Getting data quality to the top of the SHA agenda

West Midlands 2010

In recognition of the importance of good data quality, PRIMIS+ has worked with NHS West Midlands to produce guidance to ensure all patient data is fit for sharing.

PRIMIS+ Learning Consultant Lauren Fensome was involved in the production of the document. She explained that the aim is to ensure equality and consistency in data quality across all PCTs in the West Midlands, while raising awareness at Strategic Health Authority (SHA) level.

Lauren said: “There is a strong network of facilitators who promote the importance of good data quality in the West Midlands. It is encouraging to know that data quality is also on the SHA’s agenda, after they asked what PRIMIS+ can do to help.”

The SHA is also confident that the guidance will have a positive impact on data quality and underlined its commitment to improving the accuracy of the shared records held in the region.

When asked about the guidance an NHS West Midlands spokesperson said: “The main advantages are to ensure a consistent and standardised approach across the region. It is important that as an SHA, we share best practice and tell PCTs what the baselines are.

“The guidance is being strongly driven by our clinical leads. We are confident, that with the appropriate cascade to practice level, it will be recognised and used by practices across the region.”

The report itself, entitled ‘West Midlands GP Data Quality Guidance for Primary Care Trusts’, brings together existing documentation into a streamlined approach to improve data quality. The existing documentation consists of:

• Royal College of General Practitioners Good Practice Guidelines v3.1

• Quality and Outcomes Framework: The West Midlands Guide 2009-10

• Summary Care Record Exclusion Data Set

• Data Quality Evaluation for the Summary Care Record (University College London)

The report goes on to provide guidance for PCTs overseeing paperlight accreditation, summarising and data quality audits.

It also recommends that facilitators offer training and support to all practices in their PCT, stating that this will “encourage an SHA wide approach to data quality as well as providing minimum and gold standards for data quality in general practice”.

The report continues: “It will be the individual PCT’s responsibility to ensure that each of the practices wishing to submit their summaries to the national shared record must adhere to the recommendations laid out in this guidance.”

It recommends that PCTs continue to provide well-trained data quality facilitators to assist practices to:

• appraise their data quality and extend their availability where necessary

• identify gaps and provide training in data quality improvement and monitoring

• share good practice approaches

This approach has made it imperative to get support from data quality facilitators and initial feedback has been very positive. Tina Clarke, a facilitator at NHS Dudley, has backed the initiative and believes that take up of this guidance will be well received in practices.

Tina said: “I think it is important to provide practices with this guidance. With the IM&T DES (Information Management and Technology Directed Enhanced Service) no longer available this guidance is an essential addition to the accelerated roll out of Summary Care Records at the forefront of good data quality.

“With this type of information being made available to all practices this will not only reassure and encourage practices to look at their data quality but will provide them with ‘standards’ that they can all work towards.”