HQIP commissioned to deliver National Clinical Audit until 2021

Published: 19 Apr 2018

The Healthcare Quality Improvement Partnership (HQIP) is pleased to announce that it has been re-commissioned to deliver the National Clinical Audit and Patient Outcome Programme (NCAPOP) for a further three year period on behalf of NHS England, the Welsh Government and other devolved nations.

The programme currently includes 40 specialty-specific national projects covering a range of medical, surgical and mental health conditions, such as cancer, cardiac, dementia, diabetes, and paediatric intensive care. National clinical audits are mandatory in the NHS and lead to real, tangible improvements in care and processes.

Building on its achievements from the last ten years, HQIP will continue to commission and manage the national clinical audit programme with the intent of supporting the NHS to deliver high quality patient care. HQIP was established in 2008 and awarded the first NCAPOP contract in the same year.

HQIP is an independent organisation led by the Academy of Medical Royal Colleges, The Royal College of Nursing and National Voices. HQIP promotes quality in healthcare, and in particular aims to increase the impact of clinical audit.

HQIP chair of Trustees, Professor Dame Donna Kinnair, said: “I am delighted that HQIP’s record of delivering the national clinical audit programme has been recognised through our successful bid to deliver the NCAPOP contract going forward. The NCAPOP plays a fundamental role in supporting improvements to patient care, quality assurance of care and clinical governance. We will continue to work towards achieving greater impact from clinical audit and so improve care for patients. We look forward to achieving this by working closely with our provider partners and the professional associations who carry out the national clinical audits.”

HQIP medical director, Professor Danny Keenan, said: “National Clinical Audit is one of the best tools available to assess the effectiveness of clinical care. It does this by allowing clinicians to benchmark themselves against standards, both national and international, comparing their performance against others. It highlights variations in care which are addressed in the recommendations, and leads to important changes in practices to the benefit of patients. I look forward to continuing to lead on this important activity, working with clinicians, managers, commissioners and patients, but with a sharp focus on supporting clinicians to review their practice and thereby improve clinical outcomes across the NHS.”

HQIP chief executive officer, Jane Ingham, said: “We are very proud to be reappointed to deliver this vital work for the NHS. Through this role it is imperative that we maximise the impact of this programme to support the delivery of high quality patient care whilst minimising the burden of participation. As an organisation, HQIP will continue to ensure NCAPOP maintains a strong focus on issues important to patients and clinicians and provides them with high quality relevant information to support their improvement activities”.