Leading in uncertain times: Delivering care for today’s and tomorrow’s needs

Learning together

Dr Rowan Myron, Education Lead, NIHR ARC Northwest London [pictured Left] and Dr Esther Kwong Consultant in Public Health Medicine, NIHR ARC NWL and NHS England [pRight] led an interactive 'Learning Lab' experience. The exercise provided practical ways to operationalise the strategic objectives and big words and often used when discussing leadership styles. The session expanded on the concept of the ‘Competing Values Framework’ and provided attendees with practical skills that attendees can use in their work.

Rowan said: 

"Our Learning Lab looked at culture and how we can understand what culture we prefer, what culture we work within and how to communicate across different cultures in different organisations, a crucial task for us all in the era of integration"

Esther said:

"I was delighted we are able to explore how culture fits into the context of healthcare. By introducing the Competing Values Framework we can explore the importance of culture in shaping a system that supports healthy behaviour of everyone in it, the quality of care it provides and its overall performance in delivery safe, high-quality health and care to patients and populations."

Engaging our diverse communities in research

Ethnicity & Health Unit, Patient, Public, Community Engagement & Involvement Theme and NIHR Clinical Research Network (CRN) Northwest London

Ganesh Sathyamoorthy and Kabelo Murray (NIHR ARC NWL) described the round one project where Roadshows, Community Research Champions and a Partnership Forum were used to engage our diverse communities in research. How this work is being further developed in round two which is being delivered currently, and potential new waves of REN funding, rounds three and four. Laura Mitchell (NIHR CRN NWL) described an asset mapping community database to support researchers in engaging with appropriate community groups and not overburden specific groups.

Today's Evaluation, Tomorrow's Evidence

Information & Intelligence Theme and Innovation & Evaluation Theme

Evaluating new approaches and technologies aimed at improving health and healthcare plays a key role in them leaving a lasting positive impact on our healthcare services, and ultimately the health of the population. To make this happen, the presenters stated we need to work together to set our evaluation intentions clearly from the project’s beginnings, building and developing these ideas through to the project’s end. Attendees of this workshop had the opportunity to learn, share, and discuss how we can all learn from yesterday’s work, plan for today’s evaluation, and develop tomorrow’s evidence.

Demand for mental health services for young people – Who needs help and how can we increase access?

Multi-morbidity & Mental Health Theme and Child Population Health Theme

In this session, the themes offered an overview of the demand for mental health services among children and young people (CYP). This will include local and national analyses of CYP's utilisation of emergency department services, their characteristics, their CAMHS (Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services) utilization, and prescription trends across Northwest London (NWL) boroughs.

Remote structured medication reviews for medicines optimisation: generating evidence

Digital Health Theme

It's crucial to understand how Structured Medication Reviews (SMR) can benefit a broader patient population in primary care settings, especially considering recent technological advances and the shift towards integrated care provision. Using a quantitative multi-method approach, the project aims to provide a comprehensive understanding of current remote SMR practice by exploring implementation, impact and delivery. This research is currently in the early planning and development stages and this workshop will be an opportunity for collaborative reflection to ensure that all critical aspects are addressed, while co-designing the most impactful approach in conducting this research.

Smoking cessation partnership work

Imperial College Healthcare Trust and NIHR ARC South London

In this engaging and interactive session, attendees heard an example of the successful implementation and evaluation of a large tobacco dependence programme within a south London hospital. The session identified the invaluable lessons learned from this work and how they are shaping similar initiatives in Northwest London. Attendees got the opportunity to explore how these insights can be translated into their work.