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Index
1. Introduction
2. Setting the Scene
3. Vision
4. Delivering the Strategy
5. Involvement and Engagement Action Plan
6. Public Health Action Plan
7. Health promotion & education Action Plan
1. Introduction
This strategy for 2012-2014 sets out the Trusts’ plans for improving public health through the provision of information and our commitment to continuous engagement with people and communities across Wales.
The work undertaken by Partners in Healthcare (PIH) is of benefit to the Trust as it helps us learn what people think of our service. It also helps the Trust to comply with legislation, and to meet our strategic goals in ‘Working together for Success’; the Service Workforce and Financial Framework (SWaFF) 2011-2016.
‘Working together for Success’ outlines a plan that will help:
· Assist us in building strategic relationships with our key partners, inside and outside of the NHS, to demonstrate the value the Welsh Ambulance Service NHS Trust (WAST) can add to the health service.
· Improve the information available to help the public choose the most appropriate service to meet their needs; and
· Improve our ability to have a two-way conversation with our staff and the citizens and patients who use our services about how we can improve them.
It is important for us not only to capture people’s experiences, but also to learn and act upon them. Effective and meaningful engagement will help us to be responsive to the needs of people who use our services, their families, carers and our staff and stakeholders.
2. Setting the scene
Since its development Partners in Healthcare (PIH) have been involving patients and the public in the work of the Trust. We have developed a model of stakeholder engagement that can be used to promote positive support and involvement.
Looking ahead we wish to further advance the principles of a citizen centred service. We have many national documents and policies to give us a framework in which to deliver public health & community engagement.
Our previous ‘Partners in Healthcare Strategy’ (2009-2012) provided the basis for a wide reaching programme of engagement and this was supported by an external Independent Review commissioned by the National Leadership and Innovation Agency for Healthcare (NLIAH) in April 2010. The Review concluded that the Trust has a ‘thriving engagement model based around the principle of partnership’. The success of the first strategy puts the Trust in a strong position to take forward this next strategy.
Statutory Duties
The NHS Consultation and Engagement Guidance from the Welsh Assembly Government outlines the statutory duties which NHS organisations must meet to fulfil their responsibilities to consult and involve service users, staff, the public and stakeholders. The guidance also encourages stronger relationships between NHS organisations and Community Health Councils (CHCs).
Standards
The ‘Doing Well, Doing Better – Standards for Health Services in Wales’ provide a framework that works to improve the patient experience and place patients at the centre of the planning and delivery of services. The Standards support the NHS and partner organisations in providing effective, timely and quality services across all healthcare settings.
Equality
The Equality Act 2010 requires public bodies to have due regard when delivering their services, and they need to:
· eliminate discrimination, harassment, victimisation and any other conduct that is prohibited by or under the Act;
· advance equality of opportunity between persons who share a relevant protected characteristic and persons who do not share it;
· foster good relations between persons who share a relevant protected characteristic and persons who do not share it.
The Public Sector Equality Duty encourages public bodies to engage with diverse communities to ensure services are appropriate and accessible to all. In this strategy, we will demonstrate how PIH can support the Equality Act and Public Sector Equality Duty.
Best Practice
The National Principles for Public Engagement in Wales were launched in March 2011. The principles offer all Public Service organisations in Wales a consistent approach and best practice guidance for undertaking public engagement activities across Wales.
In delivering engagement activities we will also include and promote public health messages in line with ‘Our Healthy Futures’ and the Annual Quality Framework. A great deal of activities are delivered through the service including Smoking cessation, wellbeing support and information prescriptions. We aim to continue this drive of ill health prevention and maintaining wellbeing.
3. Vision
Our vision is to capture and enhance the patient experience through the following:
· Enable communities to become involved in the planning, design and delivery of services
· Involve and engage with people to find out their experiences and opinions and learn from it
· Have a Trust that is fully engaged with the principles of Partners in Healthcare
· Improve people’s health and well-being through local partnership working
· Provide evidence on the influence our work and people’s views have had on decisions and developments within the Trust.
4. Delivering the Strategy
This strategy will be delivered with positive leadership and transparency from the PIH team by encouraging everyone to take an active part in engaging with the Trust. Joint working and active partnerships are the basis for delivering our work.
In order to deliver this strategy, PIH will meet the objectives in the following Action Plans:
- Involvement and Engagement Action Plan
We will seek continuous feedback from patients, the public and partners.
