Welcome to the first update from the Association of Quality Checkers.

Welcome to the 1st newsletter of the Association of Quality Checkers. Firstly, we want to thank you for your patience. We've launched the AQC in June 2016 and things have been moving slowly since then with few of you signing up to become members and us working to finalise the website and to promote the work of quality checking in different networks and platforms.

Although we have had a rather slow start,we have been working behind the scenes and on many different fronts, to raise money and get our admin support in place and to network with other statutory bodies and drum up interest.

We have also been working closely with NHS England to help them launch their health quality checking scheme. We will publish more information very soon, as this will be launched soon.

So, feel free to use the newsletter to share your stories and experiences and to ask for support, if you need anything. We are about to have our first webinar soon, so make the most of it! And, get in touch with our admin support on FB too if you want to contribute something on social media.

Finally, we are organising an event too, which will take place later on in the year, so watch this space. Thanks again for your support and we are looking forward to a more productive year with more news and information from you

A Quality Checker at a question and answer session.

Quality Checking with the NHS

In January My Life My Choice (MLMC) and Oxfordshire Family Support Network (OxFSN) took part in a pilot NHS Quality Check on the dialysis ward at the John Radcliffe Hospital in Oxford.

The pilot was a chance to test out the draft NHS Quality Checkers toolkits. When finalised, these toolkits will be used across the county by quality checking teams across the country to review the way NHS services are provided to improve health and well-being, and reduce premature mortality.

Paul Scarrott, expert by experience for MLMC said, “We met the matron first and she spoke to us about the unit. We asked her about easy read communication and she showed us some of the things they had done. Then we went onto the ward and spoke to one of the patients about her experience.”

Gail Hanrahan, Programme Manager for OxFSN and family carer, explains that “Family carers and people with learning disabilities working together to do quality checks is really effective. We know this from using this model for the past two years, checking the quality of life of people who use supported living services in the county.

We know that learning disabled people die younger than the rest of the population, and anything we can do to improve health services, by sharing our experiences and knowledge, can only be a good thing. It was great to take part in the pilot and we are looking forward to seeing how this can be developed locally.”

Quotes from Choice Support Quality Checkers

Mark
"For me, being a Quality Checker, it gets me out of the house. Doing our work we find out if staff are helping people who live in the house we visit – do they read letters to people if they cannot read?
We can check if the staff are doing their job properly"

Shalim
"Quality Checkers can reassure us that people in Supported Living are getting a good quality of life and that they're getting their needs met. Also, are people getting out there and meeting people or are people being inspired and creative? I am very enthusiastic, motivated and passionate about being a quality checker. I like to make the people I meet on the visits smile and we like to make sure that people are having the right support"

We would love to hear what your team have to say about their experience quality checking, please send your quotes or stories you would like to share with us to info @qualitycheckers.org.uk