Transcript Slide 1
A Managed Clinical Network for Epilepsy in Wales
Professor Phil Smith
Carrie Hammond
What is a Managed Clinical Network?
Managed Clinical Networks (MCNs) are:
“linked groups of health professionals and
organisations from primary, secondary and
tertiary care, working in a co-ordinated manner,
unconstrained by existing professional and
Health Board boundaries, to ensure equitable
provision of high quality clinically effective
services”.
Progress to Date
Initial administration costs for the Managed
Clinical Network have kindly been made
available through the Association of the British
Pharmaceutical Industry (ABPI) Cymru Wales
Neurology Subgroup.
The Network has built upon the existing
infrastructure of the Wales Epilepsy Research
Network (WERN).
A MCN for Epilepsy in Wales
The aim of the Network is to coordinate and
facilitate the work of epilepsy professionals in
Wales, promoting adherence to national
guidelines, and building efficient and effective
epilepsy care.
Seventy members have so far registered their
interest in the MCN, from a range of
professions and Health Boards.
The MCN should improve the quality of life for
people with epilepsy by:
The Network has developed in parallel with,
and gained momentum from, the Cardiff CCM
Demonstrator.
•Capturing the opportunities of the Wales
NHS’s change to integrated care
•Encouraging efficient and effective services,
in the most suitable setting
•Reducing harm, waste and variation in
epilepsy service delivery
•Empowering patients with epilepsy by
equipping them to be full participants in
determining their care
The MCN is All-Wales, for both adults and
children, and for learning disabled and non
learning disabled.
The MCN is largely a ‘virtual’ organisation.
There will be relatively few actual meetings and
most communication will be by email.
A Managed Clinical Network for epilepsy in
Wales should play an important role in ensuring
that quality services are provided equitably
across Wales.
We hope that you will be keen to participate
and make the MCN a success.
Capturing Opportunity
The epilepsy MCN is a prime example of
capturing the opportunity of the newly
integrated NHS, in that it brings together
epilepsy clinicians and services in primary,
secondary and tertiary care. We hope that all
Health Boards will support the Managed
Clinical Network in its endeavours to drive the
continuous improvement of care in line with
the SDD.
The ability to describe and monitor existing
services is an essential prerequisite to
improvement. Health Boards can play an
important role by defining their existing
designated services for people with epilepsy,
in collaboration with the MCN. This will allow
assessment of services to ensure they are
provided to a comparable level across Wales.
Acknowledgements:
Our collective thanks to everyone who has shown support for a
Managed Clinical Network for epilepsy in Wales. We look
forward to working with you.