VSGBI PAD Quality Improvement Programme

Introduction

The Peripheral Arterial Disease Quality Improvement Programme (PAD QIP) was developed to facilitate the implementation of the PAD Quality Improvement Framework, published by the VSGBI in April 2019. Its aim is to improve the quality of care for patients presenting with critical limb-threatening ischaemia (CLTI) by developing a quality improvement collaborative of healthcare professionals across the UK. The programme utilises quality improvement methods and data submitted in the NVR, in order to shorten the patient pathway from referral to revascularisation and achieve the timelines described in PAD QIF.

Eleven UK NHS vascular units volunteered to participate, supported by the PAD QIP team with webinars, face-to-face meetings and online resources. The PAD QIP team consists of members of the Audit Committee of the VSGBI, the National Vascular Registry and the Clinical Effectiveness Unit of the Royal College of Surgeons of England (RCS).

The launch workshop was held in October 2019 at the Royal College of Surgeons. Participants from the 11 early adopter centres discussed the aim and focus of the intervention, identified common problems and suggested methods for improvement. The material from this meeting has been developed further and the next series of events have been formulated.

The global pandemic of COVID-19 affected the timeline of the project, and activities were modified to allow dissemination of information remotely via webinars, teleconferences and virtual meetings. The 1st PAD QIP webinar was held on 01/05/2020, where further details about the programme and planned activities was discussed.

After two more successful online meetings, the 4th PAD QIP webinar was held on 14th May 2021, marking one year after the first one. The changes in the vascular service for CLTI patients that the early adopter centres have implemented so far are summarised in this document, to serve as examples for other vascular departments in the UK.

Participating Trusts

  • Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
  • Gloucestershire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust (Gloucestershire & Swindon Vascular Network)
  • Hull University Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust
  • Liverpool University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust (Liverpool Vascular & Endovascular Service)
  • Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust
  • North Bristol NHS Trust
  • St George’s University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
  • The Dudley Group NHS Foundation Trust (Black Country Vascular Network)
  • University Hospitals Dorset NHS Foundation Trust (Dorset & Wiltshire Vascular Network)
  • University Hospitals Birmingham NHS Foundation Trust
  • University Hospitals of Leicester NHS Trust
  • University Hospitals of North Midlands NHS Trust
  • York Teaching Hospital NHS Foundation Trust

Participant shared resources

Leicester Vascular Limb Salvage (VaLS) service

The Leicester Vascular Limb Salvage (VaLS) team have shared their CLTI patient pathway and their VaLS COVID pathway, which were discussed in the webinar on 20/10/2020.

Please contact us if you wish to share your pathways and other resources.

Webinars

Links to the recordings of PAD QIP webinars can be found below:

20/10/2020 – Improving care pathways for chronic limb-threatening ischaemia

For more information please contact:

Panagiota Birmpili, Clinical Research Fellow
Email: padqip@rcseng.ac.uk
Phone: 020 7869 6622