The College’s Quality Network (QN) was formed to share learning, develop quality improvement (QI) knowledge, and encourage local improvement work. It is comprised of regional leads, who are aligned with the schools of anaesthesia, and local leads who are based within the hospitals of each region.
The College’s Quality Improvement Working Group wanted to make a fresh assessment of the QN to take stock of our progress and plan future work. A short national survey, to understand implementation of an important safety initiative, was felt to be an effective way to re-invigorate members and generate learning for future projects.
Prep Stop Block1 (PSB) was created in 2021 to enhance the message of ‘Stop Before You Block’ (SBYB) and standardise national regional anaesthetic practice, aiming to reduce the incidence of inadvertent wrong-side block. It was launched with a training package and supporting resources. This new standardised operating procedure applies to all departments undertaking regional anaesthesia.