NHS 24 and Care Homes

Accessing Health and Healthcare - Projects

Lanarkshire Y2 Project

NHS 24, Care Commission, Scottish Care, Connect in Care

Pilot Project Plan Outline

Objectives:

The overall objective of this pilot is to find out whether the use by Care Home staff of a Communication Form will improve the quality of calls to NHS 24. Will it:

  • improve communication between care home staff and NHS 24?
  • allow a more informed initial assessment of the resident in the care home?
  • maximise the opportunity for a resident to receive healthcare advice and treatment within the care home setting?
  • improve access to the appropriate unscheduled care services?
  • improve partnership working between care homes and NHS 24?

Design:

The pilot will run for four months from June-Sept. Lanarkshire based Care Homes have been invited to participate in the pilot project. The participating care homes so far are:

  • Abbey Lodge Care Home
  • Canderavon House
  • Craig En Goyne
  • Croftbank House Ltd
  • Dewar House
  • McKillop Gardens
  • McWhirters House
  • Monteith House Care Home
  • Morningside Care Home
  • Netherton Court Nursing Home
  • Parksprings
  • Rawyards House Care Home
  • Rosehall Manor
  • David Walker House

They will receive training and support to implement the Communication Form (using the Protocol). Participating Care Homes will commit to:

  1. Attend an initial meeting (half day) where they will receive training on the protocol and any initial questions/challenges can be identified and addressed. (The manager and two members of staff will be asked to attend from each Care Home.) Care Home Liaison nurses would also be invited to attend along with representation from primary care services. (Need to discuss this with Lanarkshire to identify best way forward.)

     

  2. Attend a meeting every 6 weeks to evaluate progress so far and address any further support issues.

     

  3. Recording feedback following each call to NHS 24 (which they’ll bring to the action learning meetings) detailing decisions relating to care and contact with other services.

     

  4. Attend a final whole group meeting at which the results of the pilot will be presented, any additional learning captured and next steps identified.

     

  5. NHS 24 will inform their nurses and call handlers that this pilot is happening. Call Handlers will need to consider a way of tagging those calls which come from the Lanarkshire care homes involved. We will identify the best way to get feedback from the nurses and Call Handlers on these calls.

     

This pilot is not concerned with developing the practice of NHS 24 Call Handlers per se. However, it could be that, through the course of the pilot project, feedback from Care Homes will generate service developments.

Evaluation:

The pilot will be evaluated though a) feedback from care home managers and their staff b) others involved, GP’s, Care Home Liaison Nurses c) feedback from nurses Call Handlers at NHS 24. As well as gathering evidence in relation to the objectives, we need to gather evidence of unexpected outcomes (e.g. benefits to care staff in terms of knowledge and skills).

 

Results of this project will be communicated widely by the participating organisations. However, at Connect in Care we’d like to capture what Care Homes and NHS 24 learn from this pilot and share that with others in the Network. Findings from this project relate directly to work elsewhere e.g. developing ways of improving the experience for older people of transitions between care settings.

 

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