Audit of High Dependency Care for Children and Young People in ...

Following entry onto the customised database, a number of quality assurance processes were
carried out. After each batch of data entry, a report was run to ensure the data fields had been
completed and a sampling system was used to certify the accuracy of the data entered onto the
database. A final assessment was conducted by producing monthly activity reports for each ward,
matching the data entry to the data output. These summaries also provided detailed information
for the wards on their monthly returns within the audit.
Analysis of the dataset was carried out using Business Objects Enterprise, with the assistance of
Information Services Division (ISD).
All audit forms have been securely held in a locked filing system to ensure compliance with data
protection legislation and Caldicott Guardian advice. They are filed in date order by ward and
hospital and will be disposed according to data protection guidance, after the data analysis has
been completed.
At the end of the data collection and quality assurance processes, presentations were conducted
with a number of hospitals as a further form of data validation. Ensuring that the data collected on
behalf of the hospital was a true reflection of activity and also provided direct feedback to individual
hospitals about their participation in the audit.
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A questionnaire was developed by the Project Board; utilising the West Midland Guidelines
(Standards for the care of critically ill and critically injured children in the West Midlands (2002))
and the Emergency Care Framework (ECF) (2006). The questionnaire was reviewed and signed
off by the Steering Group.
The terminology was changed from high dependency care to critical care for this part of the project,
to reflect other published standards and to ensure the responses were not limited to care delivered
in a high dependency unit.
A pathfinder exercise was conducted in 2 NHS Boards. Minor changes were made following
feedback from this process, before the questionnaire was issued nationally. All NHS Boards were
asked to return a summary on the hospitals within their Board area. The relevant questionnaire
were then issued to the appointed co-ordinators, who liaised with clinical colleagues and coordinated
the completion and return to NSD.
Appendix 4 (p74) summarises the ECF Levels of all the hospitals that participated in the audit. The
results of this survey were analysed for recurring themes and are summarised in tables in Section
6.
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