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Annex C
Organisations involved in developing the standards
NHS Quality Improvement Scotland
NHSQIS was set up by the Scottish Parliament in 2003 to take the lead in improving the quality of care and treatment delivered by NHS Scotland. NHSQIS does this by setting standards and monitoring performance against these, and by providing NHS Scotland with advice, guidance and support on effective clinical practice and service improvements. These aims are pursued by NHSQIS in partnership with healthcare professionals and the public.
The Scottish Executive's White Paper, Partnership for Care, published in March 2003, confirmed these functions and also announced that a new Scottish Health Council would replace Scotland's 15 local health councils. The new Scottish Health Council was established as part of NHSQIS in April 2005, but with a distinct identity. NHSQIS also supports and facilitates the work of the Scottish Intercollegiate Guidelines Network ( SIGN) and the Scottish Medicines Consortium ( SMC).
NHSQIS values:
Patient and public focus
- promoting a patient-focused NHS that is responsive to the views of the public
Independence
- reaching its own conclusions and communicating what it finds
Partnership
- involving patients, carers and the public in all parts of its work
- working with and supporting NHS staff in improving quality
- collaborating with other organisations such as public bodies, voluntary organisations and manufacturers to avoid duplication of effort
Evidence-based
- basing conclusions and recommendations on the best evidence available
Openness and transparency
- promoting understanding of its work
- explaining the rationale for its recommendations and conclusions
- communicating in language and formats that are easily accessible
Quality assurance
- aiming to focus its work on areas where significant improvements can be made
- ensuring that its work is subject to internal and external quality assurance and evaluation
Professionalism
- promoting excellence individually and as teams and ensuring value for money in the use of public resources (human and financial)
Sensitivity
- recognising the needs, opinions and beliefs of individuals and organisations, and respecting and encouraging diversity
The National Care Standards Committee ( NCSC)
The remit for the NCSC from Scottish Ministers is to develop national care standards that are focused on the people who use the services and what they can expect as a result of using them.
The NCSC carries out its work with the help of working groups. These groups include people who use the services, their families and carers, along with staff, professional associations, regulators, local authorities, health boards and independent providers. Many others are involved in the consultation process.
The NCSC has developed all the national care standards from the point of view of the person using the service. The standards describe what the individual person can expect from the service provider as he or she experiences the service.
The standards are based on a set of principles. These principles are the result of all the contributions made by the NCSC, its working groups and everyone who responded to the consultations on the standards as they were being developed and written. The principles are:
Dignity
Your right to:
- be treated with dignity and respect at all times; and
- enjoy a full range of social relationships
Privacy
Your right to:
- have your privacy and property respected; and
- be free from unnecessary intrusion
Choice
Your right to:
- make informed choices, while recognising the rights of other people to do the same; and
- know about the range of choices.
Safety
Your right to:
- feel safe and secure in all aspects of life, including health and wellbeing;
- enjoy safety but not be over-protected; and
- be free from exploitation and abuse
Realising potential
Your right to have the opportunity to:
- achieve all you can
- make full use of the resources that are available to you; and
- make the most of your life
Equality and diversity
Your right to:
- live an independent life, rich in purpose, meaning and personal fulfilment;
- be valued for your ethnic background, language, culture and faith;
- be treated equally and live in an environment which is free from bullying, harassment and discrimination; and
- be able to complain effectively without fear of victimisation.
To date, 21 sets of national care standards have been published for 21 different care services. You can see them online at:
www.scotland.gov.uk/publications
Copies of the national care standards are available free from:
Blackwell's Bookshop 53 South Bridge Edinburgh EH1 1YS
Tel: 0131 622 8283 or 0131 622 8258 Email: business.edinburgh@blackwell.co.uk
The Scottish Commission for the Regulation of Care
The Regulation of Care (Scotland) Act 2001 ('the Act') set up the Care Commission, which registers and inspects all the services regulated under the Act, taking account of the national care standards issued by Scottish Ministers. The Care Commission has its headquarters in Dundee, with regional offices across the country.
It will assess applications from people who want to provide private dental services. It will inspect the services to make sure that they are meeting the regulations and in doing so will take account of the national care standards. You can find out more about the
Care Commission and what it does from its website ( www.carecommission.com ).
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