- Public Health Action Plan
We will deliver public health messages through our local and national work.
- Health Promotion & Education Action Plan (including the NHS Direct Wales Website Development Plan)
We will deliver Information services in a variety of settings, promoting healthy lifestyles and wellbeing.
Engaging with different groups and communities
Partners in Healthcare engage with a variety of different groups, organisations and communities. Through the Equality Act, our engagement work will include those who belong to the following protected characteristic groups:
· age
· disability
· marriage or civil partnership (only in respect of eliminating unlawful discrimination)
· pregnancy and maternity
· race
· religion or belief
· sex
· sexual orientation
· gender identity and gender reassignment
Other groups include:
· 3rd sector
· Health Boards and Trusts
· Community Health Councils (CHC’s)
· Patient Groups
· Carers
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Involvement and Engagement Action Plan
Objective / Action Plan/Deliverables / Lead Responsibility / Implementation Date /Developing the PIH Engagement Model that is based on continuous engagement / Deliver engagement activities with patients and the public, particularly with protected characteristic groups and hard to reach groups, covering the following
· age
· disability
· marriage or civil partnership
· pregnancy and maternity
· race
· religion or belief
· sex
· sexual orientation
· gender identity and gender reassignment / PIH Lead
PIH Managers
PIH Coordinators / April 2013 /
Ensure there are opportunities and promote different methods for people to provide feedback, including face to face events, websites, surveys, telephone, as well as promoting the compliments and concerns process.
/ PIH Managers / April 2012 /
Provide easy to understand information, and make it accessible by providing information in the language of choice and in alternative formats. / PIH Managers / April 2012 /
Develop effective communication channels to feedback to people about PIH work, including Network News, Update papers, website updates. / PIH Lead
PIH Managers / April 2013 /
Ongoing improvements to ensure PIH Activity is coordinated, recorded, evaluated and supported effectively. Robust systems and processes are in place to capture and measure patient experiences, including:
- Patient & Public Involvement (PPI) Toolkit
- PPI Directory
- Engagement with staff / PIH Lead
PIH Managers / April 2013 /
Further develop the Partners in Healthcare Network and its activities
- Engage with and recruit people from different groups and communities, including protected characteristic groups
- Involving patients and the public on internal trust meetings
- Develop innovative ways for people to become involved in the Trust
- Have an ongoing recruitment programme
- Arrange an Induction programme for existing members who sit on internal meetings
- Link in with other patient groups & community organisations
- More focus on being visible and providing
regular information to communities
- More proactive role in recruiting people to the Network, taking into account that members must reflect the local population in terms of age, ethnicity, gender, social grade etc
- Identify opportunities for existing Partners in Healthcare Members to become more engaged with our work and empower/support them in developing their roles further. / PIH Managers
PIH Coordinators / April 2013 /
Embed patient experience into every part of the service, encouraging operational colleagues to consider the benefits of involving patients and the public in the Trusts work
- Emergency Medical Services
- Patient Care Services
- Ambulance Car Services
- Clinical Desk
- Pathways
- Concerns
- Equality
- Communications / PIH Lead
PIH Managers / April 2014 /
Develop and improve engagement activities based on the needs of Children and Young People; and Older people. Empower them to have their voices and opinions heard within the Trust. / PIH Lead
PIH Manager / April 2013 /
Raising awareness of PIH to different staff groups across WAST / Ensure PIH is a priority by encouraging Board members, senior managers and others to become champions/leaders for involvement and engagement work / PIH Lead / April 2013 /
Build and develop existing relationships with key departments and different staff groups, including Communications, Equality, Concerns, Operational staff (Paramedics, Locality Ambulance Officers, Volunteers, Clinical Team Leaders, Patient Care Services, Ambulance Car Services) / PIH Lead
PIH Managers / April 2013 /
Support staff in organising and taking part in public events, e.g. use of risk assessments, event plans, promotional materials
- Introduction of Public Education section on Network News, WAST Weekly, WAST website
- Increase involvement of staff to become involved in PPI and public education work / PIH Managers
PIH Coordinators / April 2013 /
Partnership working / Continue and encourage joint multi-agency approach to projects/local activities, sharing resources, messages and materials. / PIH Team / April 2012 /
