The integration of adult health and social care needs to be underpinned by a robust excellence platform, says Claire Ford, chief executive of Quality Scotland.
I see many third sector organisations (TSOs) are now taking steps towards the integration of adult health and social care. This, together with effective partnering, will be a way of providing the necessary skill sets to provide the seamless integration that pairs both health and social care bodies in Scotland.
I am equally witnessing that TSOs are on the path of health and social care integration where care partnerships across the country – community health, primary care and social care - are being brought together under one umbrella. Unquestionably, there are challenges to overcome. There have been mixed views as to how effective this integration step might be.
On the plus side, I think this should lead to better care, more efficient care and more seamless care, but like any new working partnership or cohabitation, there will be the need for strong management and leadership to catalyse and oversee this integration so this new working partnership embarks on a path that is underpinned by business excellence and continuous improvement.
Initiatives like the European Foundation for Quality Management's (EFQM) excellence model will help mould and shape this new integration as an ideal, common sense prescription for effective partnership working.
Integration should not be looked on as money saving, but a chance to improve patient care
Claire Ford, Quality Scotland
Sharing what works is at the heart of the EFQM excellence model. I am supporting many of our members at Quality Scotland to manage change as a result of the integration of adult health and social care by using the principles of the EFQM excellence model to provide a robust framework to manage that change effectively.
Integration should not be looked on as money saving, but a chance to improve patient care – rather than a remedy for the deficits in the finances.
In my view, we need to manage the smooth integration between health and social care provision from a holistic management framework perspective and one which offers a common language and is ready to support integration across cultures and different ways of working.
Adapting to the changes in care provision is one of the challenges that faced Lothians-based charity, ELCAP which works with adults afflicted by lifelong disabilities and people with life-limiting conditions.
Its mission is to provide services for people who require care and support in the activities of daily living, together with advice and assistance to others involved in their care.
ELCAP want to provide consistently excellent services and realise that developing the best partnerships is a key part of achieving excellence in its service provision.
It believes that the systematic review and improvement of its working practices, particularly when its operating environment is changing, helps it to improve existing provision and quickly adapt to new opportunities.
Obviously, adapting to the integration of health and social care and continuing to be a key local provider are amongst the most significant challenges for ELCAP in the next few years. It intends to use every opportunity for change as an opportunity to achieve excellence in our work.
Penumbra, the mental health voluntary organisation, is similarily keen to see an excellence model helping to provide support to its integration agenda.
Penumbra has been using the EFQM excellence model since 2009, and considers the model to be a practical tool to help develop its strategy as part of its business planning approach and as a basis for operational and service review.
Within the context of health and social care integration the model helps Penumbra to define its approach with a particular focus on; recovery outcomes which influence all its stakeholders; partnership development which adds value; and innovation which uses learning and development to stimulate transformation in mental health and wellbeing.
This also gives potential funders a greater confidence to invest in your organisation. As part of using the EFQM excellence model, organisations will have aligned any funding application to their strategy and will have effective leadership in place.
Finally, Sense Scotland too sees wide ranging benefits in measuring the effectiveness of the services it provides for those who have communication support needs.
When Sense Scotland started the EFQM excellence model it had hoped that the framework would provide a useful measure for exploring how we could develop as a provider of quality services for children, young people and adults who have communication support needs.
It has worked beautifully for them and this culminated in its achievements being recognised at the Scottish Awards for Business Excellence in 2014.
I firmly believe that The EFQM excellence model gives organisations likes those mentioned and potential funders, confidence in knowing that they can expect engagement with the organisations leaders.
In terms of attracting funding, organisations using the framework will be capturing relevant results which gives those funders confidence in knowing that the organisation measures its performance in terms of customer, people, society and business results.
Claire Ford is chief executive of Quality Scotland
