Who are we and What do we do?
Forth Valley Quality is made up of four small teams supporting research and development, innovation, clinical governance, improvement. We work collaboratively with other teams and services to support transformation and deliver organisational quality priorities.
Programmes and projects are prioritised through the NHS Forth Valley Quality Programme Board and the Systems Leadership Team. All emphasise patient, service user and staff experience, efficiency, innovation and safety.
We also deliver training and coaching in continuous quality improvement, team, pathway and service design, R&D, innovation and transformation and can give guidance and help in creating the conditions for these. You can request help, information, or support via fv.fvquality@nhs.scot.
The Clinical Governance Team support includes setting and assuring standards of care and safety and our approaches to reviewing significant adverse events, duty of candour and building a just culture.
Our R&D Team, including clinical research nurses, supports staff who want to undertake clinical and non-clinical research. Our staff provide advice and training and have links with Forth Valley College, Stirling and Strathclyde Universities.
Over the next few months you’ll hear from teams and staff that we work with celebrating change and sharing their experience and learning. Get in touch, if you have a story to share.
Programmes of Work
See the Programmes of Work page for more information on the different projects we support.
- If you are interested in transformation or service design and innovation email fv.innovation@nhs.scot
- For research and development visit the Research section or email fv.randd-depart@nhs.scot
- Quality infrastructure and improvement email fv.fvquality@nhs.scot
- Clinical Governance, safety and assurance email fv.clinicalgovernance@nhs.scot
What is our approach – Quality Strategy
Extensive consultation and engagement across Forth Valley between health and social care was undertaken with 5 priorities and 10 objectives set out using the Quality Strategy approach.
The Strategy describes our system for managing quality (QMS), which will involve effectively planning for quality, controlling and assuring quality and improving quality. Our Forth Valley approach to each of these is detailed and at the heart of this is a learning system that is about how we share and learn from information about the quality of the care and support that we deliver.
How to undertake an improvement project
Careful consideration is required before you start a project and certain factors need to be, considered: Caldicott, Ethics, Equality & Diversity; Information Governance and Forth Valley Quality Strategy. Once you have considered these factors then you will know which category your work fits into: research project, service evaluation, audit, QI project or innovation.
Toolkit
One of our key priorities to support sustainable improvement across Forth Valley is to have a consistent and coherent approach to Quality. Quality improvement (QI) should be accessible to everyone and easy to follow whether you have a quality issue you want to improve, have a number of improvement ideas within your team or want to improve a pathway.
The toolkit has been designed using the evidence base and brings together the best of our local and national resources to provide an easy to follow guide to help you on your improvement journey.
Quality & People Academy
See the Quality & People Academy page for more information on the different training and coaching we offer.