Invited Service Reviews

Our invited review service is designed to help employers, commissioners and managers provide safe and sustainable services that improve outcomes. The College has a track record providing in-depth reviews in Fife, Glasgow, Lanarkshire, Lothian and Dumfries & Galloway.

Invited reviews are commissioned by healthcare partners. If you are redesigning a service or would like an external independent review of a particular issue, then a Royal College independent review could offer input. Our multi professional teams of subject matter experts are drawn from across the UK to address areas including IT, governance, multidisciplinary team working, skillmix and specialist roles.

The following sets out the standard process and timelines of a review, from the point of commissioning until issue of the final report:

Review Process and Guide Timeline

Step 1 - Informal Discussion with QRS team

  • Following an informal discussion to determine that a College review is possible/applicable, a Terms of Reference will be required from the commissioning body.

Step 2 - Terms of Reference (twelve weeks prior to visit)

Step 3 - Meeting/call to confirm the Terms of Reference scope and detail/timescales

Step 4 - Review Team identified 

  • A Clinical Review Lead will be appointed and a team convened to conduct the review.

Step 5 - Contract and indemnification issued (eight weeks prior to visit)

Step 6 - Contract signed (four to six weeks prior to visit)

Step 7 - Data /information issued by commissioning body

Step 8 - Review team desktop review/meeting

  • A first meeting with clinical leads/managers will provide an early opportunity to discuss the scope following which a contract will be issued. This will confirm the review arrangements, costs and Review Lead and Team. Additional data may be requested at this time.

Step 9 - Visit programme agreed

  • A review will normally take both desktop and visit format, with one to two review team meetings prior to a visit, across one to two days. A visit programme will be agreed between the commissioning body and the review team. This will include a review of facilities, a meeting with the executive team and interviews with local teams.

Step 10 - Visit with high level feedback

  • Immediately following the visit, early feedback will be provided to the executive team. A report will be issued within four weeks of the visit.

Step 11 - Report agreed/issued

Step 12 - Review complete

 

Terms of Reference

A Terms of Reference (ToR) will be required from the commissioning body. This should clearly set out the areas/specialties of the review, along with objectives and particularly areas of focus that the commissioning body would like the review team to focus on. The ToR will also set out the data and background information that is required.

Status of Review

A review by the College is advisory in nature, will be independent and has no statutory or regulatory status.

Confidentiality and anonymity of the review will follow the Academy of Medical Royal Colleges Invited Review Guidelines unless any staff welfare, patient safety or other significant concerns are identified during the course of the review.

The College service reviewsare designed to take a physicianly critical friend multi-specialty approach.

The review report will be issued to the commissioning body or group, and it will be the responsibility of the commissioning body to communicate the results of the review internally and/or externally.

Governance Reviews

The Quality Governance Collaborative (QGC) is an independent, neutral, non-governmental body committed to a new approach to governance in health and social care. We bring together multi-professional groups, developing national and international collaborations which aim to highlight issues and improve the practice of quality governance. The Collaborative works closely with and advises governments, medical royal colleges, board directors, NGOs and other healthcare professionals and individuals involved in the delivery of patient care.

Morbidity & Mortality Reviews

This is currently under development, please check again at a later date.