On 1 July 2024 Pinnacle moved from a quality assurance programme to a quality improvement (QI) programme in general practice. This will ultimately lead to improved health outcomes for patients.
Pinnacle engaged StayWell as an external evaluator for year one of the quality improvement programme. Staywell interviewed 10 deidentified practice teams then developed a survey for all practice staff to answer that provided information around the current programme and the way forward for Pinnacle.
The evaluation provides evidence that year one of the new QIP was successfully implemented within most practices and achieved the initial goal of increasing practice QI skills and knowledge. As with any new programme implementation, it is important to understand what worked and where there were areas for improvement.
Linked below is the Evaluation of QIP practice summary report with the recommendations made by StayWell.
We will be working through the recommendations over the next twelve months including:
QI looks at systems and processes through a cycle of improvement, which includes problem identification, planning and testing ideas, data collection and analysis, and measurement of change.
Tools are used to support practices to problem solve and access data. This includes PDSA cycles (plan, do, study, act) which many will be familiar with, and tools such as Power BI to access the data and for simple measurement.
One of the recommendations of the evaluation was to consolidate on the current programme. For this reason, we are continuing with the current programme for another twelve months giving practices time to embed the programme. PDSA cycles are being extended to every six months.
This means practices will be asked to complete two indicators.
For the second clinical indicator, practices will have the following options.
Practices are required to report by:
PDSA cycles are increased to six monthly. More details will be provided as to what needs to be reported each six months.
Development managers leading the programme in each region. These people are your first line of contact around the QI Programme.
From 1 July 2024, Pinnacle is changing the focus of the quality plan to support capacity and capability building in general practice. There will also be a change to how quality plan funds are allocated. This funding is not attached to targets, and will enable you to build capacity.
Read moreThe Waikato Medical Research Foundation exists to support and encourage research within the Waikato region and to assist in the publication of the results of this research. The Foundation awards grants that contribute to the overall costs of the research project but do not fund overheads nor profit. Grant applications of up to $50,000 are welcomed.
Read moreThis manual has been created as a resource for general practices to aid in the delivery of effective smoking cessation services. The resource will help you evaluate your current practice and identify any changes that could be made to improve your smoking cessation service and ultimately reduce the number of smokers at your practice.