Eastern Region Neonatal Benchmarking Group

Eastern Region Neonatal Benchmarking Group

What is Benchmarking?

Benchmarking is 'a process through which best practice is identified and continuous improvement pursued through comparison and sharing'

DoH (1999)

Benchmarking is:

The practice of being humble enough to accept that someone else is better at something and being wise enough to learn how to match and even surpass them at it! From:

J. Ellis /UCLan/UK

Vision Statement

The Eastern Region Neonatal Benchmarking Group aims to take a structured approach to sharing and comparing practice in an effort to identify 'best practice' and to develop action plans to continuously improve neonatal care within the Region.'

Why do we need to benchmark?

In the new era of working together in Networks it is important that our practices are similar and include the use of the best available evidence. Babies move between units depending on their health status and it is less stressful for both them and their families if the standard of care is the same in whichever unit they are cared for.

What does benchmarking do for us?

By meeting on a regular basis members of the groups are able to discover what other units are doing as well as sharing any practices that they may have developed on their own units. The meetings now have a regular forum for raising any new topics or issues.

After scoring the benchmarks the group have identified shortfalls and action plans are developed both as joint and individual strategies for improving practice. This in turn leads to promoting practice development within each unit.

Benchmarking has led to partnership working and collaboration on many levels as we all aim to improve the standard of care delivered.

How do we achieve this?

We meet on a monthly basis and the meetings held in Cambridge as this is the most central unit. The topics for benchmarking are chosen either through identified need or because new information has indicated a change. Benchmarks take a time to develop, having identified a topic, the group search for evidence that backs up best practice and then share this at the next meeting. Then the focus is on developing the benchmark by identifying factors which will provide the system for scoring; once completed the benchmark is scored by each unit and the scores are shared at the next meeting.

The group then discuss:

• Whether there were any difficulties with the scoring system
• Whether any further adjustments to the benchmark are required
• Action plans to improve practice are developed

Benchmarking Format

We have followed the 'Essence of Care' format for our benchmarks, and initially addressed some of the topics from the 'essence' list and applied them to the neonate e.g. mouth care = oral hygiene.

Guidelines

As one of the factors on all benchmarks states that there should be an evidence based guideline that guides practice. We noticed that there was a lack of guidelines, so now after developing a benchmark we may also develop regional evidence based guidelines, which support best practice.

Sharing with other groups

Not only is benchmarking about sharing practice within our own group but we also aim to support other groups by sharing the work that we have produced. To this end we have helped the South West benchmarking Group get established and both groups share the work they have done.

When other specialities want to establish benchmarking we have been called upon to introduce our method of working together.

Membership of the Group

Each unit is encouraged to have at least one member who attends on a regular basis and any other identified staff from each unit who may have a specific interest in the benchmarking or the current benchmark being developed. It is expected that all members will commit themselves to some degree of preparation work (literature searches) and are prepared to get involved in group work at the meetings.

As more benchmarks and guidelines are developed or updated then they will be posted on this website.

Pauline Fellows January 2006

Bindy Price

For further information about Benchmarking please contact:

pauline.fellows@addenbrookes.nhs.uk Tel. 01223 596176

bindy.price@ipswichhospital.nhs.uk Tel. 01473 703669