ABSTRACT
This chapter highlights the importance of monitoring and measuring quality within general practice. It provides tools for implementing quality checks within practice, and uses the seven pillars of clinical governance to explore all the relevant areas for attention within general practice care when considering quality improvement. Quality improvement can only be achieved by input from a wide range of sources – including individuals from within the practice, but also extending to a number of NHS and Department of Health organizations. Quality improvement can be effectively considered under the seven pillars of clinical governance, namely: risk management, clinical effectiveness, education, training and Continuing professional development (CPD), use of information, staffing and staff management, clinical audit, patient/service user and public involvement. Evaluation should be considered from a variety of perspectives in order to make it meaningful, and is a vital component of quality assurance. There are two phases to evaluation – formative and summative.
