A new milestone quality plan that will provide the structured approach for nursing and allied health professions across two Black Country NHS Trusts for the next two years has been launched today.
Called the Quality Framework, it replaces the Clinical Systems Framework, which ran from 2020-22. It is a shared vision for continuous improvement with the aim of providing safe, effective and high-quality care for all service users at Walsall Healthcare NHS Trust and The Royal Wolverhampton NHS Trust (RWT).
Based on six pillars – excellence in care, workforce, culture, education, communication and research and innovation – the Quality Framework has been shaped by contributions from over 700 Nurses, Midwives, Health Visitors, and Allied Health Professionals.
Professor Ann-Marie Cannaby, Group Chief Nurse, said: “I’m delighted to unveil the Quality Framework. Each revision of the framework gets better. This version includes an overall milestone plan and five individual plans reflecting the goals of each service area.
“We have built this plan with input from all levels of the organisation through a series of listening events, surveys and development days.
“I’m impressed with the quality of the ideas and aspirations that this plan represents. And I’m looking forward to seeing the impact on patient care.”
Lisa Carroll Director of Nursing at Walsall Healthcare, said: “The process of developing this plan included bringing ideas from both organisations together.
“We can see the common aspirations and some divergence reflecting local priorities for improvement. This is an important step forward as we are finding ways to identify and share best practice across our patch.”
Debra Hickman, Director of Nursing at RWT, said: “Like many large hospital systems, we have regular external reviews, and opportunities for peer review.
“It is good to see the learning from these reviews reflected in the milestone plan. The plan reflects a commitment to professionalism and a commitment to quality from our Nurses, Midwives, Health Visitors and Allied Health Professionals.”
Matt Craven, Associate Director for AHPs at Walsall Healthcare, said: “This has been a good opportunity to learn from each other across the two Trusts as the milestone plan has been developed. Linking professionals within and between organisations helps us learn and share best practice.”
Dr. Rosalind Leslie, Chief Allied Health Professional at RWT, said: “We have developed an AHP’s milestone plan with this version of the Quality Framework, to reflect local and national drivers.
“And we have focused on stronger integration with our Nursing and Midwifery colleagues as we look for ways to improve our collective research capabilities across the organisations. We are seeing growth in research priorities with each new milestone plan.”
Professor David Loughton CBE, Group Chief Executive, said: “This new two-year plan demonstrates what good planning looks like – clear, measurable goals with the focus on quality and the patient experience. I look forward to seeing the outputs each quarter.”