The global aim of the Stroke Clinical Quality Programme is to improve the outcome and experience of care of stroke patients in NHS Lothian. The focus is on the parameters which have established evidence for having an effect on patient outcomes, e.g. stroke unit care, early swallow screening, brain imaging, acute aspirin use, delays to assessment in specialist neurovascular clinics, delivery of thrombolysis and early carotid intervention.

To support this programme, a clinical lead and project manager were appointed in October 2015. The Stroke Service Quality Improvement Board (SSQIB) was then established through the amalgamation of the two services.

The Clinical Quality Improvement work, which is now underway sits under the guidance of the SSQIB, and work has been done to map current clinical care processes and identify where there is opportunity to reduce variation. They have also identified other improvement opportunities and started to initiate improvement projects using Quality Improvement (QI) Methodology in order to generate an evidence-based care process model. Staff are currently attending the Quality Academy and participating in courses to undertake an improvement project as part of the learning. Key to the success of the programme will be evidence of systematic learning from the projects undertaken, no matter how small or large.