New BMA guide to quality initiatives

Citation

(2002), "New BMA guide to quality initiatives", International Journal of Health Care Quality Assurance, Vol. 15 No. 4. https://doi.org/10.1108/ijhcqa.2002.06215dab.009

New BMA guide to quality initiatives

New BMA guide to quality initiatives

In February the British Medical Association (BMA) published a guide to the wide range of quality initiatives which impact on the work of NHS consultants in the UK. Quality Initiatives – A Guide for Consultants in England defines and explains the role of the many different organisations and mechanisms which exist to regulate the performance of doctors and hospitals. Examples include the National Patient Safety Agency, the National Clinical Assessment Authority and the Commission for Health Improvement.

In a foreword to the guide, Dr Peter Hawker, chairman of the BMA's consultants' committee, says that consultants want to be part of a high quality health service. They are proud of its achievements but painfully aware of its shortcomings, he says. Dr Hawker warns of the risk of "initiative fatigue" and says that all the new quality initiatives depend for their success on having sufficient time: "We need time to listen to the patient, to record data meticulously, to pause and avoid error and to learn from both success and failure."

Dr Hawker urges consultants to use the new quality assurance mechanisms as tools to protect patients from avoidable hazards and for improving patient care: "We must insist on taking the time needed to pursue high quality care. Our patients, our professional obligations and our own physical and mental wellbeing all require it."