Overview
In 2022 following a series of safety failings Mental Health Trusts were tasked to review safety and how they gain assurance that no such event could happen in their organisation. This session responds to this context and current challenge - how to maintain quality and safety with less. It will explore the ways the RCPsych College Centre for Quality Improvement (CCQI) supports organisations to meet safety standards, the difference between assurance and reassurance and what we can do to effectively involve staff, patients and carers to improve safety culture. Core challenges in safety and learning in a complex system characterized by multiple demands will be considered.
CCQI Quality Networks and accreditation schemes over all mental health trusts in England utilising self-assessment, peer review and triangulation of data sources to improve safety and quality. The Safety Incident Response Accreditation Network (SIRAN) enables mental health services to use best practice in responding to safety incidents, supporting patients, families and staff, and in designing evidence-based interventions to improve safety. CCQI also hosts the Invited Review Service (IRS), which provides a review service to teams focusing on quality, helping services undertake a detailed review of a specific aspect, or providing a comprehensive overview of progress the service has made against safety standards.
All CCQI work is undertaken by clinicians in conjunction with patients and families. By describing and exploring these specific methodologies, the strengths and limits of these approaches and their place in a wider regulatory framework this session invites the audience to reflect on how we can work to prevent harm, learn and improve safety in mental health care. Practical examples and learning including barriers and solutions will be drawn from CCQI and IRS to explore learning to date and also future directions for safety improvement and assurance in mental health care.
Objectives
- To explore and increase understanding on what effective safety standards look like and the strengths and limitations of different approaches.
- To increase understanding on the relationship between safety culture, safety improvement and safety assurance.
- To increase understanding of approaches to involving patients, families and staff in safety.
- To explore which safety standards in mental health care are hardest to meet, why and how these challenges can be overcome.
- To explore the differences but also synergies between CCQI and Regulatory processes for assurance and improvement with regards to safety.
- To understand the role patients and carers can play in highlighting safety issues and contributing to solutions.
- To consider future directions for safety improvement and safety assurance in mental health care.
Speakers
Chair: Dr Vimal Sivasanker, Essex Partnership NHS Foundation Trust
Dr Mayura Deshpande, Southern Health, London
Ms Tracey Ward, Leicestershire Partnership NHS Trust, Leicester
Mr Chris Dzikiti, CQC, London
