The Healthcare Quality Improvement Partnership (HQIP) was established in April 2008 to promote improvement in health services, by increasing the impact that clinical audit has on healthcare quality in England and Wales and, in some cases other devolved nations. It is led by a consortium of the Academy of Medical Royal Colleges and the Royal College of Nursing.
The Partnership holds the contract to commission, manage, and develop the National Clinical Audit and Patient Outcomes Programme (NCAPOP). This consists of more than 40 clinical audits, registries and confidential enquiries that cover a range of health conditions. Their purpose is to engage clinicians in systematic evaluation of their clinical practice against standards (often set by NICE), and to encourage improvement in the quality of care. This programme is gradually being extended to other areas of healthcare, working with clinical, patient and professional advisory groups.
HQIP also hosts the National Joint Registry which was set up to collect information in England and Wales on joint replacement operations and to monitor the performances of implants, hospitals and surgeons. Additionally, the Partnership works closely with a number of national and professional leadership bodies and organisations including the Care Quality Commission (CQC), NHS England and Health Data Research UK, among others.