NNUH Professor appointed to national quality programme
A professor at Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital (NNUH) has been appointed to a prestigious national quality programme.
Professor Alex MacGregor, Consultant Rheumatologist, at NNUH and Chair of the British Society for Rheumatology Research Committee has been appointed as senior clinical advisor on the Get It Right First Time Rheumatology group.
Getting It Right First Time (GIRFT) is a programme designed to improve clinical quality and efficiency within the NHS by reducing unwarranted variations is carrying out national reviews across 35 medical and surgical specialties.
Dr Frankie Swords, Chief of Division for Medicine at NNUH said: “This is a fantastic achievement for Alex and well-deserved recognition of clinical expertise and experience. The GIRFT programme and ultimately patients, will benefit from his insight and contribution enormously.”
Mark Davies, NNUH Chief Executive said: “I am delighted that Alex’s dedicated work has been recognised. This is another example of the Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital leading the country in areas of medicine and innovation.”
Professor Alex MacGregor said: “I am honoured to have been selected as Senior Clinical Advisor on the Rheumatology specialty group for the GIRFT programme. I am looking forward to working with the team on this programme and being part of such a positive project to improve outcomes for patients nationally.”
Professor Tim Briggs, Chair of GIRFT and National Director of Clinical Quality and Efficiency at NHS Improvement, said: “I am delighted to welcome our latest high calibre appointees – our clinical leads are all experts in their field with a detailed knowledge of the clinical services within their specialty. The GIRFT programme has brought into sharp focus the differences in the way services are delivered and our clinical leads, who all understand the challenges, are committed to finding the solutions that will deliver sustainable, high quality services, improve patient outcomes and bring about efficiencies.”
The GIRFT clinical leads visit trusts and examine trust data to look at variations and differences in areas such as effective procedures and treatments, length of hospital stay, patient care management and costs. They work with trust clinical teams and managers to explore the challenges they face, and to understand the variations and what needs to be done to address them. They also oversee the creation of a national report into their specialty which provides detailed evidence of the benefits of proposed improvements and sets out a range of recommendations to improve patient care and outcomes.
The GIRFT specialty groups will visit every trust in England that undertakes their specialty. The new rheumatology programme starts in the early part of 2018. The newly appointed GIRFT Rheumatology clinical leads are:
Joint Clinical Leads: Dr Lesley Kay, Consultant Rheumatologist, Newcastle Upon Tyne Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, and Chair of the British Society for Rheumatology Clinical Affairs Committee; and, Dr Peter Lanyon, Consultant Rheumatologist, Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust and President of the British Society for Rheumatology.
Senior Clinical Advisor: Professor Alex MacGregor, Consultant Rheumatologist, Norfolk and Norwich University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, and Chair of the British Society for Rheumatology Research Committee.
Notes to editors
Getting It Right First Time (GIRFT) is a national programme, led by frontline clinicians, to help improve the quality of care within the NHS by identifying and reducing unwarranted variations in service and practice. It is a partnership between the NHS Royal National Orthopaedic Hospital Trust (RNOH) and the Operational Productivity Directorate of NHS Improvement (NHSI).
For more information contact:
Melanie.Proudfoot@nhs.net Mob: 07825 726 256