Access QI collaborative updates

This page will be updated until February 2024, when the current phase of the programme is due to come to an end. 

Improving Access to Elective Care: can QI reduce waiting times?: Join our webinar on 06 November 2024, 13:00 - 14:15 to hear from elective care services across Scotland who have used Quality Improvement (QI) methods to improve access and reduce waiting times as part of the Access QI collaborative. See our webpage for further information and to register.

We have created a blog from Learning Session 5 (August 2023): This blog gives a round-up of what happened on the day at our fifth learning session which took place virtually. Read all about our learning session five here.

We have created a blog from learning session two (December 2022): This blog gives a round up of what happened on the day at our second learning session which was held virtually. Read all about learning session two here.

We have created a blog from learning session one (October 2022): This blog gives a round up of what happened on the day at our first learning session. Read all about learning session one here.

We have published a new learning summary from NHS Lothian (October 2022): NHS Lothian created a one stop clinic to reduce pathway variation for patients with suspected cancer. Learn more about their work here.

We have published a new learning summary from NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde (October 2022): In NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde, the Department of Respiratory Medicine from Queen Elizabeth University Hospital had to adjust their referral pathway due to the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. The new pathway involved conducting some patient appointments by phone. To evaluate the pathway change, they set out to obtain patient feedback about telephone appointments. Read more about the evaluation of the new respiratory pathway in this learning summary.

We have published a new learning summary from NHS Dumfries and Galloway's NHS Event poster (October 2022): Due to a pause in non-essential work caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, the Musculoskeletal (MSK) Occupational Therapy (OT) Hand Clinic from NHS Dumfries and Galloway had increased wait times for patients with three common hand conditions. To reduce these wait times, promote self-management, and improve patient outcomes, the clinic staff initiated Active Clinical Referral Triage (ACRT) and sent self-management information to patients where appropriate. Read more about their use of ACRT and how it impacted the Hand Clinic’s waiting times here.

We have published a new learning summary from NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde's NHS Event poster (October 2022):

To address losses in elective surgery capacity during the COVID-19 pandemic, an orthopaedics team in NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde began performing hip and knee arthroplasty as day case procedures. To support this new pathway, a multidisciplinary team came together to develop an innovative preoperative pharmacy service. Later, they used patient prescribing data, staff survey results, and patient feedback to determine whether the changes were successful. Click here to find out how the orthopaedics team implemented and then evaluated their new pharmacy service. 

We have published a new learning summary from NHS Lanarkshire where they reduced waiting lists be converting a procedure from inpatient to outpatient (October 2022): At the height of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, intravesical Botox injections for refractory overactive and neuropathic bladders were paused, as this was considered a less urgent procedure. By April 2021, NHS Lanarkshire Urology found that 52% of patients on the waiting list for this procedure had waited more than 18 months. The team decided to take this as an opportunity to streamline and redesign the service, with the intention of converting patients from general anaesthetic to a local anaesthetic treatment pathway. Click to learn how the Urology team shifted to outpatient Botox injections and reduced their waiting times.

We have published a new learning summary from NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde's NHS Event poster (October 2022): An Orthopaedics team from NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde used the remobilisation of elective services after COVID-19 as an opportunity to expand their joint replacement service. After implementation, they reviewed patient records and developed a patient survey to evaluate the efficacy and safety of the new pathway. Learn more about the expansion and evaluation of the orthopaedics service in this learning summary.

We have launched the new Access QI collaborative (August 2022): to view the services we are currently working with, check out our participating services page!

We have published a new case study summarising the progress from phase two of Access QI (July 2022): to view our end of phase two case study and see the progress made by the teams, please click here.

We have added a new learning summary from The Centre for Sustainable Delivery and NHS Forth Valley's Cardiology Unit (July 2022): Using Realistic Medicine principles, NHS Forth Valley’s Cardiology Unit achieved a sustained >40% reduction in their pre-COVID new outpatient waiting list. Aided by a shared vision and trusting colleague relationships, the cardiology team gathered unit-level data from TrakCare and implemented multiple change ideas that helped them deliver timely and equitable care during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. Read more about their work here.

We have added a new learning summary from The Centre for Sustainable Delivery and NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde Pain Management Service (July 2022): Faced with increases in referrals and staffing pressures, the pain management service from NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde felt their service model required radical changes. With the principles of Realistic Medicine and Active Clinical Referral Triage (ACRT) in mind, they established a multidisciplinary team that met weekly to discuss and triage patients to the right clinician at the right time. They also established virtual appointments and strengthened shared decision-making between staff and patients. Read more about this team’s work here.

We have added a new learning summary from The Centre for Sustainable Delivery and NHS Forth Valley’s Neurology Unit (June 2022): The team came together early in the COVID-19 pandemic to redesign their service using Realistic Medicine principles. They were not affiliated with a formal improvement programme, but utilised their existing enthusiasm for improvement and innovation to effectively improve their service. A scoping exercise focused on TrakCare data indicated that Active Clinical Referral Triage (ACRT) and waiting list validation processes could help remedy long patient waits and waiting lists. This led to the development and testing of several successful change ideas. Read more about this project here.

We have published a new Access QI case study from NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde Gender Identity team (May 2022): The Adult Gender Identity Service from NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde joined the Access QI programme with a goal of reducing their waiting times. In order to examine and organise all of the factors contributing to this complex issue, the full team came together to complete a force field analysis and a cause and effect diagram. Download the case study. 

Extending the deadline for joining the Access QI Collaborative (May 2022): The closing date for ENT, Gynaecology and Urology services to join Access QI has been extended.  The Collaborative will be launched virtually on the afternoon of Wednesday 24 August 2022. More information about joining Access QI can be found on the Join Access QI Collaborative page or by contacting us at his.access-qi@nhs.scot. 

We have published a new Access QI case study from NHS Forth Valley's Community Alcohol and Drug Service team (April 2022): While participating in the Access QI programme, NHS Forth Valley’s Community Alcohol and Drug Service team felt it would be helpful to learn more about each other’s working styles and motivations. They used communication and project management tools to hold a virtual team development session over Microsoft Teams. Download the case study.

Join the Access QI collaborative to sustainably improve elective care waiting times for ENT, Gynaecology and Urology (March 2022): Find out about the Access QI collaborative and learn how to be part of a collaboration with NHS boards, NHS Education for Scotland and Healthcare Improvement Scotland to use quality improvement to improve access to ENT, Gynaecology and Urology. Continue reading...

New improvement collaborative to sustainably improve elective care waiting times for ENT, Gynaecology and Urology (February 2022): Healthcare Improvement Scotland and NHS Education for Scotland will be launching a new improvement collaborative to support ENT, Gynaecology and Urology to sustainably improve elective care waiting times. Continue reading...