Invited Review Service - about

Background of the Invited Reviews Programme

The RCPCH Invited Reviews Programme (IRP) was developed in 2012 as a valuable quality assurance and improvement tool, utilising expert independent peer review to help assure patient safety, address issues of concern at an early stage and improve the quality of care in children and young people’s health services.

The IRP has seen major developments between 2020 and 2025, including a temporary pause during the COVID-19 pandemic, an independent external evaluation, and a formal relaunch in 2023, informed by updated principles set out in the Academy of Medical Royal Colleges’ Framework of Operating Principles for Managing Invited Reviews within Healthcare.

Aims of the Invited Reviews Programme

1. To provide healthcare organisations with an opportunity to adopt a proactive approach in seeking assurances on healthcare and services provided, address areas of concern and identify opportunities for quality improvement.
    
2. To utilise a peer review model, tailored to the needs of the healthcare organisation to provide an expert, independent, external assessment of the safety and quality of the health care services provided for children and young people, according to agreed Terms of Reference (ToR).
    
3. To Identify and consider areas of good practice, areas for improvement and any concerns about child health service provision, including patient safety and staff well-being. This includes where relevant, reference to published standards, guidance and recognised best practice.
    
4. To support healthcare organisations to:
   • Achieve and sustain the highest standards of health care and improved outcomes for children and young people and to improve the safety, effectiveness, and patient experience of clinical services. This may include assisting healthcare organisations to resolve concerns about child health service provision.
   • Ensure compliant, effective working arrangements for clinicians providing healthcare to children and young people.
5. To facilitate reflection and learning in the service being reviewed through supporting and encouraging those involved in providing patient care to:
   • Share their perspectives and views on strengths and weaknesses in current service provision, and ideas for quality improvement.
   • Raise any concerns they have regarding patient safety, the quality of the services provided and/or the health, well-being, conduct or probity of the staff.
6. To consider requests for invited service and/or case note reviews of general and specialist paediatric services, neonatology and community child health services.
    
7. To sustain the highest quality invited reviews service, through its commitment to and framework for quality assurance and improvement, including ongoing review of processes, and seeking feedback from stakeholders.

Overarching principles of the Invited Reviews Programme

1. The RCPCH IRP is delivered in line with the principles set out in the ‘Framework of operating principles for managing invited reviews within healthcare’ published in March 2022 by the Academy of Medical Royal Colleges.
    
2. RCPCH invited reviews are carried out on a confidential basis which support, but do not replace:
   • The healthcare organisation’s own procedures for addressing and managing patient safety, clinical performance, and service provision.
   • The processes of the various healthcare regulatory, inspectorate and formal oversight bodies involved in assuring the quality and safety of patient care.
3. RCPCH invited reviews are carried out in accordance with the TOR, which are collectively agreed by the Healthcare Organisation commissioning the invited review, the invited review team and RCPCH.
    
4. The Invited Review Team, in undertaking the invited review, will consider information made available to it from several sources. This includes documentation provided by the healthcare organisation commissioning the RCPCH invited review and from discussions with staff, staff groups and others involved in the service being reviewed as relevant.
    
5. At the conclusion of the invited review visit, the Review Team will provide initial feedback to healthcare organisations commissioning a RCPCH invited review  on its findings; this will be subsequently provided in writing.
    
6. The findings, conclusions and recommendations following a RCPCH invited review are set out in a comprehensive report collectively agreed by the review team undertaking the invited review and issued to the healthcare organisation. The report:
   • Is based on the information available to the review team at the time of the invited review.
   • Is designed for the healthcare organisations to share in an appropriate way with relevant clinical teams and those who participate din the review.
   • Aims to assist the healthcare organisation in taking action to address any concerns identified, and to make and sustain improvements to the safety and quality of the healthcare services it provides for children and young people and to support compliant, effective working arrangements for its clinical professionals.
7. Healthcare organisations commissioning a RCPCH Invited Review are responsible for developing an action plan to address the recommendations made in the invited review report, which should have appropriate executive/senior leadership oversight. This should help support appropriate planning, prioritising and clarity of responsibilities.
    
