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What is their policy on ensuring best quality product?

Image: Genetic research at St Mary's Hospital. Copyright: Meningitis Research Foundation

Quality in terms of the work the Foundation carries out is related to the objectives of the Foundation:

• Quality in terms of ensuring that funds for research are used in the most effective way possible to further understanding of the cause and treatment of the disease
• Quality in terms of the level and effectiveness of the publicity material that is published and the education of the public and health professionals about the disease
• Quality in terms of the support provided to those who have been affected

The publications produced by the Foundation are aimed at raising awareness by providing symptoms information for the public and educational materials for health professionals on the recognition and management of meningitis and associated infections. It is important therefore that care and attention is paid to the design, layout, style, colours and the accuracy of the information contained in any such publications. Before any resources are published, the Foundation consults widely with doctors, nurses and scientists who are experts in the field of meningitis and septicaemia to ensure accuracy of all information published.

Images: Information given to the public has to be targeted at the right segment of the market, it has to be eye catching and informative without overburdening the reader with too much information - it has to get the main points across. Different posters might be targeted at different market segments as in the two examples above. Copyright: Meningitis Research Foundation

The Foundation also produces information for health professionals to aid with diagnosis and treatment, produced after extensive consultation with experts in the field of meningitis and septicaemia. The health professional materials have been endorsed by the British Medical Association (BMA), the Royal College of Nurses (RCN) and the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health (RCPCH) amongst others.

Meningitis symptoms

Septicaemia symptoms

Image: Simple and effective - the key to the maintenance of high quality information to the public. All six icons for both meningitis and septicaemia need to be reproduced in a way that will clearly identify the symptoms. Copyright: Meningitis Research Foundation

Research that is carried out by Meningitis Research Foundation has to be high quality research that yields results and uses the funds donated by the public as efficiently as possible. To achieve this, all applications to the Foundation are made in open competition and are subjected to a peer review process, in line with recommendations of the Association of Medical Research Charities, of which the Foundation is a member.

As far as the 24 hour helpline is concerned, it is obviously vital that the staff who work on this section are appropriately trained to handle the range of calls that they can expect to have to field. The calls might range from worried parents concerned about the symptoms their child is displaying, to someone who is making a general enquiry about meningitis and septicaemia related to some presentation that is being delivered in a school, to distraught family members who have experienced bereavement.

The range of personal skills and qualities, communication skills and subject knowledge is regularly monitored and updated as appropriate. The Foundation is a member of the Telephone Helplines Association and has been awarded their prestigious quality seal.

Image: The skills of those who staff the 24 hour helpline have to be wide ranging to deal with the sorts of problems and concerns that they will have to deal with. Copyright: Meningitis Research Foundation

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