Link in with a range of different organisations and groups who are involved with those in protected characteristic groups. / PIH Team / April 2013 /
Continue to liaise with different organisations such as Health Boards and Trusts, CHC’s, 3rd Sector, PPI Forums, Ambulance Trusts in other areas. / PIH Team / April 2012 /
Public Health Action Plan
Objective / Action Plan/Deliverables / Lead Responsibility / Implementation Date /Deliver public health services / Promote Health Information Service to different communities and groups, including Lifestyle Advice services and Information Prescriptions / PIH Lead
MCAT Operational Manager
PIH/MCAT Coordinators / April 2013 /
Actively promote health campaigns through a variety of channels, including the telephone, websites, and face to face events. Ensure the provision of information and resources in other languages and formats. / MCAT Operational Manager
PIH/MCAT Coordinators / April 2013 /
Deliver public health messages through the NHS Direct Wales website and encourage communities to access a range of interactive and educational resources. Ensure the provision of information and resources in other languages and formats. / PIH Lead
PIH Coordinators / April 2013 /
Link public health messages and campaigns to other work streams across the Trust and wider NHS Wales, including Trust clinical pathways / PIH Lead
MCAT Operational Manager
PIH Coordinators / April 2013 /
Deliver Smokers Helpline Service in partnership with the Welsh Government and ensure service is accessible to all and is promoted across Wales. / MCAT Operational Manager / April 2012 /
Partnership working / Work with partners including Public Health Wales and Welsh Government to deliver public health campaigns and messages, including Smokers Helpline Wales / PIH Lead
MCAT Operational Manager / April 2013 /
Work with different community services and groups across Wales to promote range of information services (for example, Food Coops, Schools, 3rd Sector, Libraries, Community Halls) / MCAT Operational Manager
PIH/MCAT Coordinators / April 2013 /
Deliver PIH participation events to engage with different groups and communities to ensure full range of Trust services are accessible to everyone / PIH Lead
MCAT Operational Manager / April 2013 /
Encourage relationships and partnerships with local partners and be visible to local communities / PIH Lead
MCAT Operational Manager / April 2013 /
Health Promotion & Education Action Plan
Objective / Action Plan/Deliverables / Lead Responsibility / Implementation Date /Deliver a multi-channel access information & signposting service / Deliver Health Information, Lifestyle Advice and Signposting in different settings, ensuring services are accessible to all and information is offered in other languages and formats
- Develop telephony service to market and deliver lifestyle advice services
- Develop and promote a range of web information and services to deliver online, including: interactive educational tools, downloadable lifestyle resources, and Online Enquiry Service / MCAT Operational Manager
PIH/MCAT Coordinators / April 2013 /
Deliver Live Information Surgeries and Lifestyle Adviser services in different settings and to different groups and communities, including community buildings, libraries, hospitals, GP surgeries, Minority Ethnic groups etc. / MCAT Operational Manager
PIH/MCAT Coordinators / April 2013 /
Measure outcomes and impact of health promotion and education work. / PIH Lead
MCAT Operational Manager / April 2013 /
Communications and marketing / Deliver presentations and provide advice regarding consumer Health Information to different stakeholders including Health Boards, Chronic Disease Management Teams, Libraries, Community Groups, University Medical Students / MCAT Operational Manager
PIH/MCAT Coordinators / April 2013 /
Promote the Information Service and its different elements to stakeholders and communities / MCAT Operational Manager
PIH/MCAT Coordinators / April 2013 /
Partnership working / Explore potential partnerships for information and resource sharing, networking and influencing information developments, always considering the different needs of service users. / PIH Lead
MCAT
Operational Manager / April 2013 /
Link with other initiatives, projects and services to share resources and benchmark services. / PIH Lead
MCAT Operational Manager / April 2013 /
Developing Knowledge Resources / Ensure information and resources provided to service users are accredited, up to date and in a variety of formats. / Knowledge Information Manager
Knowledge Officer / April 2012 /
Information and Resources in NHS Direct Wales and WAST are promoted across the Trust, NHS Wales and the 3rd Sector / MCAT Operational Manager
PIH/MCAT Coordinators / April 2013 /
Advice and training around health information resources and information delivery is provided to different stakeholders / Knowledge Officer / April 2013 /
Develop e-learning resource for internal and external use that educates people about consumer health information and delivering information to service users. / Knowledge Officer / April 2012 /
Glossary