Founding Document: South-East of England Phototherapy Managed Clinical Network
This document was agreed by the members attending the October 2010 South-east of England Phototherapy Network meeting, and the Steering Group meeting of February 2011 as a basis for the new managed Clinical Network. They will undergo a process of continual evolution and review led by the Steering Group. The standards were updated in May 2012, December 2012, March 2013, November 2014, February 2015, April 2016, May 2017 and February 2019.
Introduction
Over the last four years, the South-East of England Phototherapy Network has become established as a forum and mechanism for improving the support for and training of Phototherapy Specialist Practitioners throughout the Region. So far 55 Phototherapy Units have joined the Network, with 300 Specialist Phototherapists becoming members, and an average of 60-70 members attending the regular Clinical Update sessions held once every 4 months.
The long term aim has always been to evolve into a full Managed Clinical Network, which we have achieved – to be able to more fully support phototherapists in their work and encourage ever improving Clinical Standards of Care for patients treated in the Region. Such a Managed Clinical Network has existed in Scotland (‘Photonet’) for 15 years and has been welcomed by Phototherapists in that region and has been demonstrated to have led to an improvement in standards of care.
What is a Managed Clinical Network?
A Managed Clinical Network consists of a group of Clinical Practitioners who agree to aim to achieve a specific set of minimum Clinical Standards for all their patients. The role of the network is:
- To facilitate the development of an agreed set of minimum Clinical Standards which all members aim to achieve for their patients, and to have a structure which enables members to have a stake and a say in the choice and definition of these Standards. The Standards will be subject to continual review and renewal as the Managed Clinical Network develops.
- To establish audit mechanisms by which Units can find out how well they are achieving the goals set out in the agreed Clinical Standards and have advice available as to how performance might be improved in areas where the Standards have not been met.
- The network will continue to develop its training, educational and support functions as part of the Managed Clinical Network
Proposed Network Structure
Day to day running of the Network: by a Working Group consisting of a Dermatologist, a Nurse and the Network Coordinator (Nurse Nichola Mair). This will include liaising with units, website issues, organising Update and other training and Education meetings, organising Audit, coordinating Stakeholder Group meetings.
Overall Strategy and process for setting Clinical Standards:
A stakeholders Group, consisting of the Working Group, 10 regional elected representatives, a Physiotherapist representative and a Medical Physicist representative will meet once a year.
Appointment process for the elected Stakeholder Group members:
There will be elections to choose the 12 elected representatives on the Stakeholders Group. All network members will be able to vote, and each candidate will stand to represent a different geographical region within the network. Each candidate will require to be proposed for election by a member of the Network. The elected stakeholders will serve a 3 year term and will be ineligible to return to the Group for a further 2 year period unless there are no other candidates to fill a Regional representative Post. Each representative is responsible for their own Unit’s participation in the Network including Audit activities, and communication with other colleagues in their region about the Network’s activities.
Stakeholder Group Meeting Standardised Agenda
June 18 Minutes of Steering Group Meeting
- Membership of the Stakeholder Group
- Review of Clinical Standards
- Review of Audit and other processes
- Review of Educational and Training activities
- Review of any other Network activities
- Future plans
- Any other Business
- Date of the next meeting