Processes

Having considered the five component areas of our healthcare system (Person, Organization, Environment, Technology & Tools, Tasks) the SEIPS model then encourages us to consider the Processes this system is used to support. To use a computing analogy; the five component parts represent our hardware, Processes are the software it runs.

Healthcare processes can be considered across two domains; namely, Care processes and Other Supportive processes.

Care processes include each step along a patient's journey, from pre-hospital care, through to operation and post-operative care, and can be considered in isolation or linked together into care pathways.

These Care processes are deeply influenced by additional Supportive processes; which include processes such as Research, Recruitment & Retention, Training & Regulation, and Quality Assurance. 

Activity and Resources

Care Processes

Many of the College’s activities focus on specific processes within the care pathway. These are accessible via the RCSEd course library. The ICONS (Informed Consent, Sharing the Decision) course was developed in response to the inadequacies exposed by the Montgomery case and aims to develop skills and knowledge to implement best practice in sharing complex decisions. The ‘Ward Round Toolkit’ on-line resource, developed in conjunction with the Health Foundation, helps to develop non-technical skills and a consistent approach to practice.

The Patient Safety Group have provided guidance on the implementation of Duty of Candour legislation, providing helpful advice on the processes that need to be followed to keep patients and their families fully informed after an adverse event.

With the True Cut: The Surgeons Blade Cuts Both Ways Public Engagement Event, the College aims to shed light on what happens when things go wrong in surgery. This play brings the hidden world of the operating theatre onto the stage, facilitating discussion of the issues between surgeons and the general public.

The College strives to ensure optimal peri-operative care for patients and is proud to be a Centre for Peri-Operative Care (CPOC) Partner and to be represented by our Patient Safety Group Chair on the Board. CPOC is a cross-specialty, multidisciplinary initiative led by the Royal College of Anaesthetists dedicated to the promotion, advancement and development of peri-operative care for the benefit of patients at all stages of their surgical journey.

Other Supportive Processes

‘Best care’ evolves as research identifies new medicines, techniques, or methods for care delivery and so simply standing still for too long is to jeopardize safety. The College supports a strong research agenda, encompassing basic science, translational and clinical research through our grants programme. We have awarded over £7million over the past 20 years. The Research Committee aims to assist in research developments and support the next generation of surgeons at key stages in their career with the overarching aim of benefitting patients and improving care. The Committee meets three time per year to review the research strategy, offer guidance on research funding allocations, assess the portfolio of fellowships and grants and create long-term plans to support areas of potential research through partnerships, specialist knowledge and medical expertise.

Recruitment and retention of staff remains a key aspect of College activity. At each step of the career pathway, individuals are encouraged and enabled to take -up and enjoy a fulfilling career. Resources are on hand to help navigate this career.

Surgeons Quarter, the hospitality wing of RCSEd, also acts to provide financial and other support to College activity. As a charity, the College is run on a ‘not-for-profit’ basis and any profit generated from its commercial/hospitality activity is used to support its other core activities. During the COVID pandemic 10 Hill Place, the College Hotel, was used to provide free accommodation to frontline healthcare staff.

Learn more about the other areas of the SEIPS model here.


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