Interdepartmental peer review 

Supporting clinical endocrinologists, this scheme provides an external assessment of clinical governance and service delivery.

Running since 2002, the scheme aims to improve services for endocrine patients. Each visit will focus on basic standards for endocrine care and service provision. The visit will facilitate an exchange of ideas and experiences, and allow areas of concern to be voiced.

Four reviewers from different areas of the country will undertake each visit. The four reviewers will usually be two senior clinical consultant endocrinologists and two endocrine nurses, however occasionally this may be three endocrinologists and one nurse depending on the centre.

There are 2 different types of review offered:

1. In depth centre review. The visit will take one to two days face to face -depending on the number of linked hospitals visited. It is hoped that all UK endocrine centres offering specialist endocrinology will have a review of services intermittently.
   
   
2. Networked review. This scheme is being developed post Covid-19 with a launch in early 2023. Centres will complete an on-line questionnaire around their services. They will then be invited to a half day on-line review of services. Following this, a report will be discussed with the centre and then a second on-line networking half day event, linking centres of similar size to share problems and solutions and highlight challenges and good practice from centres.

Peer review can support changes most wanted by endocrine units. It is a fantastic opportunity to reflect on your practice and benchmark against other centres, allowing sharing of good practice. It provides a platform to reassure patients that there has been external validation, and to promote the services within the trust. Reviewing services when a new consultant joins the department can be an ideal moment to help enable change but is also very useful after a period of stability.  

The visit report should provide ‘levers for improvement’; for example, highlighting needs for consultant expansion or specialist nurse provision and assisting in negotiations with management. The report will also provide useful information for clinical governance and consultant revalidation purposes. It will provide examples of good practice and allow the opportunity to share these with the wider endocrine community.