QSHM Healthcare Accreditation: Critical Debate, Reflection, and Strategic Decision-Making

Learning Outcomes:

On successful completion of this module students will be able to:

1. Compare and contrast various accreditation and regulatory standards frameworks as effective approaches for the external assessment of healthcare services.
2. Evaluate how the various stages in the accreditation process can be applied to service areas in an organization.
3. Debate the evidence-based benefits and limitations of accreditation and/or external regulation in a healthcare context.
4. Participate in a team presentation on healthcare accreditation.
5. Demonstrate the ability to effectively and concisely communicate key concepts of healthcare accreditation to meet the requirements of an academic poster.
6. Critically reflect on the suitability of accreditation and healthcare regulatory standards as external mechanisms for healthcare quality and patient safety improvement.

Assignment:

This is a TEAM & INDIVIDUAL assignment.

Part A: Dragon’s Den Presentation (40% of total grade):

[Part A assesses against learning outcomes 1 – 4 & is a TEAM component]

Your organisation is considering increasing its financial and resource investment in external quality assurance. Your team is requested to prepare and deliver a pitch to your Senior Management Team (SMT) – CEO, Director of Quality & Safety and Director of Finance. The aim is to persuade and influence the SMT of your team’s position on whether your organisation should attain accreditation or implement an alternative approach to assuring quality.

Ensure your pitch is inclusive but not limited to the below key points:

1. Should our healthcare organisation attain accreditation? Why/why not? (costs should be discussed)
2. If yes, which accreditation system should we adopt and why?
3. If no, what are the alternatives for providing high quality & safe healthcare service and why?

The task: As a team prepare a critical, balanced, evidence-based, persuasive pitch, of no more than 9 minutes, detailing your team’s position and call to action. Your pitch should clearly indicate how all TEAM members have engaged in the process.

Your TEAM will present during day 3 of our in-class module component. Additional guidance is provided in the Dragon’s Den process document. Remember it is a team decision on how many and on who within the team makes the pitch. However, all team members are expected to fully participate in the preparation of the pitch and the live question and answer session which is a marked component.

[Please note: teams are pre-assigned by your Programme Director and are final] Refer Appendix 1 for the Marking Grid.

Part B: Critical Debate and Reflection (word count 2,500 +/- 10%, 60% of total grade):

[assesses against learning outcome 3,5 and 6 and is an INDIVIDUAL component]

Drawing on your reading and understanding of the article: ‘Standards for Equity in Healthcare Provision and Utilisation: Pilot Test in Sixteen Countries’ (Chiarenza, Domenig & Cattacin 2020), write a report for management that critically discusses, debates and reflects on the usefulness of such standards in your local context. Within your paper, consider how this may complement or conflict with existing standards that are currently in operation and justify your position on their use or not. Your paper must be formally structured as if you were presenting it as a position paper to your line manager to assist them in making a decision as to introduce such standards or not. The paper must draw on the relevant peer reviewed literature appropriately referenced throughout, have a cover page, table of contents, and use appropriate headings.

Within your 2,500 word, allocation include a short executive summary at the beginning of your report (250 words) summarising it, your rationale and recommendation. You should also provide sufficient understanding of your context to the reader with a context section within the main body of your report (max 250 words).

Cattacin, S. (2020). Standards for equity in healthcare provision and utilization: pilot test in sixteen countries. Diversity and Equality in Health and care, 17(3), 115-124.

Submission Guidance:

Part A: This component will be graded in-class. No grades shall be disclosed on completion of presentation.

Part B: Each individual student shall submit a SINGLE FILE DOCUMENT containing their individual critical reflection.

Additional Guidance:

It is recommended that you please refer to the following resources to assist you in the design, development, writing, formatting & submitting of your assignment (all available from the Institute’s VLE):

• Referencing Guide
• Downloadable assignment templates
• Pre recorded resources