The 11 national organisations who together are responsible for the regulation and oversight of general practice in England have published a joint view of the principles that define quality in general practice. This national strategy will form the basis for defining quality measures and best practice.
Today, the Regulation of General Practice Programme Board (RGPPB) publishes its statement on the shared view of quality in general practice. It was developed with the support of organisations representing providers, professionals and the public, and draws together existing frameworks into an overarching set of principles. By bringing together multiple definitions of quality, the Board can begin to reduce the workload and duplication for health care providers in providing evidence of outcomes for quality assurance. This was a key aim set out in the General Practice Forward View (GPFV), NHS England’s strategy for GP services.
The shared view of quality does not describe a set of processes, pathways or clinical outcomes as these will are improved continually. An overly prescriptive definition would inhibit quality, as it would be limited by our current understanding of best practice.
Professor Steve Field, Chief Inspector of General Practice and co-Chair of the RGPPB said:
“There is little argument that general practice is one of the most important elements of health care in England.
“There are various organisations that play a role in the regulation and oversight of general practice and to not work constructively with each other would be a disservice to the hard work of GPs and practice teams across the country.
“That is why, for the first time, we have brought together these bodies to agree a clear, common vision of the kind of service that all general practices should provide and that all patients in England are entitled to expect.
“Importantly, this is not a new additional framework but a set of guiding principles for compassionate and patient-centred care, capturing the essence of general practice.
“Taking the same approach to assessing quality means we can begin to streamline our work and reduce duplication, thereby making it easier for practices to respond.
Over the next year, as national organisations, commissioners, health care practitioners and those representing patients, we will provide clarity on how we will embed the shared view of quality in the oversight, regulation, commissioning and provision of general practice.”
This is not a new additional framework but a set of guiding principles for compassionate and patient-centred care, capturing the essence of general practice.
Professor Steve Field