SQAS and NHS England both work to support screening programs in the UK, but have different roles. SQAS focuses on quality assurance activities like reviewing data, assessing standards, and making recommendations to improve services. NHS England focuses on commissioning and contracting screening services, and ensuring high quality pathways across organizations through performance management and monitoring action plans when issues arise. Both aim to work with multiple groups to share best practices and commission appropriate screening for the entire population.

1. QA& NHS England
What are the differences?
London Local Screening Coordinators & Screening Support
Sonographers
Friday 9th June 2017
Presented by Louise Frost
Public Health England leads the NHS Screening Programmes

2. What do we do???
Screening Quality Assurance Service (SQAS)
• support implementation
• assessment of evidence based standards
• recommendations for quality of service improvement
NHS England
• Contract and commissioning of section 7a Screening Programmes
• performance management of whole programme pathways
• Commission and support Implementation
2 QA & NHS England

3. Screening Quality Assurance Service (SQAS)
&
Commissioners
• incident management
• KPI’s
• DQASS
• QA visit recommendations
3 QA & NHS England
What do we do??? - workshop

4. Example - Newborn Blood Spot Failsafe
Solution
SQAS
• review weekly Northgate NBSFS
reports
• contact trusts for information:
red – not received age ≥ 17 days
red - outstanding older than 35 days
red - records without user notes
records without NHS #’s
site login days
4 QA & NHS England
NHS England
• performance management of
service specification requirements:
• Assurance of coverage and
Tracking
• Assurance of Robust pathways
across multiple organisations
• Direct contracting of 1st and 2nd
line NBBS Labs including use of
NBSFS

5. SQAS
• SIAF review
 fact finding
 classification
 recommendations
 support
5 QA & NHS England
Incident management
NHS England
• review SIAF & SQAS advice
• provide action timeframe
• performance management of
action plans
• Work with and escalate to CCG /
LA colleagues where required

6. SQAS
• check all trusts have submitted
• review submitted data
• compare against national
standards
• provide recommendations
6 QA & NHS England
KPI’s
NHS England
• data sense check
• Exception reporting to account for
100% of population
• request improvement plans
• monitor at performance and
quality boards

7. DQASS
SQAS
• review DQASS data
• red flags - contact trust
• request action plans
• recommendations
• support
• inform NHS England
• escalate to national SQAS leads
7 QA & NHS England
NHS England
• request assurance of actions

8. QAvisit recommendations
SQAS
• recommendations prioritised
• Standard
• High
• Immediate
• monitor performance for first 12
months
• review response from trust
• consider timeframe for revisit
8 QA & NHS England
NHS England
• request regular updated action
plans
• review & monitor implementation
of actions to meet
recommendations
• Work with and escalate within
organisations and to CCG / LA
colleagues where required

9. Key messages
SQAS
Review data
Provide recommendations using evidence based national standards
Support achievement of required performance
NHS England
High Quality Safe Programmes across whole pathways through assurance and
monitoring of performance and actions
Work with Multiple Organisations and Commissioners
Sharing Best Practice
Commission appropriately for the population
9 QA & NHS England

10. Any questions?