National Projects
Pilot Sites
During 2009/10 NHS Improvement worked with 18 pilot sites across England, as part of the Department of Health National Audiology Programme, to identify and share innovative ways to improve the quality of the patient experience, increase productivity and sustain improvements. Click HERE to see pilot sites. The pilots centred around five project areas:
- Tinnitus
- Balance (Adults and/or Children)
- Children’s Hearing (including transition to Adult Services)
- Adults - age related hearing loss
- Adults – complex/specialist needs
Sites have started to develop measurable quality and productivity benefits of pathway redesign emerging priniciples were identified:
- Access to care in the community – saving on secondary care overheads and fewer DNAs etc, and adding quality to patient experience through ease of access
- Direct access to audiology services as the default pathway – saving on repeat / multiple appointments
- Implementing One-stop pathways as default – encouraging adoption of the assess and fit – saving on multiple appointments and making best use of available resources
- Adoption of individual management plans across services – saving on ad hoc visits / follow ups and identifying any problems at an early stage in the process
- Developing standardised specifications and pathways for those identified with complex hearing problems – developing communities of practice to support delivery of these services – providing early diagnosis and making best use of specialist resources.
Key learning from the 18 pilot sites can be found in summary report. Click HERE to view the report. Detailed project reports and resources can be found HEREa>. The last Pilot Sites Workshop took place in London on 30th September. Click HERE to see the presentations from the day.
