PTI Newsletter

In this issue

• Practice Team Information – Improving our processes
• ISD Publications
• Practice Migrations
• Staff changes

Practice Team Information – Improving our processes

In common with NHS Boards across Scotland, ISD has been working to improve our productivity and the quality of our services whilst at the same time making efficiency savings. During June, the ISD PTI team undertook a significant review of some of the key parts of our work, including practice visits and how we monitor and QA the data submitted by PTI practices. We are currently planning, piloting or implementing a number of changes to our processes. Several of these developments will be tangible to PTI practices as they will mean changes in how, when and why members of the team contact or visit you, or send information to you. We believe these will be changes for the better and improve your experience of PTI. What follows is a short summary of where we are currently; further updates will follow. If you have any questions or concerns we would be very happy to discuss them with you.

One Regional Project Development Officer for each practice

One change with immediate effect is the change of role of the four PTI Project Development Officers. Previously, you will have been contacted separately by different members of the team for different reasons (e.g. data extraction issues, data monitoring queries, training, QA visits). We have now reorganised the team such that each PTI practice will have one Regional Development Officer, who will be the first point of contact on any topic. We hope this will result in a more co-ordinated relationship between each practice and the ISD team. The table below shows the nominated Regional Officer for practices in each NHS Board area. For further information on the changes and how it will impact practice involvement, please contact your Regional Project Development Officer, who will be happy to discuss this with you.

Regional Project Development Officer	Covers the following NHS Board areas*
Hugh Cameron email: Hugh.cameron@nhs.net Tel: 0131 275 7083 Mob: 07867 665971	Grampian, Highland, Shetland
Andrea Hainey email: Andrea.hainey@nhs.net Tel: 0131 275 6568 Mob: 07917 173764	Ayrshire & Arran, Forth Valley, Lanarkshire
Susan MacLean email: Susan.maclean2@nhs.net Tel: 0131 275 7172 Mob: 07810 636434	Borders, Fife, Lothian, Tayside
Graham Robertson email: Graham.Robertson@nhs.net Tel: 0131 275 6318 Mob: 07917 093215	Dumfries & Galloway, Greater Glasgow & Clyde

*Should your nominated contact not be available, you are still very welcome to call the PTI helpline (0131 275 6400) to speak to another member of the team.

A new Data Quality Monitoring process

As a result of our review in June the team are working to improve and streamline our processes for monitoring the completeness of PTI data submissions and measuring the validity of the data for analysis. This forms part of a new “Data Quality Monitoring” approach for PTI and will, in the coming months, mean changes for you including:

• Replacing the current Quarterly Reports with easier-to-use information on your recorded contacts, which your regional project development officer will discuss with you along with other queries they may have about your submissions (e.g. new staff IDs). We hope this will be more useful and focused for all of us as well as taking up less time.
• Instead of doing a data completeness assessment at a QA visit (by asking you to sit with a member of the ISD team as we count your appointments in a given time period) we will ask you for information by phone or email to allow us to do this. This approach has been piloted and found to be quick to do as well as allowing us to make more frequent assessment of completeness than we can currently do through the QA cycle.

What next?

We are planning a range of further changes that will be noticeable to you, and will keep you posted in future PTI updates. Additionally, please feel free at any time to contact a member of the team with any queries you may have.

ISD Publications

Recent ISD publications which you may find of interest are as follows with appropriate web links:
Quality & Outcomes Framework (QOF) of the new GMS contract – Scotland level prevalence figures 2009/10

The volume of prescription items dispensed where the patient holds a pre-payment is increasing, whilst the volume of prescription items dispensed where the patient pays a charge at the point of issue is decreasing overall.
Prescribing Statistics

• Reimbursement and remuneration paid to dispensing contractors.
• Annual and quarterly update of prescription charges.
• Previously published annual update of smoking cessation interventions update to show NHS board detail.

Other ISD publications can be found using the following link:
Isdscotland – latest statistics

Practice Migrations

We now have how nearly 50% of PTI practices which have migrated from Gpass to either Emis or Vision and are acutely aware of the difficulties practices have at the time of migration. As the remainder of practices get closer to their time to change system we remind you of the importance of letting us know when you are scheduled to change.

By giving us as much notice as possible, PTI will work with both practice and suppliers to assist in a smooth transfer from one system to the other. PTI as part of the practice migration offer practices additional Read code training following the “go live” period of the new system. This has received positive feedback from practices who have already migrated.

For further information on PTI involvement in your migration please contact your Regional Project Development Officer.

Staff changes

Along with the changes within PTI following the Lean process there has also been some staff movement within the team. On her return from maternity leave Meena Johnstone has left PTI to become programme manager of the Unscheduled Care Information programme. Prior to her departure we made good use of Meena's knowledge of PTI during our June process review her input contributed greatly to this. We wish Meena all the very best in her new post.

To replace Meena we welcome Margaret Mason to PTI. Margaret had been managing PTI during Meena's absence and now takes on the role permanently albeit on a part time basis. Margaret is also ISD's Data Quality Assurance Manager for other data streams and comes to the team with a wealth of knowledge and experience from within ISD and from various roles in the acute and secondary service.

All practices should contact their Regional Project Development Officer in the first instance.