Keogh tells HQIP delegates 'clinicians, boards and national audits must adapt' to meet expectations

10 October 2011

NHS Medical Director Professor Sir Bruce Keogh used his keynote speech at today's HQIP Annual Conference to call on clinicians, boards and national audit projects to make the necessary changes required to provide an efficient, patient-focused healthcare system with clinical audit at its heart.

Keogh said that economics would be the "number one driver in the NHS for the next 10 years" and cited the estimated £20bn shortfall in funding. He said that private businesses wishing to succeed in tough economic climates "take stock of what they have, consult their customers and innovate", adding: "the really important thing here is to get Trust boards to focus on patient satisfaction right down to ward level."

He went on to outline how clinician involvement was imperative to achieving changes via clinical audit. "Clinical audit is fundamental to establishing what clinicians do and how well they do it. Clinicians should support any decision to make information more available or, in my opinion, they should not be doing their job," he said.

Questioned by a delegate as to how he the Department of Health might engage a group traditionally reluctant to participate in audit, Keogh stated: "I have grappled with this. People need to know there is a freedom and an expectation to participate. There are various ways to help that happen including increased public reporting, Quality Accounts, links to the Merit Award system for doctors where that is relevant and it is likely that this will be a focus for the new commissioning groups once they are established."

Regarding national clinical audits and their impacts, Keogh urged delegates to pass on their experiences so decisions can be made as to which audits are re-commissioned. "We need your feedback," he said. "We may need to ask some pretty penetrating questions and we may need to jettison those national audits that do not make sense from a patient perspective and do not represent value for money."

The HQIP Annual Conference runs today and tomorrow at Mercure Manchester Piccadilly.