Ideagen : King's IFM roll out Q-Pulse to drive quality management

Ideagen's Q-Pulse to support a move to a 'robust system of operational compliance'

King's Interventional Facilities Management (IFM) is working with Ideagen to roll-out its Quality Management System, Q-Pulse.

The aim of the implementation is to centralise and standardise document control through the provision of a single location for all staff to access policies and Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs).

King's IFM is a Limited Liability Partnership controlled by King's College Hospital NHS Foundation Trust (KCH) and provides fully managed services including procurement, equipment and the supply chain for diagnostic and treatment facilities for the Trust.

It operates across all sites within the Trust, including King's College Hospital, Princess Royal University Hospital and Orpington Hospital, with an annual turnover of circa £70 million and in excess of 150 staff. In addition, the IFM manages the procurement of an additional circa £300m of annual spend for the Trust.

Andy Smith, Head of IT at King's IFM, said: 'Q-Pulse, which is already offering real benefits to areas of KCH such as Haematology, Cancer Services and Medical Engineering Physics by driving Quality Improvement and facilitating compliance with standards such as ISO 9001, will support King's IFM's move towards a more robust system of operational compliance.'

Julia Parlato, Project Lead for the Q-Pulse implementation, added: 'We are already witnessing the benefits of Q-Pulse as we continue to roll-out the software across the organisation. The system is offering a robust method of version control and we are gaining greater visibility around the governance and ownership of policies, as well as the interfaces between them.

'In the future, we will be looking to Q-Pulse to support the reduction of Risk and Adverse Incidents, as the system provides a clear audit trail. Q-Pulse promotes compliance because document owners can assign policies to staff to read and then receive assurance (via alerts from the Q-Pulse system) that staff have read the assigned policies. It ensures all staff are aware of and following the same processes. We are also looking forward to having greater clarity in terms of the roles and responsibilities of different staff members throughout the document drafting process.'

Ideagen provides software and services to help over 400 global healthcare organisations, including 75% of the UK NHS, to manage quality, safety and compliance while improving patient care outcomes and clinical efficiency.

As well as the NHS, Ideagen's clients in this area include Nuffield Health, Great Ormond Street Hospital, the Hong Kong Red Cross, Spire Healthcare and El Camino Hospital.