My name is Leanne and I used the MAP project plan template

October 21, 2016 Comments Off on My name is Leanne and I used the MAP project plan template

Even though I have been involved with the MAP Toolkit since 2013 (I presented at HLG 2014 dontcha know) and I love it, I have always been a bit apprehensive of synthesising drivers/writing up case studies/using project plans. It’s all to do with the language (and a fair helping of imposter syndrome) and the fact that I feel intimidated by the terminology/language and what I believe are the requirements for synthesising drivers/writing up case studies/using project plans. Am I clever enough to write case study? What would be a useful topic for a case study? And then there is the age old problem of thinking you need something spectacular to write about because everything else is ‘part of the job’ and we are just getting on with it. Could I write a project plan? Am I the type of person to use a project plan? If I was to do a project plan for a work based project do I need to worry when I start to project plan my non work life?

The other day I really needed to get some thoughts down on paper about something that was spinning out of control in my mind. I’ve been part of a fairly meaty discussion lately which has taken on a juggernaut type life of its own and the initial thing I wanted to do has grown massively to incorporate things that didn’t even feature on my radar (but did on other peoples).

So, I took a journey out of my comfort zone, stopped off at the MAP Toolkit, clicked on the ‘Ideas Capture’ tab and downloaded the project plan template. And I filled it in. And I actually enjoyed it. And it focussed my thoughts. And it made me think of the ‘bigger picture’. And it helped me get perspective. And when I shared it with other people it helped generate a great discussion. This discussion has resulted in the project plan being re-written to include a wider catchment of ideas.

And I would definitely use it again. And it turns out that yes, my name is Leanne and I AM the type of person who would use a project plan…..

 

10 big questions for STPs. One big question for LKS

September 2, 2016 Comments Off on 10 big questions for STPs. One big question for LKS

Source:  Knowledge for Healthcare blog post by Imrana Ghumra and Sue Lacey Bryant

Link to main document:  

Publication format:  Blog post (Knowledge for Healthcare)

Date of publication: 12th May 2016

Summary of driver:

This blog post discusses the Sustainability Transformation Plan (STP) as outlined in the NHS Five Year Forward View Shared Planning Guidance.

STPs will be the driver for change and transformation in healthcare between 2016-2021. Priorities and requirements have been rounded up into ’10 big questions’.

Links to relevant information such as the 44 STP footprints, a more detailed briefing of the ’10 big questions’ and an introductory presentation and action planning grid are embedded in the blog post.

The post rounds up with one BIG question for LKS- how can we help?

Key features of driver:

Local Workforce Action Boards (LWABs) have been set up and  are responsible for delivering 4 key pieces of work, starting with an action plan that covers the ’10 big questions for STPs’ which as listed below.

  • How are you going to prevent ill health and moderate demand for healthcare?
  • How are you engaging patients, communities and NHS staff?
  • How will you support, invest in and improve general practice?
  • How will you implement new care models that address local challenges?
  • How will you achieve and maintain performance against core standards?
  • How will you achieve our 2020 ambitions on key clinical priorities?
  • How will you improve quality and safety?
  • How will you deploy technology to accelerate change?
  • How will you develop the workforce you need to deliver?
  • How will you achieve and maintain financial balance?.

Primary audience:  All healthcare and NHS senior management, all NHS staff, local government, Health Education England, DoH.

Impact on library policy/practice:

  • The opportunity to link in with senior management and highlight their information needs and find out what information people need to move forward with their STP.
  • Ideal opportunity to promote time saving resources such as current awareness and LKS evidence searches.
  • Possibility of collaborative purchasing opportunities with other LKS both within and outside relevant STP footprint for resources purchasing to deliver financial savings and fitting in with Knowledge for Healthcare.
  • Once STP is finalised continue to maintain and feed new relationships with senior management and LKS colleagues.
  • Opportunities to showcase how LKS can support  innovation and change, such as  knowledge management skills and running simple KM events to encourage knowledge sharing, e.g randomised coffee trials and knowledge cafes
  • LKS can be an information hub on STPs for patients/carers on site, as well as connecting with public library colleagues.
  • Possible provision of LKS for the Local Workforce Action Boards.

