Arm's length - Mechanism

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INTERPERSONAL : SCIENCES

humanistic ---------------------------------------  mechanistic

SOCIOLOGY : POLITICAL

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	The Vitruvian Man (c. 1485) Accademia, Venice
	DoH: Corporate report - Arm's length bodies

Health & Social Care - Safe Record Keeping Project

Dear Member

BCS, The Chartered Institute for IT and the Department of Health Informatics Directorate (DHID) have launched a project to develop clear and easy to follow guidance for patients and the public on the subject of health and social care records.

The project will provide patients with advice on how to look after the health and social care records and other sensitive personal data that they are creating or health and social care providers are sharing with them. BCS is inviting individuals or organisations to tender for the contract to carry out this work.

Further information about the tender process can be found at: ...

Please do not hesitate to contact me if you require any further information.

Regards,

Dr Wai Keong Wong
Project Coordinator
BCS and DH project for safe patient record
w.wong AT bcs.org

My source: BCS, Dr Wai Keong Wong with thanks.

Report - Integrated care for patients and populations: Improving outcomes by working together

I've posted on integrated care previously on W2tQ. The core recommendations of this New Year  report on integrated care are:

• government policy should be founded on a clear, ambitious and measurable goal to improve the experience of patients and service users and to be delivered by a defined date
• patients with complex needs should be guaranteed an entitlement to an agreed care plan, a named case manager responsible for co-ordinating care, and access to telehealth and telecare and a personal health budget where appropriate
• change must be implemented at scale and pace; this will require work across large populations, significant reform and flexibility to take forward different approaches.

Publication prompted Time to integrate words with action by Chris Ham and Jennifer Dixon (HSJ 5 January pp. 16-17 - and my source for this news). The report and mention of measures of integrated care that include patient experience provoked further reflection.

Integration in health and social care should be considered critically over the past 25 years and more (but that's a thesis). Evolution in policy matters, but there is a deep archaeology that illustrates the policy aspiration - practice gap the reports priorities seek to address. A comment in response on the King's Fund's site notes the need for (strategies, methods and) a framework. While no magic wand there is a framework that can at least unify disciplines, public and policy makers. And act as a bridge between words and actions.

Integration needs a shared and agreed origin.

(A point* around which disintegration turns)

Although brief (20 pages) the report is an excellent source for references (3 pages) that includes:

Kodner D, Spreeuwenberg C (2002). ‘Integrated Care: Meaning, logic, applications, and implications – a discussion paper’. International Journal of Integrated Care, vol 2,
Available at: www.ijic.org/index.php/ijic/article/view/67 (accessed 13 December 2011).

Kodner D (2009). ‘All together now: a conceptual exploration of integrated care’. Healthcare Quarterly, vol 13(Sp), pp 6–15.

Leutz W (2005). ‘Reflections on integrating medical and social care: five laws revisited. Journal of Integrated Care, vol 14, no 5, pp 3–12.

As we try to integrate words and actions we need to remember:

how we dice and slice influences the scope of integration.

We'll explore this more soon.
*Points?

Nick Goodwin, Judith Smith, Alisha Davies, Claire Perry, Rebecca Rosen, Anna Dixon, Jennifer Dixon, Chris Ham Integrated care for patients and populations: Improving outcomes by working together. Report to the Department of Health and NHS Future Forum from The King’s Fund and Nuffield Trust

Health literacy conference - definitions & Hodges' model

Well yesterday was a very useful and enjoyable day both in learning about health literacy [HL] and trying to get the message out there about the potential of Hodges' model.

The keynotes a.m. and p.m. were all very informative the speakers leaders in this field - inc.

Prof. Don Nutbeam who talked about definitions of health literacy:

• functional literacy
• communicative and interactive literacy
• critical literacy

One of many take home points being that a person can have high health literacy, but low general literacy. The other and new literacies that I have illustrated on W2tQ and on my poster were mentioned. Prof. Nutbeam's description of health literacy in absolute and relative terms brought out the meerkat in me (well, ok I sat up - I didn't stand on my chair and look all around). As is often the case it's something we kind of know, but without the eloquence that specialism, expert thought and structure brings.

The absolute form of health literacy is applicable in clinical care - conceptualised as RISK;
while the relative form of health literacy has greater application in public health as an ASSET.

Clearly, Hodges' model can be related to Prof. Nutbeam's work both in theory and practice especially with the communicative / interactive and critical forms. Perhaps the health care domains model could also form part of an assessment to measure functional literacy; one that is hybridized across the literacies, e.g. SCIENCES care domain = drug dose / admin calculation or nutrition task?

From the outset the need to conceptualize health literacy was noted. This had me scribbling away - conceptual navigation - conceptual envisioning ....

My poster did erm... stand out next to the A0 - A1 and greater efforts. I'll investigate the possibility of future support if needed from a local university to produce something - A1 would be brilliant. At the end of the day in the panel discussion I was able to highlight Hodges' model and I am grateful to the people who approached me afterwards and look f/w to hearing from them.  In turn I will try to effect some connections on behalf of others - my local council and children's services.

The other sessions were brief at 15 mins, but nonetheless demonstrated the vibrancy and creative potential of health literacy. I'll post more on HL - other sessions, references, call for papers, news of other events, 2012 and the significance of HL to Hodges' model and my interest in informatics.

Before I close - the lack of anyone present with central policy gravitas was raised in questions and the previous support of DoH was stressed by a delegate in response. As I understand DoH also originally contributed to the funding of the HL initiative and steering group.

I wonder if some health literacy practitioners could make an impression on policy makers through the acknowledged need to get people back to work? If so, they could help carry the HL flag for the rest of the community; and should they need a design for that flag.... ;-)

Guidance: Breakthrough to real change in local healthcare - a guide for applications to create Health Innovation and Education Clusters (HIECs)

6 May 2009: The Department of Health is investing £10 million in the introduction of Health Innovation and Education Clusters (HIECs) across England. HIECs will be partnerships between NHS, higher education, industry and other public and private sector organisations. They will support the spread and adoption of innovation locally and strengthen professional education and training.
This guide describes the vision for HIECs, the role of HIECs in education and training, how HIECs will support innovation and the application process. This starts a period of informal dialogue with strategic health authorities (SHAs) and prospective HIEC partners, leading to expressions of interest in early September 2009 and a final announcement on the first wave of HIECs in December 2009. SHAs are co-ordinating applications and, as part of the process, they are arranging regional stakeholder events.
Contact details for the SHA in your area are included.
Published by Department of Health, UK