8. RCPCH continues engagement with healthcare organisations commissioning an Invited Review after the report is issued. This ensures shared understanding of acceptance of the report’s recommendations and facilitates assurance from healthcare organisations of their development of an action plan.
    
9. Healthcare organisations commissioning a RCPCH Invited Review, remain responsible for patient safety (and any actions required to protect patient safety) within its organisation for the duration of the invited review processes. The RCPCH does not accept any responsibility for patient safety, including the healthcare organisation acting on any of its recommendations to protect patient safety, at any time before, during or after the invited review.
    
10. At any point during RCPCH’s engagement with healthcare organisations for the purposes of the commissioned invited review, RCPCH will escalate any concerns raised or identified which it considers presents serious or immediate risk, in accordance with its escalation policy for managing concerns identified during an invited review.

Governance and oversight of the Invited Reviews Programme

1. The RCPCH Invited Reviews Programme Board (IRPB) provides governance of the IRP, sets its strategic direction, and reports to the RCPCH Executive Committee. The IRPB, chaired by the RCPCH Assistant Registrar, comprises the Clinical Lead and Deputy Clinical lead for invited reviews, RCPCH Registrar and senior representatives from the RCPCH, expert reviewers, NHS resolution Practitioner Performance Advice (PPA),  Royal College of Nursing and a patient, family, and carer voice representative.
    
2. The RCPCH Invited Reviews Programme Oversight Group (IRPOG) oversees the operational aspects of the IRP. Its specific responsibilities include:
   • Advising the RCPCH Invited Reviews Service in considering invited review requests received according to its SOP.
   • Supporting the RCPCH invited review team during a review, helping to ensure consistency of invited review processes and providing clinical oversight.
   • Overseeing the RCPCH IRP escalation policy for the management of concerns identified during an invited review.
   • Quality assurance of invited review reports before issue to the healthcare organisation which has commissioned the review.
   • Oversight of the follow up processes after the report is provided to the healthcare organisation.
   • Consideration of reviewer applications and contributing to the reviewer programmes of training, information and discussion opportunities.
3. The Clinical Lead and Deputy Clinical Lead for Invited Reviews provides support for reviewers in their role and advises and supports the RCPCH Invited Reviews Service on clinical matters.

The review process

The IRS is available to healthcare providers, commissioners and service planners across England, Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland. Reviews can be conducted onsite, remotely via MS Teams videoconferencing or a hybrid of both, following discussion and agreement of what will be most effective at that time.

You can see a diagrammatic overview of the invited review process below or open in full screen:

How we support improvements in the quality of healthcare services

More than 95 reviews have been completed since 2013. Over 80% of our clients gave positive feedback on the reviews process, and we continue to hear formally and informally about evidence of action planning and change associated with recommendations made in invited review reports.

In addition, the IRS collects information from the reviews undertaken and is committed to publishing this anonymously to inform and support assuring patient safety and improving the quality of the healthcare care provided to children and young people. In sharing major overarching themes, it provides opportunity to learn from each other and acts as a resource to support quality improvement and help inform policy and service standards in the future.

Further information

If you are considering requesting or commissioning the RCPCH to undertake an invited review, you can download the following resources from the bottom of this page:

• Handbook for healthcare organisations: a comprehensive guide for healthcare organisations considering an invited review
• Booklet for Participants and Interviewees Involved in an Invited Review: information for those participating through interviews or discussion groups.
• Handbook for Review Coordinators: a resource which you may find helpful prior to considering an invited review

You can also read our web page for more detail about our processes, how a review can help you, and how to request an invited review.

For any questions, or to request an initial confidential discussion about the Invited Reviews Service (IRS), please contact the team at invited.reviews@rcpch.ac.uk.

Privacy notices

Our privacy notices explain how we use data and information regarding our reviews and for those acting as invited reviewers. 

For healthcare organisations

For feedback surveys

For invited reviewers

For participants