Introduction

BrisDoc is committed to providing clinical care and supporting processes to an exemplary standard that ensures patients, their carers and families, and other professionals receive high quality care and support. In order to assure itself that staff are meeting the expected standards, BrisDoc will routinely audit a random sample of all contacts with patients and professionals, across all of its services, whether the contact is over the telephone or in person. Specific audits will also be undertaken to assure BrisDoc of the consistency of standards of care and practice across a service, and that a Service can work effectively and safely within the local healthcare community. Audit will provide evidence that areas of poor practice, and poor systems and processes are recognised and acted upon thereby ensuring BrisDoc continues to provide high quality patient care is accordance with its business model.

BrisDoc is committed to:

• Regularly auditing a random sample of patient and professional contacts,
• Acting appropriately on the results of those audits,
• Ensuring auditors have appropriate experience and support to undertake the role,
• Reporting results to the Urgent Care Service & Quality Board, Practice Services Governance Board, and to the Directors through the corporate dashboard,
• Undertaking an annual programme of clinical and non-clinical audits, as agreed and managed by the above Boards, that assess the outcomes of the BrisDoc services; and inform learning, development, and new/improved processes.

BrisDoc recognises that clinicians outside of surgery based general practice or urgent care settings, and clinicians working a large number of hours outside of normal opening hours are, generally, in need of a higher level of audit than clinicians within surgery based general practice and urgent care settings. In Practice Services it is felt essential to ensure quality and consistency throughout each practice’s service. To ensure targets for funding are met and high standards of patient care achieved, it is essential that consultations are recorded in a manner that records information in a certain way and is reactive to the holistic needs of the patient. With this in mind it is essential that practice EMIS records are audited to ensure consistency and completeness is maintained.

BrisDoc also recognises the need to provide a higher level of monitoring to clinicians who are unknown and therefore untested.

BrisDoc aims that any telephone call is conducted with the upmost professionalism and customer care whilst maintaining the robust process that gains the correct information from or about the patient; provides appropriate, relevant and correct advice, treatment or care; and ensures the caller knows what the next steps should be.

BrisDoc has adopted a strengthened process to provide assurance of robust audit processes and practice. Experience has shown that a small minority of staff generate the great majority of complaints and concerns. More audit resource is therefore dedicated to this small number of staff and to those new to the service