Quality Framework Responsible Care - BioMed Central

• Every two years there is a clients’ experience survey, carried out by means of the nationally accepted
tool, the CQ-index;
• The outcomes of both form the basis of an internal improvement cycle, in which priorities are
determined in close dialogue with the clients; council.
For 2008 the care bureaus have indicated that they would value an external audit (which would
lead to a certificate) of the working quality system, also because an external audit contributes to
a thorough self-evaluation and reliable information. Moreover, an external audit creates alertness
towards the translation of the outcome of performance indicators into improvement of working
processes. Care agencies are of the opinion that any quality system should seamlessly take over the
nationally determined set of indicators. On the basis of progressive insight it will be decided in 2009,
when the results of performance indicators for all institutions are known, what the external audit
should encompass.
4.6 Coherence between internal control and external supervision
It has been indicated above in which way and from what responsibilities the various parties make
use of the same quality framework. It is crucial for those parties to enforce one another and that
all interventions contribute to quality improvement.
The Steering Committee has defined the following starting-points for the control model:
• The management discusses the outcome with the clients’ council and professionals and draws up
agreements about improvement routes and targets. Also it is indicated in what way lessons can
be learned from the best practices and break-through projects of the programme Care for Better.
• Targets and actions for improvement are presented to IGZ, if they ask for it. IGZ will judge them
within the framework of its supervisory tasks. Its focus will be safety and health risks.
• IGZ carries out inspection visits, especially where risks are involved and monitors factual improvements.
IGZ reports are public and can be read on www.kiesbeter.nl .
• The care organisation reports on the outcome and improvement actions in the Annual Document
Responsible Care.
• The care bureau weighs the outcome of the quality framework in its contracting policy.
The bureau makes use of available quality information and planned routes of improvement
from the annual document care, because the quality realised may eventually affect agreements
about care production (volume and/or price).
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