Using service improvement methodology to change practice
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Using service improvement methodology to change practice

William Gage Lead nurse for practice development and innovation, Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust, London.

This article discusses the role of service improvement methodology in changing the quality of care delivered. It outlines the six-stage framework for quality improvement recommended by the NHS Institute for Innovation and Improvement. The reader is encouraged to complete a series of activities to plan and deliver a service improvement project. Potential challenges to the successful delivery of a service improvement project are also considered. The article concludes with an example of the use of the six-stage framework to improve the quality of urinary catheter care in one acute NHS trust.

Nursing Standard. 27, 23, 51-57. doi: 10.7748/ns2013.02.27.23.51.e7241R1

Peer review

This article has been subject to double blind peer review

Received: 03 October 2012

Accepted: 16 November 2012

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