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This year, there are two Guidelines in Practice Awards: the Guidelines in Practice Cardiovascular Disease Award (closing date 30 June 2007), and the Guidelines in Practice Asthma Award (closing date 30 September 2007).

We are sure there are many excellent initiatives taking place up and down the country, which would make ideal entries. In case you have not yet decided whether to enter one of your projects, we thought it would be helpful to highlight the wide range and variety of suitable topics for each of these categories.

The Awards are open to GPs, nurses, other members of the primary care team, members of PCOs, and healthcare professionals who are involved in primary or shared-care initiatives to implement national evidence-based guidance in the NHS. You can easily enter by logging on to www.eguidelines.co.uk/awards/

Asthma Award

There has been a universal improvement in asthma care triggered by the QOF. Practice initiatives have shown how evidence implementation can improve clinical and therapeutic care, promote better symptom control, and reduce hospital admissions. The benefits of staff training featured in previous winning initiatives of the Guidelines in Practice Awards, including assessment of competencies in clinical measurement. Risk stratification of patient management, customised to the level of expertise and skill mix, has been used to demonstrate better outcomes. Group team-working schemes involving other disciplines such as pharmacy, or a psychological approach, have also been entered in previous years.

Consider whether your programme for greater patient involvement, if it is in educational programmes, management plans, or through use of patient passports, could be a possible entry. Have you structured care in a different way, or introduced novel systems of patient recall, data recording, or risk factor management? If you have, please consider submitting an entry.

The benefits of the development of shared schemes with secondary care have been demonstrated by previous entries, as well as the development of clearly defined referral and care pathways.

Cardiovascular Disease Award

Cardiovascular initiatives may be in the areas of heart disease, stroke, or peripheral arterial disease. The number of GPs with a special interest is increasing, but there is also an expanding role for specialist nurses in the coordination of care, patient assessment, heart failure management, rehabilitation, and in monitoring of patient testing. Training schemes are being continually developed, as well as resource packs for all team members and other professionals.

Screening schemes for risk factors and subclinical disease have been the basis for previous entries, as well as methods for targeting high-risk groups. If this has been your approach, it can easily form the starting point for your entry.

For patients with cardiovascular disease, a variety of rehabilitation schemes for different manifestations of the disease are in place across the country. Have you thought about entering your particular scheme, especially if you feel you are able to demonstrate that patient care has improved as a result of your project? In previous years the provision of seamless care across organisational boundaries has been highlighted by entrants, as well as rapid access referral systems.

Atrial fibrillation is a new area covered by the QOF and we would like to hear about innovative ways in which these patients have been identified and managed. Peripheral arterial disease, on the other hand, has yet to be included but we are aware of interesting schemes that would make worthy and ideal entries.

Remember, although the judges like to see exciting and original initiatives, auditing your work to show its effectiveness is essential.G