EM Consultant’s Very Personal Commitment to RCEM’s Latest Quality Improvement Programme
6 November 2023
An Emergency Medicine Consultant, himself living with a life-changing illness, is the driving force behind a new Royal College of Emergency Medicine (RCEM) Quality Improvement Programme (QIP) which aims to make visits to A&Es safer for thousands of people every year.
Dr Jonny Acheson, who is an EM Consultant working in Leicester, has been living with Parkinson’s since being diagnosed in 2016.
His unique insight into Emergency Medicine and the needs of people with the condition – as well as his work with the charity Parkinson’s UK – led him to submit an idea for one RCEM’s three-year Quality Improvement Programmes – known as QIPs.
Each year the College runs a competition where it invites members to submit QIP topic ideas. And last year, that is exactly what Jonny did.
His submission focused on the topic of Time Critical Medications (TCM) in the Emergency Department. TCM are drugs which patients with certain conditions must receive at specific times. If they do not it can put them at risk.
Jonny’s QIP – launched today (6 November 2023) and backed by leading healthcare charity Parkinson’s UK – is aimed at examining how such medications are dealt with in practice when patients come to the Emergency Department, and how clinical methods and patient safety, can be improved.
Commenting on the launch of his new QIP, Jonny said: “I know what it feels like not to get your medication on time, within the NHS TCM is not a concept that is as well recognised or understood as it should be. This QIP is vital so we can ensure staff understand and are educated in the importance of Time Critical Medication. For example, many people don’t know the impact or risks that a 30-minute delay can have for a person with Parkinson’s.
“When I was first diagnosed, I found it difficult to treat a patient with Parkinson’s in the Emergency Department as I didn’t want to see how my symptoms may progress in the future but now I see that I have a responsibility to ensure that they are looked after as best as they can be when they are in our departments.”
Dr Rowan Wathes, Associate Director of Policy and Health Strategy at Parkinson’s UK, commented: “The majority of people with Parkinson’s don’t receive their medication on time, every time when they’re in hospital.
“Even short delays can cause stress, anxiety, immobility, severe tremors, and in some cases death. Parkinson’s UK is here to help healthcare professionals give great care and improve standards.
“If more people can be given or have access to their Parkinson’s medication on time, this should result in their improved health and wellbeing and shorter hospital stays. That’s why we’re delighted to be collaborating with the Royal College of Emergency Medicine on this very important quality improvement project.”
A comprehensive information pack about the TCM QIP is available, and from today NHS Trusts across the country will be able to sign up for the programme by completing a registration form.
The TCM QIP will be undertaken by a ‘Topic Team’ led by Jonny and will run from November to October 2026. It will focus on different types of TCMs each year and on the patient journey from arrival to departure. The first important date to consider for participants in the QIP is for data submission, which will run from November 2023 to October 2024 so can present their findings.
The QIP will also be collecting data for people living with Parkinson’s who take oral levodopa medication and for patients living with Diabetes Mellitus on subcutaneous insulin for the first year of the programme.
