Core principles

Consult

Before implementing any new system or service:

• Check with patients to see what they think.
• Check with your primary care trust to see if they are considering supporting any such systems or have some valuable information.
• Check with staff to see whether they see a need.
• Check with nearby practices to see if they have done something similar.

Value for money

Is the solution you’re considering the most cost-effective? Are there alternative options that you could try first?

Training

To get the most out of any new system or service, staff will need to be fully trained on its potential.

Communicate

It is crucial that patients know about the change or new system. They should be kept involved and informed throughout the process. Otherwise, they may never find out about your efforts.

Evaluate

You will want to monitor and evaluate the effectiveness of any change or new system.

• WHY? – to justify its cost and its effectiveness.
• WHAT? – the effect on internal processes and systems, and on patients’ experience.
• WHEN? – during or after the change or both.
• HOW? – will depend on what has been implemented but one method might be to get feedback from staff and patients via surveys or groups.

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