Guidance

How to establish a Quality Surveillance Group guidance

The National Quality Board (NQB) is publishing accompanying guidance to the system on establishing Quality Surveillance Groups (QSGs). 

From:
Department of Health and Social Care
Published
18 January 2013

Applies to England

Documents

How to establish a Quality Surveillance Group

PDF, 485 KB, 30 pages

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Details

A network of QSGs is being established across the country to bring together different parts of health and care economies locally and in each region in England to routinely share information and intelligence to protect the quality of care patients receive.

QSGs will be established between now and March 2013, ready to go live in the new system from April 2013.  The guidance includes an assurance process, which will be rolled out between January and March 2013, to ensure that the network of QSGs is ready to go live from April.

QSGs should not add another level of bureaucracy but instead provide a forum for local partners to realise the cultures and values of open and honest cooperation which should be in place already.  They should seek to reduce the burden of performance management and regulation on providers of services, by ensuring that supervisory, commissioning and regulatory bodies work in a more coordinated way.

QSGs will be supported and facilitated by the NHS Commissioning Board’s 27 area and 4 regional teams.  This guidance provides advice and support to health economies in establishing their QSGs, and has been informed by a series of pilots in the midlands and east region.  The National Quality Board would like to thank that region, and the areas of Hertfordshire and south midlands, and Essex for agreeing to take part in these pilots, which have provided valuable insight.

The NQB are conscious that the forthcoming final report of the Mid Staffordshire NHS Foundation Trust Public Inquiry may have a bearing on their report and the model of Quality Surveillance Groups.  The NQB will consider any relevant findings and recommendations from the Public Inquiry, and update these documents as is necessary in due course.

See Quality in the new health system - maintaining and improving quality from April 2013

Published 18 January 2013