The National Screening Unit announced this week the appointment of the DAA Group to audit its screening programmes. Here is what they say in the 'Screening Matters' newsletter:
Monday, July 13, 2020 - 09:08 In a significant step towards sustaining the quality and safety of its screening programmes, the National screening Unit (NSU) has partnered with a new, independent auditing agency. The DAA Group has been appointed for three years, from 1 July 2020, to undertake quality audits for the Ministry’s cancer, antenatal and newborn screening programmes. NSU Manager Astrid Koornneef says the appointment of the DAA Group is exciting news. ‘Quality assurance and quality improvement activities underpin high-quality, equitable and accessible screening programmes. With the DAA Group we will be introducing a new audit programme with a schedule of regular audits, led by one agency, rather than individual programmes using different providers, as we have in the past.’ Ms Koornneef says the appointment of the DAA Group to improve and streamline the Unit’s auditing process comes at a time when the quality and safety of health services have never been more important. ‘The COVID-19 pandemic has resulted in a greater focus on health generally and increased scrutiny of the services we deliver. To know our screening programmes will be audited by a single agency, with a solid reputation in the health sector, gives considerable peace of mind.’ NSU Clinical Director Dr Jane O’Hallahan says she welcomes news of the appointment of a new auditing agency. ‘The safety and integrity of our programmes from a clinical perspective are paramount. I look forward to working with the DAA Group and screening providers to uphold and support continuous improvement that results from quality audit.’