Date last updated: May 2016

Due for review: May 2017

Group member responsible: LK

 

Mind the Gap: Exploring the Needs of Early Career Nurses and Midwives in the Workplace

August 10, 2016 Comments Off on Mind the Gap: Exploring the Needs of Early Career Nurses and Midwives in the Workplace

Source: Summary report from Birmingham and Solihull LETC Every Student Counts Project. Published by Health Education England.

Link to main document

Publication format: PDF

Date of publication: May 2015

Summary of driver: This is the report of a project looking at recruitment and retention of early career nurses and midwives (currently consisting of Generation Y). Research was conducted among final year students and newly qualified staff showing that early career nurses and midwives wanted, among other things, clear progression pathways, care and support from team leaders, spiritedness, meaningful work, developmental support and flexibility to achieve work-life balance.

It also looks at the differing needs of four different ‘generations’ of nurses and midwives (Baby Boomers, Generation X, Generation Y and Generation Z) in terms of support required for their career, and also the differing values, expectation and motivations of each generation. Generation Z are those just entering higher education now, born after 1995, so will be entering the workforce shortly.

Key features of driver:

  • Overviews of the characteristics of each generation as infographics
  • More detailed information about the workplace needs of Generation Y (born 1980 – 1994) who make up 35% of the NHS workforce

Primary audience: Health Education England, employers and education providers

Impact on library policy/practice:

It’s difficult to pinpoint specific implications for library services, as the report is focused on the work environment, and the generational cohort descriptions are very stereotyped. It may be that characteristics shaped by differing learning styles may have a bigger impact for us.

Date last updated: August 2016

Due for review: August 2017

Group member responsible: JC

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August 5, 2016 Comments Off on Protected: Meeting 23rd September 2016 10am

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Focus on: Public Health and Prevention: Has the Quality of Services Changed Over Recent Years?

July 29, 2016 Comments Off on Focus on: Public Health and Prevention: Has the Quality of Services Changed Over Recent Years?

Source: QualityWatch (a partnership between Nuffield Trust and The Health Foundation)

Link to main document

Publication format: PDF

Date of publication: April 2016

Summary of driver

This research looks at whether the quality of public health services, and public health outcomes, have changed over the last few years, particularly in the light of the move to local authority provision of public health since the 2012 Health and Social Care Act.

20 public health indicators are examined, along with reflections from senior public health staff. Six indicators showed deterioration, while 10 showed improvements although in five of those, progress may have slowed.

It was felt that there were opportunities for integration across local authority services to improve services, for example working with leisure services to encourage participation in sport. However, there was also some fragmentation, and loss of referral routes in some areas.

Continued funding cuts are still a concern, despite prevention and public health being a key part of the Five Year Forward View.

Key features of driver

Both quantitative and qualitative research approaches are used to provide an independent overview of public health quality and outcome. However, the short period of time since public health moved into local authorities in 2013 means it may not be long enough for funding and organisational changes to have had their full impact.

Primary audience

Public health staff, commissioners, Health and Wellbeing boards

Impact on library policy/practice

One of the main opportunities identified in the report was greater integration across local authority functions in support of public health goals. This may lead to a discussion about what constitutes the public health workforce, and whether library services that are commissioned to provide a service to public health may need to extend their offering to the ‘wider’ public health workforce, for example housing professionals, trading standards, and leisure centre staff, as these and many other employees can have an impact on public health outcomes.

Whilst an embedded librarian role, such as that used in Warrington (where there is a dedicated  Public Health & Commissioning Librarian) is an ideal, funding cuts to public health of 3.9% per year over the next five years as proposed in the 2015 spending review make this more difficult for local authorities to fund, and hence for library services to provide.

However, with prevention and public health being a key part of the Five Year Forward View, library services may decide, justifiably, to push to raise their visibility among public health staff, and try provide a range of key services to them (for example, literature searching and current awareness, as identified in the Warrington case study) even where funding for library services from local authorities does not follow. The Sustainability and Transformation Plans that are due to be published in 2016 may also provide a further driver for this. However, care needs to be taken that this does not disadvantage organisations that continue to pay for library services, or provide a disincentive to fund them.

