Integrating health and care services: Creating capacity to deliver change
Integrating health and care services: Creating capacity to deliver change
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Our Autumn Collaborative Learning Event was the final in a four-event series, taking a deep dive into integrated care. The event's theme was the challenges and opportunities of integrating health and social care across organisational boundaries.
Our Autumn Collaborative Learning Event was the final in a four-event series, taking a deep dive into integrated care. The event's theme was the challenges and opportunities of integrating health and social care across organisational boundaries.
Over 120 attrendees learned of innovative ways to improve local population health outcomes; reduce inequalities in the delivery of health and care; and promote better value from health and social care resources.
Our Collaborative Learning Events bring together local stakeholders and partners to explore and learn about timely health and care research topics and showcase relevant work from each of our Research Themes. The events change the modality of learning throughout the day, allowing for networking and collaborative learning through a series of innovative workshops, plenary and interactive sessions.
Professor Azeem Majeed Director of NIHR ARC NW London, opened the event and said:
"I was very pleased to support this event, which focused on integrating health and social care systems. Integrated Care Systems represent a transformative step in improving population health, reducing inequalities, and optimising resource use. Achieving meaningful integration is a complex challenge, requiring collaborative effort, innovative thinking, and a commitment to shared goals. The event highlighted our shared responsibility to address key barriers, such as disparities in workforce development and research capacity. By fostering local partnerships, aligning research priorities, and building a culture of collaboration, we can empower communities and professionals to create a more integrated, equitable, and effective health and social care system. I was very encouraged by the opportunities to learn from the practical examples and case studies presented during the event. These discussions will inspire strategies that support long-term improvements across the NHS and social care, ultimately benefiting the diverse populations we serve in North West London."
Why is integration so hard?
Why is integration so hard?
The keynote presentation titled 'Integrating health and social care across the UK' was expertly delivered by Thea Stein, Chief Executive of the Nuffield Trust who brought her curious and questioning mind to this event and shared views informed and influenced by evidence and her own experiences.
Thea presented the key differences and similarities between integrated care across the UK and described it as 'a natural experiment in health and social care integration'. She pointed to the shared aims and key drivers integration and asked, 'does it save money?' She identified individual drivers such as psychological safety, shared power and decision making with a focus on relationships and the needs of users as having pivotal roles in successful integration. She looked into outcome measures that would help measure the impact and effectiveness of integrated services alongside some recent data analysis.
The presentation closed by looking to the future, such as the required analogue to the digital shift, how the concept of 'Hospital to home' won't work without the social care workforce at its heart and the move from treatment to prevention. Finally, a large part of her dynamic and engaging presentation was dedicated to answering questions from attendees, which created the perfect platform for the next interactive session.
View / download Thea's keynote presentation: Integrating health and social care across the UK - Thea Stein (.pdf)
Considering Integration - System Change
Considering Integration - System Change
Next up was the 'Learning Lab', an on-stage interactive engagement exercise designed to operationalise some of the key concepts of the day. Led by Professor Rowan Myron, Professor for Healthcare Improvement/Education Lead and Dr Esther Kwong [pictured right], the session introduced 10 key concepts of successful health system integration (Suter et al., 2009) and then asked attendees to step into the creative side of their brain. The groups were asked to create a representation of health and care system services using colourful pipe cleaners. Once the model was completed, each table was then asked to take it to the next table to see if it could be integrated with that group's model. The exercise brought the challenges of integrating to shape focus with the groups, considering the links they had made or would have to make. The engaging exercise visually represented the complexity of integration while giving attendees time to consider how complex adaptive systems can work together with flexibility and some change.
Professor Rowan Myron said:
"It was a great event, we brought together people from across the system to think about integration. The Learning Lab really got people thinking about the challenges and reality of working across a system - especially when you don't know who you don't know. Ultimately, what it really came down to was the people, the relationships and building new relationships to foster working across our system in a more integrated way."
View / download the Learning Lab presentation: Learning Lab (Nov 2024) Slides (.pdf)
Breakout sessions explore the latest research
Breakout sessions explore the latest research
Social Care Theme
Social Care Theme
Developing social care research: insights from practitioners
Our Social Care Theme presented the The Hewitt Review (2023) of integrated care systems, which outlines the need for a thriving research community and ‘strengthening and embedding a culture of research and innovation’ across the health and care system. Social care research is a component of realising this agenda. Since April, 2024, ARC NWL has been working on a Social Care Research Capacity Building Programme, in collaboration with Brunel University.
This session explored social care research opportunities, gaps, knowledge needs and action for change, from the perspective of practitioners working in social care in North West London. It began with an overview of some of the emerging lessons from the Social Care Research Capacity Building Programme, and reflections on social care research by a practitioner who holds a Social Care Research Capacity Building Position within a local authority. These insights when then used as the basis for a wider discussion of how to support developing social care research in North West London.
