Pioneers in patient care: consultants leading change
North West
Innovation: The MAGIC project which involves all staff and patients in the design of new patient services
Dr Alan Russell
Fairfield Hospital, Bury
Job title: Consultant obstetrician and gynaecologist
Specialty: Obstetrics and gynaecology
Clinical governance requires a structured, systematic approach to providing high quality patient care, through careful audit, monitoring and planning of services. Consultant obstetrician and gynaecologist Alan Russell and colleagues at Fairfield Hospital in Bury, Lancashire, have developed an approach called MAGIC – Maternity and Gynaecology Improving Care having studied with the NHS Clinical Governance Programme led by Professor Aidan Halligan in Leicester.
As a result of a grass roots review of the service by patients and staff, eight areas for improvement were identified. These included the provision of an antenatal day assessment unit on the maternity ward and an early pregnancy unit in the outpatient department to allow women with complicated pregnancies to be monitored as day patients, avoiding the need for hospital admission.
The team also identified the need for better access to ultrasound, pathology and pharmacy services during the weekend and out-of-hours.
Dr Russell says that the project was introduced to provide better and safer patient care. He says: “By involving patients in the project throughout, the maternity department can be confident that it is responding to the needs and wishes of its patients. Staff morale has been given a welcome boost and there is a real sense that nursing, medical and midwifery staff are all pulling together as a cohesive team.”
Developing the team approach did not require additional funding but implementing the projects recommendations in full will. Dr Russell says: “Staff feel they share a common purpose and can make a difference. The multi-disciplinary approach is worthwhile in its own right but we do also need extra money to fund the service developments we have identified as priorities. We are still living with the age old problem that we do not have enough staff or back up and we do not have enough time for our patients.”