To MSNAP or not to MSNAP? Testing a small regional memory clinic against the UK Memory Service National Accreditation...

Area of Science:

• Geriatric Psychiatry
• Clinical Governance
• Healthcare Quality Improvement

Background:

• The Psychiatry of Old Age service in Navan operates a public cognitive clinic.
• Ireland lacks national standards for memory clinics, despite the 2014 National Dementia Strategy.
• External quality control systems can enhance routine clinical governance for memory services.

Purpose of the Study:

• To assess the benefits of a structured external audit process, the Royal College of Psychiatrists' Memory Service National Accreditation Program (MSNAP), for a small regional memory clinic.
• To evaluate the clinic's performance against established national standards and identify areas for improvement.

Main Methods:

• A review of published MSNAP data was conducted to adapt audit materials for a self-review process.
• The audit involved a retrospective case review, implementation of interventions, and a prospective audit including service user feedback.

Main Results:

• The clinic demonstrated high standards in accessibility, assessment, and diagnosis communication, performing well against MSNAP key performance indicators.
• Patient and carer satisfaction with the memory service was very high.
• Areas identified for development included clinic policies on referral, consent, and data protection.

Conclusions:

• The audit process provided clear actionable insights for service improvement.
• Formalizing organizational policies, patient support, education, and outreach were highlighted as needs.
• Accreditation, while resource-intensive, offers a robust framework for maintaining and improving standards, especially in the absence of national guidelines.