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 Stiofan deBurca, President ESQH Welcome to the second issue of our Newsletter, coming to you at a critical time for ESQH. September 2000 looks set to become a pivotal month for us, with a number of events and developments taking place. Firstly, there is our participation at the 17th Annual Conference of ISQua, being held in Dublin. The Title of our Workshop is 'Leading, Learning and Change.' More about that inside… Following from the success of our Workshops at Solothurn, Sicily and Utrecht, the ESQH Board will next be gathering in Dublin. However, instead of the usual Workshop with a scientific theme, this time round we have decided to hold a Business Meeting. The purpose of this is to take stock of our achievements, to review our current projects, and to discuss what lies on the horizon for the Society. It is my hope that what will emerge from the Meeting will be a firm and unified vision of where ESQH is going, and how its potential can be realised. An obvious benefit of this would be a renewed energy and commitment - ingredients so necessary in maintaining any Society's momentum. That momentum is readily to be found in the cluster of projects gathered together under what has come to be known as the 'Dutch ICT Proposal.' You can read further details of this inside, but it is my belief that these projects will prove a springboard for ESQH, displaying our capacity as a premier network for quality initiatives in Europe. At the time of our first Newsletter, we had been interviewing for the position of Executive Assistant. The successful candidate took up his post on June 6th, and you can read more about this inside. And so to Dublin! As President of ESQH, I'm really looking forward to our Workshop at the ISQua Conference, and to our Autumn Business Meeting. And as an Irishman, it will be nice to meet you all in our nation's capital. Cead mile failte!
ESQH in Dublin, September 2000. Last year, ESQH's Autumn Workshop was held in sunny Sicily. This year we are gathering in Dublin. While we don't hold out the same expectations for the weather, we do expect a similar level of satisfaction from our meeting. Dublin was a logical place to meet given that it is the venue for the 17th Annual Conference of the International Society for Quality in Healthcare. ESQH will be hosting a workshop on Day One of the Conference, with the Title 'Leading, Learning and Change.' The focus of the Workshop is very much on the three words in the title, and the part they play in the world of quality improvement. Chairing the Session will be The President of The UK's These two talks will be followed by a Group discussion, whereby members of the audience can ask questions or make points relevant to the addresses just delivered. Feedback from one's peers is always welcome, and immediate feedback can be particularly telling. Strasimir Cucic, of NVKZ, the Dutch Society for Quality in Healthcare will deliver a paper - "Information Technology as a Tool for Improving Healthcare." An extremely appropriate topic for Strasimir, given his personal involvement in the Dutch & ESQH's Information and Communication Proposal. As stated elsewhere in the Newsletter, this Proposal is likely to become a cornerstone of ESQH's activity in this area.And finally, we have Charles Shaw, of CASPE Research in London and former President of ISQua. Charles' presentation is 'Learning in Europe; Converging National Policy.' In this talk, Charles focuses on the various ways the quality agenda has developed throughout Europe, and examines the possibility of common approaches being initiated. Again, after these two presentations, the audience will have a chance to ask questions and air their views. That will conclude ninety minutes of ESQH's contribution to ISQua 2000. It is to be hoped that you will find them enjoyable and stimulating. ISQua 17th International Conference, Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland, Dublin, September 13th - 16th, 2000. ESQH Workshop
Presentations:
Discussion
Current Projects As well as building up a major European network for all those dedicated to improving the quality of healthcare, ESQH is itself currently engaged in several relevant projects. What links these particular projects is their application of Information & Communication Technology (ICT). The importance of ICT in healthcare has been underlined by the European Commission in a recent proposal promoting the Health Strategy of the European Community (COM (2000) 285). This proposal announces the development of a pan-European IT system delivering information to the public, health professionals and other stakeholders, and health authorities. Following ESQH's Spring Workshop in Utrecht in March of this year, the Dutch Government expressed their interest in the potential of the Society, and have matched that interest with a commitment to funding. This funding will be specifically earmarked for ESQH projects that develop the use of Information Technology. It is most likely that an official from the Dutch Ministry of Health, Welfare and Sport will be seconded to Brussels, working for ESQH and networking with professional bodies and of course, the EU. One major project within this plan is due to be the re-energising of a European Clearing House on Health Outcomes and Evidence-Based Medicine. It is a project being jointly worked on by the Irish and UK members of ESQH and other related individuals. Many countries have at times set up their own such Clearing Houses. One or two, including Ireland's, are still active. Others, often through a lack of funding rather than interest, have fallen through. With the support of ESQH, with the work of the individuals concerned, and now with funding, this project may really go on to demonstrate what ESQH can achieve, with benefits that reach far beyond our individual members. Also, and at earlier stages of development, we are looking at studies of Benchmarking within the different adaptations of the EFQM Excellence model. And in The Netherlands, the use of Electronic patient record has been selected to spearhead the implementation of ICT in the health sector. Quite separate to these ICT projects, ESQH is also proposing a study of previous quality initiatives that have failed. By carrying out this study, we will try to identify the common factors of failure, attempting to remove those factors from future initiatives. The cost-saving benefits of such a study could be quite significant. All in all, a varied and important set of projects that demonstrates ESQH's potential as a cont2ibutor to the world of quality in healthcare. A potential that is steadily being realised. The Secretariat Since the inception of ESQH back in 1998, the Secretariat has been based in Limerick, Ireland. Working alongside the first President, Stiofan deBurca, were the Society's Honorary Treasurer, John O'Brien, and Honorary Secretary, Mary Halpin. Most of the day to day tasks of running the Society fell to Mary and to Siobhan McCarthy, Information Specialist with the Irish Clearing House. All of this work was entirely voluntary, and came on top of already hectic schedules. If ESQH was to continue to grow, it became obvious that what was needed was a full-time and properly funded Secretariat. In 1999, the Irish Government agreed to provide ESQH with funding of IR£50,000 per annum. The most immediate requirement then was for a full-time employee, who would take over the day to day running of the Secretariat. The Executive Assistant, Noel Harrington, took up his post on June 6th of this year. The primary responsibility of the Assistant is one of organisation. Maintaining the Society on a day to day basis; organising teleconferences, meetings and workshops; keeping the Board Members informed and in touch. The Secretariat is the Communications hub of the Society, and as such it is the centre for both internal and external contact. As ESQH grows, so too will its links with other pan-European organisations, and having a full-time and dedicated secretariat will be crucial to the maintenance of those links.
The Executive Assistant is due shortly to take over the ESQH website, www.esqh.net. With the ever growing importance of Information & Communication Technologies, our website is seen as central to our profile, and to our plans. We envisage the site being a repository of validated healthcare information, and as a link to more specialised sites. It will also provide a Forum for information exchange and debate, and be a readily accessible source of ESQH published material. Examples of the latter will be reports of our Workshops, and updates of our Projects etc. To contact the webmaster, email info@esqh.net. With the appointment of the Executive Assistant, some of the contact details for the Secretariat have changed. The revised details are as follows: Write to: Noel Harrington, Board Members of the European Society of Quality in Healthcare
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