The Alcohol Care Team Innovation and Optimisation Network (ACTION) is a subscription-based quality improvement network sitting under the College Centre for Quality Improvement at the Royal College of Psychiatrists. ACTION was launched in 2021 initially to work in collaboration with the NHS Prevention Programme and the alcohol care teams (ACTs) that had received funding to start – or further develop – a team. The network is now independent and open to all ACTs and staff working across alcohol-related services.
The purpose of the network is to facilitate the development of ACTs and quality improvement, and we do this through a supportive peer-review model and a range of learning and education events that enable networking and sharing of best practice between services.
In the review model, ACT members undertake a comprehensive review cycle based on a set of standards that were developed in line with national guidance and to be applicable to a range of different ACT service models. This review model includes:
• Self-review: Provides services the opporÂtunity to reflect on the quality of care provided, marking themselves against the standards and gathering feedback from surveys and documentation
• Peer review: Provides a platform for promoting and encouraging best practice, network and constructive communication. Peer-review teams are made up of four to five people, including professionals from different services and people with lived experience.
• Local report: Services receive a detailed report, highlighting good practice and areas for development and recommendations for this
ACTION also facilitates learning programmes that are shaped by our ACT members. These range from informal peer support sessions – such as our lead nurse and band 3 and 4 practitioner forums – to structured sessions delivered in our monthly community of practice webinar programme. We also facilitate an annual in-person and ad-hoc webinars responding to developments and challenges affecting ACTs.
Why ACTION? It supports quality improvement within ACTs and demonÂstrates a commitment to development and training of staff, maintaining and developing an engaged workforce. It also allows ACTs to demonstrate their worth and quality of service to commissioners, ICBs, hospital colleagues and people who use the service, by meeting nationally agreed standards. ACTION can also act as an advocate for additional development and resources and help with sustainability of services.
WHAT OUR MEMBERS SAY
‘We have used the report in our alcohol steering group meeting and with the local commissioners. Operations director is also utilising the report to evidence the benefits of the ACT in the hope to achieve permanency within the trust’
‘The teaching sessions have helped with induction for our new staff and for them to have more awareness about the complexities of being alcohol specialist nurses; it has proven to be a good source of knowledge and support’
‘We were apprehensive about completing the review cycle but loved the experience and used it as a benchmark to show how far we had come and acknowledge the hard work already completed and achieved. The team loved it as we could evaluate all we had done in one piece of work and was good to have comments from other professionals.’
If you’re interested in joining your ACT to the network, or if you’d like more information about ACTION including what we do, subscription fees and membership, you can email us at ACTION@rcpsych.ac.uk or visit our website here.
Leyla Golparvar is deputy programme manager at the Royal College of Psychiatrists