The British Society of Echocardiography (BSE) recognises the important contribution of the independent sector, and the challenges they face in providing and maintaining the highest echo standards to NHS trusts and other NHS settings utilising their services.
Independent providers form a vital part of the echo community, not only assisting NHS services to deliver waiting list initiatives and facilitating commissioned services, but also by providing flexible working arrangements for echocardiographers.
To reduce variation and promote best practice, the BSE and the leading independent providers of high-quality echo insourced and community services have joined together to develop a charter setting out a minimum set of standards.
Commissioning teams looking for quality and value should consider longer term patient outcomes over short term savings. NHS trusts which work with these named organisations can feel confident that the services provided will be held to this minimum standard.
If a signatory to this charter stops operating under the spirit of the agreement, they will be removed from the group and their details removed from the web page. This is a voluntary agreement amongst a group of organisations committed to the highest standards of echo and the values of the BSE.
Working with the BSE, the named service providers have committed to deliver the following standards as a minimum:
- Minimum appointment duration of 45 minutes is required for an accredited echocardiographer to perform a complete diagnostic echocardiogram and to compose the accompanying report, unless local policy dictates otherwise.
- The BSE minimum dataset is the minimum required imaging protocol when performing a complete diagnostic echocardiogram and should be reported fully.
- All echocardiograms will be reported in accordance with the latest BSE guidelines, with active provision of ongoing CPD mandated and checks in place to ensure compliance.
- Processes must be established to ensure and maintain echocardiographer competence, including robust pre-employment checks and confirmation of competence. Pre employment checks should include checking up to date knowledge of BSE guidelines. This could be evidenced by demonstration of completion of relevant e-Learning modules.
- Echocardiographers will be supported to assure high quality echos for patients. Where the company is responsible for the quality assurance (QA), it will be carried out by a BSE accredited echocardiographer.
- Patients are best served when echocardiographers have had the benefit of a broad base of training and exposure. It is acknowledged that some of this will be gained post accreditation, therefore the above-named providers will only recruit staff with 20 months post-accreditation experience, unless additional training and support is in place. This does not include organisations which are training pre accredited trainees.
- Appropriate remedial action will be taken in the event of substandard practice being identified. This should include removal from independent clinical practice (i.e. scanning and independent reporting) across all healthcare systems, engaging with host departments to identify and support re-education requirements with appropriate levels of supervision (for instance reviewing reports before being sent), and to reintegrate full independent practice only when safe to do so.
Signatories to the charter can display the following logo:
Signatories