The focus on national targets in healthcare delivery is now at an end. The new mantra is one of quality, combined with innovation, productivity and prevention (QIPP); (Department of Health [DoH], 2008a; Nicholson 2009). This has been described as ‘the new landscape in which we operate’ (Farrar, 2009). An integral part of the QIPP initiative is the requirement to provide a ‘quality account’, as set out in the recent framework document (DoH, 2009a). From April 2010, all providers of healthcare services in England (under the auspices of the NHS) will be required to provide a quality account (DoH, 2009a).
