12 February 2024
Getting It Right First Time (GIRFT) is a national programme within NHS England designed to improve NHS patient care by reducing unwarranted variations. We are delighted to report that the Getting It Right First Time (GIRFT) Adult Rheumatology workstream has now completed visits to all NHS Trusts in England.
Thank you to all the rheumatology teams who have hosted us, and we hope the work is of interest to BSR members in the other home nations.
Over the last four years, we have seen first-hand how incredibly hard teams are working, often in very challenging circumstances. During our in-depth review of services, we had the opportunity to stand shoulder to shoulder with clinical and operational teams, presenting a wide-ranging data-driven evidence base to support change.
The 2021 National Specialty Report for Rheumatology has provided the roadmap for how service change could reduce waiting times and improve access to care.
Our newer resources to support teams include the GIRFT rheumatology outpatient guide, produced in collaboration with BSR, and GIRFT best practice pathways for core conditions.
More recently, clinical and operational teams from 51 trusts have joined the GIRFT Further Faster programme to reduce >52-week waiters in outpatients, working together to
implement the recommendations and case studies in the Rheumatology Further Faster Handbook. This has already had a major impact on waiting times amongst this cohort, and later in 2024, it is anticipated that all English trusts will be invited to join this programme.
The GIRFT team is finalising the rheumatology compartment of the digital information service Model Health System, a data-driven improvement tool that enables NHS health systems and trusts to benchmark quality and productivity. The GIRFT rheumatology metrics in Model Health System will empower NHS teams to see where there are opportunities for improvement to track their progress over time and continuously improve care for patients.
GIRFT is continuing to work closely with BSR to maximise the impact of resources available to members. The specialty is expanding to cover the life course, with recruitment to the Paediatric Rheumatology workstream now underway.
If you have questions about the GIRFT rheumatology workstreams please contact rheumatology.girft@nhs.net. We are hosting an innovation session at BSR 2024 and look forward to seeing you then!
Dr Lesley Kay, Dr Peter Lanyon
Joint National Clinical Leads, GIRFT Adult Rheumatology workstream, NHS England