This page introduces the RCOG’s invited review service, designed to help employers, commissioners and managers provide safe and sustainable services that improve outcomes for women’s health.
What is an RCOG invited review?
We regularly receive requests for reviews of obstetric and gynaecology (O&G) services, or of individual clinical practice, from organisations that provide, plan or commission O&G services and have concerns about:
- An individual’s clinical performance
- Patient safety
- A healthcare organisation’s ability to provide effective training in O&G
- Workload issues
- Aspects of delivery of a whole service
- Potential for service redesign/configuration
We provide three types of review:
- Service review: carried out in response to an invitation to visit and comment on a current service, including meeting the clinical team, managers and other stakeholders, with a focus on safety and quality
- Individual performance review: carried out following a request to examine the clinical practice of an individual doctor who is causing concern; other requests, such as a case note review or an independent second opinion, also fall into this category
- Configuration review: carried out when commissioners and healthcare organisations need clinical assurance of proposals for significant changes to local O&G services
Case studies
For examples of the kind of guidance the RCOG can provide to help you deliver improved patient outcomes, please read our case studies.