IQPAM update
There is a national mandate for health and care services to make better use of data and information for performance management and continuous quality improvement. The DCHS Board have endorsed IQPAM as our means of delivering this mandate. IQPAM stands for Integrated Quality and Performance Assurance Matrix, and it is a strategic priority for us. The methodology involves teams and services working to develop their measures that matter which populate the 35 cells of the matrix. Measures are both qualitative and quantitative and using Power BI and other tools we will have automated feeds into the matrix dashboards.
Our promise is that the measures that matter will be locally determined, considering commissioning, contracts, service specifications, quality standards, evidence based best practice, national and local guidance and regulatory frameworks. If you choose a measure we don’t currently capture, we will find a way to do it! We have learned a great deal about this whole process during our early implementation and now we are ready to take things forward.
The Executive team have recently agreed recurrent funding to support the roll out of IQPAM. We will be recruiting to project manager and data analyst roles initially. This will complement the many people already involved across operational and enabling services. Over the next few months, we will agree a project plan with key milestones and timescales, defining the work of the IQPAM Operational Group and Senior Team.
Our Integrated Sexual Health services have advanced their IQPAM work to the stage it is ready to test in a live dashboard. Getting that fully up and running will be our first step, as a proof of concept and to quantify the resources required. With project management in place, we can then agree an end-to-end plan to bring each service line and team on board. Implementing IQPAM is a large-scale transformation project in how we use data and information and how we empower people to own performance and quality improvement.
There are important benefits to being able to use data and information in this way for both staff and service users. When those closest to delivering or receiving services are deciding the quality and performance measures that matter, we can achieve more personalised and meaningful outcomes. Staff have greater control and autonomy and, through the choice of leading measures in real time, have more influence over service improvements and working practices. Part of the project will be to continually make sure these benefits are realised.
We should also say that getting it right takes time. This is a new way of working and we now have a better understanding of the pace at which we can move. Realistically, even with dedicated resources, it will take a couple of years to fully roll out IQPAM and embed the dashboards into everyday use.
All the work everyone has done so far on IQPAM is incredibly valuable and appreciated. It has contributed to our understanding of how to proceed and has convinced us of the investment. Even before the stage of having a fully functional electronic IQPAM dashboard, there is value in having the conversation about measures that matter and using these to assess progress. We encourage everyone to continue to learn about this methodology and engage with IQPAM, in the knowledge that we are investing in the people we need to support this important programme.
Click here to read a PowerPoint presentation on IQPAM, from Dr Ben Pearson.