Example email - encouraging community teams to participate in SSNAP

If there is an ESD or Community team in your area which is not participating in SSNAP, we would encourage you to prompt this team to register and participate in SSNAP

Below is an example email which you could send to these teams:

Dear Colleague

We are participating in SSNAP (Sentinel Stroke National Audit Programme) which collects data on stroke patients across the care pathway from admission to discharge from care, including early supported discharge, community rehabilitation and six month follow-up assessments.

We have entered details into the audit webtool for a patient who has been transferred to your team for ongoing care. We would like to make you aware that you can take part in this national audit and complete details on this patient and other patients transferred to you.

By taking part, you will not only be supporting the national information available on the quality of care for stroke patients, but will also receive reports showing the care delivered by your team and how this compares to other organisations. SSNAP aims to be the single source of stroke data, and participation should enable you to complete all of your stroke data requirements in one place. The results will be used by commissioners (e.g. CCGs) and regional and national level bodies, such as NHS England and NHS Wales.

You can register at www.strokeaudit.org (which is also the webtool for entering patient records). The dataset for community is also available to download here. The parts of the dataset relevant to community services are short in length and easy to complete via direct entry on to the webtool.

SSNAP is one of the audits in the National Clinical Audit and Patient Outcomes Programme (NCAPOP) and is included in the Quality Accounts. The core dataset for SSNAP is mandated for relevant providers: http://www.england.nhs.uk/wp-content/uploads/2013/03/contract-service.pdf

SC26: 26.1.2: “The provider must participate in the national clinical audits within the NCAPOP relevant to the Services”. The RCP stress that they want providers to participate because they recognise the benefit to their stroke service.

If you have any questions or queries about SSNAP, the SSNAP helpdesk at the Royal College of Physicians will be happy to help.