Entries for the 2005 Awards close at the end of June so there is still time to write up and submit your initiative.
Entry to the main Award category is open to NHS healthcare professionals involved in implementing national evidence-based guidance in any clinical area in primary or shared care. There are also 10 sponsored categories for primary and shared care projects to implement national evidence-based guidance in the following clinical areas:
- Asthma
- CHD and hypertension
- COPD
- Diabetes
- Epilepsy
- Medicines management
- Mental health
- Older people
- Smoking cessation
- Stroke and TIA.
This year we have broadened the entry criteria to include projects related to the indicators in the nGMS contract as well as initiatives based on the NSFs and NICE, SIGN or academic professional body guidance.
Many practices have been very successful in tackling the indicators in the nGMS contract and have developed innovative ways of working to achieve this. We are sure that there are many examples of good practice associated with fulfilling the indicators that would form the basis of a suitable project to enter. So why not give it a go.
Below we have set out some examples of changes you may have made in your practice which have enabled you to tackle the indicators, in one or more disease areas, successfully. Check through the list to see which elements may apply in your practice and could form the basis for, or be part of, your entry.
We have provided some tips to help you succeed (see Box), and you may find the following general observations about last year’s entries useful.
- Establishing or redesigning a service or model of care, especially if a novel approach is taken, is important if patient care is to be improved, but you must show it works.
- Disseminating information and improving knowledge and competency is something to aim for, but you must also show that you have put the improved skills into practice.
- Prescribing reviews are an important component of good clinical care, but carrying out a desk-top audit and forgetting about the patient is far from ideal.
- Keep it simple. Care pathways must not be too complicated.
The entry form plus full details on how to enter the Awards can be found online at here.
Judges’ tips for success | |
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Have you taken an innovative approach to tackling the nGMS contract? Examples of practice changes you may have made to achieve the indicators |
New ways of working |
Team working |
Skill mix Addressing training needs: in-house/local or national courses Extending staff roles even across professional boundaries Using/employing new professional groups |
Developing protocols |
Methods of communication Includes all team members/associated professionals/patients Keeping everyone informed, e.g. by newsletter/bulletin board/intranet |
IT Data capture methods and computer input Processes for updating database/registers Inputting laboratory results |
Providing incentives Encouraging patients to attend/using extended home visiting Extended hours access Staff incentives |
Liaison with other services Primary care organisation run services, e.g. smoking cessation clinics Local agencies/charities/voluntary sector/specialist services, e.g. Macmillan Nurses |
Engaging with patients Developing concept of expert patient Local campaigns: flu/BP/stroke days Health promotion: specific initiatives/using new methods of dissemination |
Audit: showing an improvement Show that changes that are introduced are effective and lead to improvements in care |
![]() | Guidelines in Practice, May 2005, Volume 8(5) |
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