Presenters:
Professor Fiona Verity (Social Work, Brunel University) and Academic Lead, Social Care Research Capacity Building Project (NIHR ARC NWL)
Graham Ainsley, Social Worker, Adult Safeguarding, Hammersmith & Fulham Council/ Social Care Research Capacity post holder
View / Download: Social Care Breakout Session Slides (.pdf)
Digital Health with Mental Health & Multimorbidity
Digital Health with Mental Health & Multimorbidity
Using technology to improve integrated care across primary and secondary care for individuals with mental health problems
The themes reported on analysis of usage data from one such platform (45 million consultations), and discussed trends and patterns in online consultation use over time, including the use of mental health specific consultation templates, and urgent redirection for mental health concerns.
The Best for You programme is an integrated care scheme for children and young people, seeking to provide joined up care for this important group, when they present in need. This includes the development of a website offering a single point of access to a curated selection of tried, tested, and reliable online resources for support of young people with mental health conditions and neurodivergent young people. The themes discussed their progress to date with implementation and evaluation of the programme, including our approach to the Best for You digital resources.
Presenters:
Ana Luisa Neves - Clinical Senior Lecturer in Digital Health
Geva Greenfield - Research Fellow
Benedict Hayhoe - Clinical Lecturer
Gabriele Kerr - Research Assistant
Dr Johan Redelinghuys, Clinical Director for CAMHS & Developmental Services, West London NHS Trust
Rosalind Chung, Major Programmes Lead at CW+ Charity
Patient, Public, Community Engagement & Involvement with Ethnicity & Health Unit
Patient, Public, Community Engagement & Involvement with Ethnicity & Health Unit
Sickle Cell and Patient Reported Experience Measures
This workshop looked at the development and implementation of the Sickle Cell (SC) Patent Reported Experience Measure (PREM)and its implementation over the last decade.Presenters explored its planned expansion of use from being used in England to being used in Europe. The SC PREM was developed in a collaboration between CLAHRC NWL, Picker, Sickle Cell Warriors and the Sickle Society to assess the experience of Sickle Cell Warriors. The SC PREM is currently licenced to be used in five NHS Trusts, four of which are located in London.
The workshop also explored the increased awareness of Sickel Cell, and the increased focus on this since the publication of the All Party Parliamentary Group on Sickle Cell “No Ones Listening Report”, stating that research alone is not enough to create change. You also need political momentum. Attendees had the opportunity to have their say for the NHS 10 Year Plan consultation by sharing experiences and ideas to improve Sickle Cell care.
Presenters:
Ganesh Sathyamoorthy, Deputy Director of the Ethnicity & Health Unit and Assistant Director for Partnerships and Business Development, NIHR ARC NWL
Cherelle Augustine, Engagement Coordinator
View / Download: PPCEI and EHU Breakout Session Slides (.pdf)
Information & Intelligence with Child Population Health
Information & Intelligence with Child Population Health
The power of integration in child and young person health and the impact on longer-term outcomes
In this session the team presented their project linking data on mothers and their babies. They explained the significance of the work, the challenges they have encountered, and its potential to advance integrated child health research and services.
In the second part of the session, they went on to highlight research plans for using linked data to assess the health and wider participation outcomes of young people with a learning disability who attend their annual health check with their GP.
Finally, they presented creative strategies for engaging with these young people and discussed our findings from this important work. The workshop closed with a discussion on the data needed to support integrated care research and the pressing need to design more integrated models of care, especially for young people with a learning disability as they transition from children to adult services.
Presenters:
Vesso Novov, Software Developer
Rakhee Shah, Clinical Research Fellow
Innovation & Evaluation Theme
Innovation & Evaluation Theme
The Role of Community Health and Wellbeing Workers (CHWWs) in Health and Social Care Integration
This breakout session exploreed the vital role that Community Health and Wellbeing Workers (CHWWs) play in supporting the integration of health and social care. CHWWs are uniquely positioned to bridge gaps between the sectors, particularly in addressing the complex needs of diverse local populations.
During the session, Matt and Connie discussed exemplary case studies highlighting innovative CHWW-led interventions that have contributed to improved population health and wellbeing. The session also delved into the challenges and opportunities of expanding the CHWW model, including workforce development, training resources, and approaches to enhance collaboration between health and social care. Through interactive discussions, attendees will gained insights into how CHWWs can be a catalyst for local service integration and the future steps required to enhance their role in driving system-wide improvements.
Presenters:
Connie Junghans - GP and Senior Clinical Fellow in Primary Care
Matthew Harris - Clinical Reader in Public Health Innovation
Reflecting on a packed day
Reflecting on a packed day
The day closed with the on stage 'Perspectives from...' panel discussion chaired by Dr Fiona Moss. The panel of Duc Tran, Fiona Verity and Dougal Hargreaves, with input from attendees, reflected on the day's content and discussed the challenges and opportunities of integrating health and care services.
Next up
Next up
Our next Collaborative Learning Event will be held in May 2025. Keep an eye on our Events Page for more information.
Highlights from #CLEvent
Highlights from #CLEvent
Associated Themes:
Associated Themes:
This event was devised and delivered by our Collaborative Learning & Capacity Building Theme and it featured all of our Research Themes.
Find out more about our Social Care work.
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