oQuality and Fairness, A Health System for youâ?Âù (hereafter referred to as Quality and Fairness). Quality and Fairness was developed following one of the largest consultation processes ever undertaken in the public service. It sets out the vision for the health service, the four principles upon which this vision will be built, it also establishes four National goals and finally sets out six â?~frameworks for changeâ?T, which will be used to achieve the vision, principles and goals. One of the six frameworks for change is Developing Human Resources. The health service is one of the largest employers in the public sector, with the employment level at the end of 2001 approaching 93,000 full time employees. These employees are spread across a large number of organisations, in multiple locations and settings across the country. Each employee plays a key role in the delivery of health service, in all settings, to the public. Download document here

Health Statistics 2002

The four key principles guiding the development of the Health Strategy (2001): Quality and Fairness: A Health System for You are equity, people-centredness, quality and accountability. High quality statistical data are fundamental to the delivery of each of these. Relevant, accurate and accessible information should inform all health decisions. This includes information for the public as well as data required to enable evidence-based service delivery and evaluation, policy formulation and the measurement of health gain.This compendium of health statistics brings together data from a wide variety of sources on demography, health status and the delivery of health services. It provides a broad overview of health in Ireland as well as serving as a resource and reference for those interested in particular aspects of health and the health services. Download document here

Customer Service Action Plan

Customer Service Action Plan One of the fundamental themes of Delivering Better Government (1996) is the â?oachievement of an excellent service for the Government and for the public as customers and clients at all levelsâ?Âù. In 2000, the Quality Customer Service (QCS) Working Group reviewed and revised the 1997 Principles of Quality Customer Service to take account of changes in the environment since 1997, such as the equality agenda. In July 2000, the Government decided that: Click here to download PDF 199kb

Health and Social Services for Older People (HeSSOP) Consulting older people on health and social services: A survey of service use, experiences and needs

The study provides an evaluation of health and social services from the perspective of older people themselves and provides an opportunity for older people to express their lifelong care preferences. The National Council on Ageing and Older People strongly endorses the principle that older people should be involved in the development, planning and evaluation of their health and social services. This is underpinned by the principle that a health service fit for older people is a quality service that benefits everyone Download the Report here

Final Report of the Review Group on Health Service Care Staff

The National Health Strategy “Quality and Fairness, Health System for You” states“ a key objective of the human resource framework is to develop and explicitly value staff at all levels of the health system. This in turn benefits service users.” The strategy explicitly states that one of its initiatives was “to introduce the grade of Health Care Assistant (HCA) as a member of healthcare teams to assist and support nurses and midwives. A national six month training programme for Health Care Assistants to commence at the end of November 2001. Seventeen pilot programmes to be delivered by the health services in conjunction with the Further Education Training Awards Council (FETAC)”.

Building a Culture of Patient Safety - Report of the Commission on Patient Safety and Quality Assurance

The Commission on Patient Safety and Quality Assurance was established in January 2007 and reported to the Minister in July 2008. The report was considered by government in January 2009 which agreed the implementation process. The overall objective of the Commission was to develop clear and practical recommendations to ensure that safety and quality of care for patients is paramount within the healthcare system. The Commission’s report set out a wide range of policy measures that will drive the safety and quality agenda in Irish healthcare in the coming years. The establishment of the Commission was prompted by an increasing awareness of patient safety issues in general and high profile health service system failures at home and abroad and in particular by the Lourdes Hospital Inquiry. These have underlined the need for an increased focus on patient safety and quality. Download document here Download summary document on the Report

Neurological conditions: involvement to improve service delivery

A major, ongoing Public Health Agency led consultation exercise has identified 12 recommendations to improve the lives of the 48,000 people, and their carers, who experience neurological conditions across Northern Ireland. These recommendations will form the basis of an action plan to improve service delivery and support for those experiencing a range of conditions, such as epilepsy, Huntington's Disease, Parkinson's Disease, progressive supranuclear palsy (PSP) and multiple sclerosis (MS).The recommendations cover four areas:accurate information and diagnosis;control and choice, particularly self-management and person-centred services;day-to-day living and independence, including finance, employment, social life and ability to get out and about;emotional and psychological impact on individuals and families, eg the support available to deal with stress, fear, frustration, isolation, loss and vulnerability associated with living with a neurological condition.The report was launched at a regional workshop, held in Cookstown (today) and co-ordinated through the Neurological Conditions Network, which was established to develop this work.Speaking before the workshop, Health Minister Edwin Poots said: "Neurological conditions give rise to complex needs, which require support from a wide range of professionals. They also change lives, both for those directly affected and for their families and carers, and it is so important not to lose sight of this if we are to successfully address the challenges in tackling neurological conditions."Last week, I visited the home of Beth McCune, who suffers from motor neurone disease. I was invited to see for myself the daily challenges faced by Beth and her husband and carer, Arthur, and to hear of their experiences. While I was struck by their courage and patience, this visit underlined again for me the severe life-changing impact of the disease."At present, there are some 48,000 people in Northern Ireland living with neurological conditions. It was in recognition of the needs of men and women like Beth that my department requested the establishment of the Neurological Conditions Network and provided the necessary funding to support it."Michelle Tennyson, PHA Assistant Director and Chair of the Neurological Conditions Network, said: "This detailed engagement exercise was undertaken to get the views and quality of life experiences of those affected by these conditions. We tried to ensure everyone who wanted to contribute could, by providing support through helplines, the internet and face-to-face events. I am honoured that so many people have trusted us with their experiences to help us make a difference and was privileged to be invited into the home of Beth and Arthur McCune for the same reason."The recommendations cover a range of conditions and their implementation will need cooperation and action from professionals, service users, voluntary organizations and others, across many sectors and agencies. The network is looking forward to delivering on these challenging new ways of working to improve the lives of all those affected by neurological conditions."The workshop attracted service users and carers along with delegates from across Northern Ireland's community, voluntary and statutory sectors.If you have a neurological condition, or care for someone who does, and want to share your experiences, please go to: www.publichealth.hscni.net/ncnsurveyYou can also contact Julie Mawhinney, Tel: 028 9032 1313.