New quality standards for information and support

Macmillan cancer information and support services are developed to meet local needs, which is one of their strengths. But professionals and users also need to know that these services are of a high-quality.

Many Macmillan development managers and information and support centre managers told Macmillan that they wanted clearer guidance on how to set up and deliver these services. So Macmillan developed a set of standards called Macmillan Quality in Information and Support Services (MQuISS) (formerly the MQS).

 

MQuISS provides guidance on good practice in cancer information and support services. It sets standards of practice in: planning; governance; user focus; leadership; managing people; learning and development; managing money and resources; promotion; working with others; and monitoring and evaluation.

 

Thirty-one services volunteered to pilot the standards. Each service tested 2–4 quality areas, self-assessing their service against the standards and developing an action plan. The services involved made a number of changes as a result of the standards.

 

For example, an exisiting service used the ‘managing people’ section to improve supervision and support for volunteers, while a new service used the standards as a guide before opening. People affected by cancer were also consulted about the level of service they want to experience. All this feedback was used to improve the MQuISS.

 

Macmillan has also ensured that the MQuISS fits with monitoring requirements, the Managing cancer information materials toolkit, and other standards, such as the Macmillan Quality Environment Mark|.

 

The revised MQuISS will be available in late June. Thank you to the services that have worked hard to test the standards and ensure they work well.

More information

Email Mig Muller|, Macmillan Quality Standards Development Manager.