Date last updated: July 2016

Due for review: July 2017

Group member responsible: JC

Listening into Action (LiA) Library Support

June 13, 2016 Comments Off on Listening into Action (LiA) Library Support

Project team: Joanne Shawcross; Tracey Roberts Cuffin; Paul Tickner; Janet Reed

Resources required:

  • Time to attend the Big Conversations, including travel.
  • Clinical Librarian time to undertake literature searches.
  • Access to relevant resources including HDAS and Emerald Management Collection

Timeframe:

September 2015 – April 2016 for initial project, however this will become business as usual for the library.

“The story”

UHMB Trust adopted the Listening into Action (LiA) approach to encourage and implement improvement within the organisation. The aim is to engage and empower staff to suggest and make changes that will improve services and also the experience of staff.

The scheme was launched in the Trust in September 2014. Each LiA scheme has a 20 week timeframe staring with a “Big Conversation” (BC) where all interested parties get together with a scheme sponsor. Several schemes run together in waves and at the end of each wave a “pass it on” event is held to share the achievements and lessons learned.

The library started to receive literature search requests linking to some of the LiA schemes. Without a full understanding of the area/subject being looked at it was sometimes difficult to provide comprehensive results. It was decided that if a library team member could attend all the BCs a fuller understanding of the scheme cold be gained and any questions could be asked there and then.

From September 2015 a librarian has attended the BCs whenever possible. A full picture of the scheme is gained and any areas when a literature search would be beneficial are noted. The librarian joins in the discussions and also suggests where providing evidence may help with the process.

After the event a full literature search is undertaken by a clinical librarian and provided to the LiA team and the scheme sponsor to circulate to others involved.
The library team attend the pass it on events at the end of each wave of schemes. At these events support from the library has been acknowledged in several of the scheme presentations.

Alignment to local, regional and national drivers:

Local: CQC Improvement Plan; UHMBT Quality Improvement Strategy 2016-19; Better Care Together; UHMBT Strategic Plan; Library and Knowledge Service Strategic Plan

National: NHS Efficiency; Listening into Action; Knowledge for healthcare: a development framework for NHS library and knowledge services in England 2015-2020

Impact for the organisation/customer:

The library is providing the evidence base for decision making to support change and improvement and is a key part of the improvement pathway.

Impact for the library:

This project has raised the profile of the library by reaching out to a wider user base. The library team are better known throughout the organisation and are being contacted to support staff in other areas.

Over the 9 month period a total of 23 searches taking 58.5 hours were carried out and attendance at meetings took up 28 hours of staff time.

Lessons learned :

Librarian involvement from the outset enables the clinical librarians to provide a more relevant, appropriate literature search package.

Sustainability / next steps?

The library team need to keep in touch with the LiA management team to ensure continuing involvement in the schemes from the outset.

As we increase involvement the workload will increase and therefore it is important to ensure that the library team have the capacity for the extra work involved.

Contact details: Joanne.shawcross@mbht.nhs.uk
Date case study completed: 10th May 2016

MAP community of practice

April 22, 2016 Comments Off on MAP community of practice

MAP community began as a small group of like-minded librarians in the UK, who, through mutual enthusiasm and a desire to collaborate, created an online resource to enable health libraries to demonstrate value and impact. As we developed the toolkit, we shared learning, expertise, ideas and knowledge.  Working collaboratively on the project has not only created a resource for other librarians, but has cultivated a community of practice for those of us developing the project.

A community of practice is defined as ‘a group of people who share a concern or passion for something they do and learn how to do it better as they interact regularly’ (Wenger, 1998).  For the MAP Toolkit project team, the learning that we’ve experienced as professionals has been unexpected and unintentional; a bi-product of working together in pursuit of a shared goal.

After struggling for a few years as a small, regional group, the project team expanded in 2013 and invited involvement from other librarians across the country.  Ten ‘Content Editors’ were recruited who brought with them additional expertise and differing perspectives.  Since then, the group has only met once face-to-face, with the majority of communication taking place via email discussion list and teleconference.  Often our teleconferences digress into discussions about other issues currently facing health libraries in the UK today, which really benefits our understanding of the challenges that library staff face in demonstrating value and impact.

