How the Deanesly Centre has used CHKS accreditation to ensure continual service improvement and trust board assurance

CHKS Accreditation - people around a table

How the Deanesly Centre has used CHKS accreditation to ensure continual service improvement and trust board assurance.

Background
The Royal Wolverhampton NHS Trust is a major acute trust providing a comprehensive range of services for the people of Wolverhampton, the wider Black Country, South Staffordshire, North Worcestershire and Shropshire. The Cancer Centre is located in a specialist unit called the Deansely Centre.
 
The scale of the challenge
The 1995 Calman Hine Report led to the requirement for all radiotherapy departments to have an accredited quality management system and, within this, quality assurance programmes in place. An accredited quality system is now also a requirement for peer review measures and Ionising Radiation (Medical Exposure) Regulations.
 
Diana Williams, governance manager, Directorate of Oncology & Clinical Haematology, explains the challenge was to find a certification system that was flexible and suitable to a clinical environment - rather than one that was devised for manufacturing.
 
Meeting the challenge
Diana says two aspects of CHKS accreditation made it attractive to the centre. First was the dual award of accreditation with ISO9001:2008 certification and second was the flexibility to include other services within the Directorate. “Working with CHKS meant that we could meet the ISO standard and also gain quality accreditation at the same time,” she says.
 
Client manager support has enabled real service improvement. The standards are thorough covering both national and trust requirements evidenced not only through documented policy and procedure but also through observation and robust discussions with management and staff.
 
“From the Trust’s perspective accreditation has meant that we were able to help meet the challenge of NHSLA compliance and CQC requirements as the evidence was already in place. Documentation control has ensured easy access to appropriate evidence when required.”
 
The quality system has provided a formal support framework for the department and has helped to identify any areas for development so that systems can be strengthened. “The process highlights the department’s successes and celebrates them as well as acknowledging any improvements that can be made. This shows our commitment to quality, service improvement and our patients,” says Diana.
 
The unit was first awarded accreditation in 2002 for the Radiotherapy Service and the success encouraged the department to include the chemotherapy service from 2005 and Radiotherapy Physics from 2008.
 
The benefits of working with CHKS
  • CHKS accreditation has provided the department with  structure and ensures there is a focus on quality and service improvement
  • The accreditation process has helped provide robust clinical assurance for the Chief Executive and  the Board
  • The flexibility to discuss issues has helped the Directorate feel supported and there is always positive interaction between the Directorate and the Health Accreditation Quality Unit
  • The Directorate is able to use insight from other Oncology departments that CHKS has worked with to overcome any issues that arise

For advice and further information email info@chks.co.uk.

From the Trust's perspective accreditation has meant that we were able to help meet the challenge of NHSLA compliance and CQC requirements as the evidence was already in place. Documentation control has ensured easy access to appropriate evidence when required.

Diana Williams, Governance Manager, The Royal Wolverhampton NHS Trust

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