Redbridge GP practices embrace Quality Improvement
Since early 2017 UCLPartners have been working with Redbridge Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) delivering Quality Improvement (QI) collaboratives to upskill primary care staff, build capability and increase capacity in the borough.
Redbridge, like other east London areas, faces the challenges of an ageing GP workforce, a growing population and increasing comorbidities. To help tackle these challenges, UCLPartners has run a series of QI learning sets with general practice staff in the area. As a result of this work, a large number of practices have implemented QI methodology and conducted impactful projects that have reduced staff workload and improved patient care.QI projects undertaken include:
- Reducing ‘Did Not Attends’
- Improving diabetes management
- Improving Atrial Fibrillation diagnosis and management
- Reducing the admin workload of GPs
Farrah Greene, who led a QI project to improve diabetes management at Gants Hill Medical Centre in Redbridge said: “Using QI methodology has been so useful for our practice. We knew that we had a group of diabetic patients who were not going for their regular check-ups and as a result had poorly managed conditions. Using what we’d learnt in our QI training we decided to pilot a fast track diabetes ‘patient passport’. We invited a target group of patients in to our practice, offering them quick access appointments. The patients were given an appointment with two clinicians and given preferential access to blood tests.
“One of our greatest successes was a patient whose HbA1c reading (an indicator of how well diabetes is controlled) reduced by 41%. We’re now keen to roll the pilot out to a wider group of patients. If it wasn’t for the QI training we’ve been given, we would never had embarked on this project and seen such a great outcome”
Alongside the QI collaborative training delivered to practice staff, UCLPartners have also supported Redbridge CCG by training eight local GPs to become QI leads in the area. It is hoped these individuals will help to set the direction of travel for QI alongside the CCG going forward.
Dr Anil Mehta, Redbridge CCG Chair said: “This is the beginning of a journey to improve primary care outcomes in Redbridge. Working with UCLPartners has enabled us to equip many of our primary care staff with QI skills. It’s great to see the impact of the QI projects undertaken. The next stage for us is to better understand how we can embed QI in our everyday practice”
Chiya Shikalislami, Improvement Projects Manager at UCLPartners said: “There’s been a fantastic response from primary care staff in Redbridge towards QI. We’ve worked with 25 practices in Redbridge who have embraced this methodology and have worked together with their teams to make impactful changes. As a result, Redbridge is becoming a better place to work for primary care staff and a better place to receive care”
The final report and independent evaluation of the Redbridge Quality Improvement programme will be published early 2018. You can read more about our Quality Improvement training offer here.