Personally, I’ve developed professionally in many ways since working on the project.  I’ve broadened my understanding of strategic drivers in the NHS, which as a relatively new library manager has been invaluable to my development.  I’ve incorporated elements of the project planning template into my local promotional activities, so that they are aligned with local and national drivers.  I’ve used the case study template to write articles and case studies that we’ve used locally to demonstrate our impact on the wider organisation.  My team have written case studies for the toolkit and contributed to the KM Stories section of the site.  Being part of this project has been really exciting.  Working alongside librarians from across the UK is a brilliant experience and it really does feel like we’re part of something cutting edge in libraries.  As a whole, my involvement in the project has contributed to my own development, as well as that of my team, and has led directly to improvements in the service that we deliver locally.

We are currently looking for additional Content Editors who feel that they have a couple of hours a month to spare to work on this national project.  If you’re a health librarian in the UK who’s interested in joining our small but perfectly formed project team, please get in touch!

 

Protected: Meeting 20th April 2016

April 19, 2016 Comments Off on Protected: Meeting 20th April 2016

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Workshop 4th March 2016

March 7, 2016 Comments Off on Workshop 4th March 2016

Clinical Librarians and Trainers Group (NW) 4th March 2016

Demonstrating impact in 5 easy steps

2 hour session

Impact Workbook

Impact Session Plan 03 2016

Examples printed for the session

case-study-template

Example MerseyCare Meetings

Example Chartership

Building a knowledge enabled NHS for the future

February 26, 2016 Comments Off on Building a knowledge enabled NHS for the future

Source:  Link to main document:

Publication format:  PDF

Date of publication: February 2016

Summary of driver:

‘The report identifies the successful characteristics of a knowledge-enabled organisation and how and why these can encourage knowledge sharing behaviours…. and concludes with recommendations on the best way for KM to support the NHS’ future success’. (p4)

  • Looks at how role of KM has developed and the drivers which encouraged the development
  • Identifies successful characteristics of a knowledge-enabled organisation.

It is hoped that ‘sharing learning and best practice approaches and making decisions based on accessible and , up-to-date evidence will enable the NHS to be more efficient and offer the best care.’ (p4)

Key features of driver:

  • Acknowledges that following initial momentum and focus on knowledge management and the role of Chief Knowledge Officer, there is no longer national coordination or support in this area
  • Good examples of KM practice – most relevant one is page 18 ‘NHS Scotland and Knowledge into Action’ which integrated LKS with knowledge translation/quality improvement/safety. Evidences the sepsis screening tool app (which won the Scottish Health Awards Innovation Award in 2014 and was shortlisted for a BMJ Award in 2015.
  • Lists the characteristics of a successful KM organisation and references Hill and Darzi reports and relevant sections of LQAF
  • NHS must adopt a systematic approach to knowledge and utilise power of connections via networks and social media

The following are accepted as challenges when embedding KM in the NHS

  • Reorganisation
  • KM and business goals
  • Culture
  • Introduction of change
  • Technology
  • Focus on explicit knowledge

The report ends with the following recommendations

  • Develop knowledge sharing and learning capabilities
  • Encourage leaders to support a knowledge sharing culture and behaviours
  • Collect and promote examples of the value of KM to the NHS
  • Develop communities to facilitate sharing of best practice and KM skills
  • Utilise technology to enable widespread and accessible sharing of best practice

Primary audience: LKS staff, all healthcare staff across all areas of the healthcare sector

Impact on library policy/practice:

  • Opportunity to showcase to others in organisation how LKS demonstrates effective knowledge management behaviours
  • Opportunity to strengthen KM criteria in LQAF
  • Promotion of current awareness
  • Highlight LKS use of sharing best practice and collaboration (useful when highlighting the section about region-wide coordination and funding for resources)
  • Look at the KM section on the MAP toolkit for further ideas (useful resources/Welcome to KM stories)
  • Aligning LKS strategy and vision to the organisation via KM tools

Date last updated: 26th February 2016

Due for review: 26th February 2017

Group member responsible: LK

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