Cystic fibrosis team wins audit prize

The adult cystic fibrosis (CF) team at Barts and The London NHS trust won first prize in a pan-London clinical audit event – a multi-professions competition designed to promote and share good practice in clinical audit.

Pamela Isherwood and Charlotte Wells put forward their project ‘Meeting the physiotherapy needs of adults with cystic fibrosis in a challenging time’ under the ‘Service user involvement’ category, and scooped the top prize.

Their project commissioned the trust’s clinical effectiveness unit to interview patients and involve them in the direction and growth of the service. In total, 42 per cent of patients were interviewed through 2010-2011.

‘When thinking about how to best develop our service, we considered the national standards of care,  available resources and external pressures,’ Miss Isherwood said. ‘But we also wanted to focus on our patients needs, and ask them “what would your dream service look like?”.’

‘The interviews showed some really interesting results, particularly how patients’ needs varied with the severity of their CF.

We were surprised at the number wanting relaxation, exercise and support with home treatment planning, even those with more mild CF.’

Changes to practice have involved extending appointment times, developing local standards for audit purposes and criteria for home visits.

The project also proved crucial in securing resources and funding for the service, and backing a successful bid to buy new equipment for patients and fund a re-developed gym.