19 November 2025
The Royal College of Emergency Medicine has opened registrations for Emergency Departments to take part in its Quality Improvement Programme for the coming year.
Launched this week, Type 1 EDs can apply to take part in up to three different areas of research which are designed to accurately measure and report the care patients are receiving to drive action to improve the quality of Emergency Care in the UK.
The three topics open for application are:
- Care of Older People in the ED (LINK)
Older people account for a large proportion of the attendances to EDs and an even larger proportion of inpatient admissions, but the evidence shows that this cohort of patients frequently do not receive a good standard of care. The rationale for this National QIP is to assess and improve the quality of care given to older and frail patients and to ensure that recommended interventions that can make a meaningful difference to mortality, morbidity and quality of life are implemented where feasible. The QIP focuses on key conditions which affect outcomes primarily in older people, and define a broad range of standards with the aim of improving holistic medical and nursing care in ED. Next year will be the fourth year this QIP will be running.
- Adolescent Mental Health (LINK)
This new three-year QIP focuses on improving the experience and care of young people aged 10–17 attending the ED with mental health issues. Adolescents often face long waits, inconsistent assessments, and environments not designed for their needs, despite one in five experiencing a mental health problem each year. The project aims to support EDs to strengthen collaboration with mental health services, and enhance safety, effectiveness, and patient-centred care for this vulnerable group. - Time Critical Medications (LINK)
This will be the second year of the three year QIP, examining how time critical medications are dealt with in practice when patients come to ED and how clinical methods and patient safety can be improved. In 2025, 136 EDs collated and analysed data for people living with Diabetes and Parkinson’s, who take certain medication such as insulin and levodopa. The research found more than half of eligible patients (53.4%) taking TCM weren’t identified in 30minutes of their arrival in ED. Meanwhile, around 68% of eligible patients’ doses weren’t administered within 30 minutes of the expected time.
Type 1 EDs can apply to take part through the College’s Quality Improvement Portal, designed to enhance the experience of those taking part. It’s been developed from RCEM’s extensive experience in running Emergency Medicine QIPs, incorporating valuable feedback from previous participating teams to create a more intuitive and user-friendly system.
The platform offers an enhanced user experience and ongoing support, including annual webinars, check-ins, and access to a range of resources and guidance to help ED teams throughout their improvement journey. This structure enables teams to achieve sustained progress and continuous improvement in patient care and service delivery.
Dr Ian Higginson, RCEM President, said: “The College’s QIPs provide a structured, data-driven approach to improving care around some of the key problems we face in our EDs.
“We are delighted when EDs sign up and participate in this vital work to drive improvements in the care we deliver, despite the backdrop of worsening crowding. .
“EDs are supported throughout their journey by the College. We hope that the new QI Portal marks a significant step forward in our commitment to quality improvement. It’s built by our expert IT team, offering an enhanced user experience and greater functionality.
“Thank you to all departments who sign up and contribute to this important piece of work. We look forward to seeing the results next year.”
For more details about registration, please visit RCEM’s QIP web page. If you have any questions, contact our dedicated QIP team at rcemqips@rcem.ac.uk or call 020 7404 1999.