Change management in cancer care: a one-stop gynaecology clinic

Abstract

'Creating a Patient-Led NHS' (Department of Health, 2005b) advises us to develop services with the patient at the centre of all that we do. In today's current agenda for reform and improvement, with the additional pressure on organizations to achieve Government performance targets where there is increasing demand and limited resources, it is sometimes difficult to provide the optimum patient experience. This article describes how a district general hospital used continuous quality improvement methodology to improve quality of care when developing a one-stop diagnostic clinic for patients urgently referred with suspected gynaecological cancer. As well as increasing clinic capacity and meeting access targets, redesigning the patient care pathway to improve services also provides the opportunity to build in patient choice and convenience. The article also discusses how clinical teams can involve patients when planning and evaluating services, and explores user involvement as a core component of continuous quality improvement methodology.