The NBOCA Quality Improvement priorities were developed in consultation with stakeholders in the Clinical Reference Group and are described in the NBOCA Quality Improvement Plan.
NBOCA Quality Improvement Plan NBOCA MetricsThe NBOCA Quality Improvement goals are:
- Improving the diagnostic pathway
- Improving perioperative care
- Improving oncological care
- Improving management of stage four disease
- Improving end of life care
NICE quality standards for bowel cancer in adults
Early Signal Reporting
The introduction of quarterly reporting offers a new perspective on the performance of NHS trusts. In particular, it is now possible to identify a change over time which may reflect an emerging problem. However, by using rapid cancer registration data, there is always the possibility that unusual results arise by chance, or from factors affecting data quality. We therefore propose an informal process to flag unusual results to providers. We recommend providers investigate the flagged indicators, either because the figures look unusually poor or good. This process is known as `Early Signal Reporting’.
The method of identifying early signals is designed to detect either a NHS trust whose performance has recently changed, or one that is consistently different to the national average.
If a trust is contacted, they are first asked to check whether the data on patient numbers is consistent with their own records, and to improve data submissions to the cancer registration service should they differ. If the data is correct the trust is asked whether they are already aware of anything that may have resulted in the early signal, and to establish whether the data have revealed a real underlying issue, an example of excellent practice or an effective quality improvement initiative.
For any queries relating to this please contact [email protected]
Introduction to Quality Improvement
Links to organisations providing essential reading and background to Quality Improvement
| Source | Title |
| Royal College of Surgeons of England | Quality improvement in surgery |
| Royal College of Radiologists | Quality Improvement in Clinical Radiology |
| HQIP | HQIP eLearning |
| Hughes, RG | Tools and strategies for quality improvement and patient safety |
| Health Foundation | Quality improvement made simple |
| NICE | Putting NICE Guidance into practice |
| NHS Wales | Improvement Cymru |
Quality Improvement Methods and Tools
Links to useful Quality Improvement methods and tools including templates
| Source | Title |
| NHS Improvement | Quality, service improvement and redesign (QSIR) tools by stage of the patient pathway |
| NHS Improvement | Quality, service improvement and redesign (QSIR) tools by type of task |
| Institute for Healthcare Improvement | Quality Improvement Essentials Toolkit |
| HQIP | Clinical audit: a guide for NHS Boards and partners |
| East London NHS Foundation Trust | Quality Improvement Resources |
| National Institute of Clinical Excellence | Quality Improvement resources for commissioners |
National Quality Improvement programmes
National programmes working to improve the quality of care and use the findings from the NBOCA to underpin their work
| Source | Title |
| National Clinical Audit Benchmarking | Benchmarked NBOCA data utilised for CQC hospital inspections |
| Getting it Right First Time | Variation in general surgery delivery and clinical practice |