Quality Improvement to Lead Organisational Change Award

The RCVS Knowledge Quality Improvement to Lead Organisational Change Award aims to recognise and showcase organisations that are driving continuous improvements by developing structured frameworks across a practice, group or organisation using recognised Quality Improvement methods. This is achieved through adopting measurable and systematic approaches.

Applications could encompass a strategic approach across a large practice or practice group, or geographical area.

The awards aim to recognise organisations who are driving continuous improvements within the profession.

Applications must demonstrate how clinical audit has been used to achieve measurable achievements in their area of work, with a focus on the Domains of Quality Veterinary Healthcare.

The Domains of Quality Veterinary Healthcare

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Quality Veterinary Healthcare takes into account:

• Animal welfare
• Client circumstances
• Effective care
• Efficient care
• Timely care
• Safe care
• Sustainability
• Veterinary team

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The awards are open to any organisation within the veterinary industry using recognised Quality Improvement methods to develop and embed organisational-wide frameworks and structures that aim to lead to measurable improvements for patients and teams. 

Applicants apply as representatives of the organisation.  

Applications can be submitted for any species, including farm, equine, companion animal, exotics, zoo and wildlife.

We welcome applications from those who have previously applied for the awards, either with updates to previous QI projects, or details of new QI projects. 

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Applicants must demonstrate how they use clinical audit and recognised RCVS Knowledge Quality Improvement methods to result in measurable improvements in practice.

Applications are made by completing the RCVS Knowledge Awards Case Example template to provide detail about your audit. This is submitted along with an online form collecting key information.

Applications are blinded and will go through three rounds of judging by a panel of reviewers. Applications will be scored using a peer-review assessing framework. The review teams are made up of: 

• RCVS Knowledge Quality Improvement Team 
• RCVS Knowledge Quality Improvement Advisory Board 
• RCVS Knowledge Board of Trustees 
• RCVS Practice Standards Assessors 

The application must pass each round to be progressed onto the next. Only applications that progress onto the third and final round will be considered for Champions and Highly Commended Runners up.

Applications must demonstrate a complete audit cycle in order to be awarded first, second or third place. Applications that do not have a full audit cycle are welcome but will only be considered as a potential ‘Highly Commended One to watch'. 

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Three practices/organisations will be awarded as champions, a first, second and third place.

First place

The practice/organisation awarded first place will become Knowledge Award winners and receive a £300 prize paid to the practice/organisation. A plaque, certificate and badges for the team will also be awarded.  

The practice will have the opportunity to work with RCVS Knowledge to promote and share their experiences in Quality Improvement. This promotion might include presenting at a conference, sharing experiences through our blog, podcasts, and interviews, and even publishing their findings in a journal such as Veterinary Evidence.

The practice representative will be invited to an award ceremony to collect the award on behalf of the practice.  This representative will be reimbursed up to £200 towards reasonable travel costs.  

Second Place

The practice/organisation awarded second place will become Knowledge Award winners and receive a £250 prize paid to the practice/organisation. A plaque, certificate and badges for the team will also be awarded.  

The practice/organisation will have the opportunity to work with RCVS Knowledge to promote and share their experiences in Quality Improvement. This promotion might include presenting at a conference, sharing experiences through our blog, podcasts, and interviews, and even publishing their findings in a journal such as Veterinary Evidence.

Third Place

The practice/organisation awarded third place will become Knowledge Award winners and receive a £200 prize paid to the practice/organisation. A plaque, certificate and badges for the team will also be awarded. 

The practice/organisation will have the opportunity to work with RCVS Knowledge to promote and share their experiences in Quality Improvement. This promotion might include presenting at a conference, sharing experiences through our blog, podcasts, and interviews, and even publishing their findings in a journal such as Veterinary Evidence. 

Runners up

Applicants can also be awarded as Highly Commended, and Highly Commended Ones to Watch. Practices/organisations awarded will receive certificates and badges for their teams.

Those awarded as Highly Commended will have completed a full audit cycle.

The One to Watch Category is for practices that have not yet completed a full audit cycle but are setting strong foundations for QI and acknowledge that human factors and non-technical skills such as leadership from top down and bottom up, acts of ‘work as imagined’ vs ‘work as done’ and culture change, is needed in teams for improvement to happen.

Read more about ‘work as imagined’ vs ‘work as done’ in this article. 

Applications must demonstrate a complete audit cycle in order to be awarded first, second or third place. Applications that do not have a full audit cycle are welcome but will only be considered as a potential ‘Highly Commended One to watch'. All applications should be based on sound QI methods.

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