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Primary Care Organizations (primary + care_organization)

Distribution by Scientific Domains

Medical Sciences	100%

Selected Abstracts

The Audit Commission review of diabetes services in England and Wales, 1998,2001

DIABETIC MEDICINE, Issue 2002
B. Fitzsimons
Abstract Aims of the Audit Commission The Audit Commission has a statutory duty to promote the best use of public money. It does this through value for money studies, such as that reported in Testing Times[1]. This work has been followed with a review of innovative practice in commissioning. These initiatives aim to support the implementation of the diabetes national service framework. The Audit Commission also appoints external auditors to NHS organizations who assess probity and value for money in the NHS; the latter by applying national studies locally and by carrying out local studies. Methods Research for Testing Times consisted of structured visits to nine acute trusts, a telephone survey of 26 health authorities and a postal survey of 1400 people with diabetes and 250 general practitioners. Local audits used a subset of the original research tools. Case studies were identified through a cascade approach to contacts established during Testing Times and through self-nomination. Results Rising numbers of people with diabetes are placing increasing pressure on hospital services. Some health authorities and primary care organizations have reviewed patterns of service provision in the light of the increasing demands. These reviews show wide variations in patterns of routine care. In addition, there is a widespread lack of data on the delivery of structured care to people with diabetes. People with diabetes report delays in gaining access to services, and insufficient time with staff. There are insufficient arrangements in place for providing information and learning opportunities to support self-management. Conclusion As the number of people with diabetes continues to rise, the potential for providing more care in a primary care setting needs to be explored. This will enable specialist services to focus more effectively on those with the most complex needs. [source]

Developing indicators for measuring Research Capacity Development in primary care organizations: a consensus approach using a nominal group technique

HEALTH & SOCIAL CARE IN THE COMMUNITY, Issue 3 2009
Gill Sarre LCST
Abstract Research Capacity Development (RCD) in the National Health Service supports the production of evidence for decision-making in policy and practice. This study aimed to establish a level of consensus on a range of indicators to measure research capacity in primary care organizations. Indicators were developed in a two-stage process using workshops and modified nominal group technique. In 2005, workshops were used to generate possible indicators from a wide range of research active and research-interested people. A theoretical framework of six principles of RCD was used to explore and identify indicators. Data were thematically coded, and a 129-item, 9-point Likert scale questionnaire was developed. A purposive sample of nine experts in developing research capacity in primary care agreed to take part in a nominal group in April 2006. The questionnaire was circulated prior to the meeting, and analysis of the responses formed the basis for structured discussion. Participants were then asked to rescore the questionnaire. Only seven participants were able to take part in the discussion and rescore stages. Data were analysed in two ways: level of relevance attributed to each indicator as a measure of organizational RCD, represented by median responses (medians of 7,9 defined strong support, 4,6 indicated moderate support and 1,3 indicated weak support), and level of consensus reached by the group. Consensus was reached if 85% of the group rated an indicator within the same band. Eighty-nine (68%) indicators were ranked as strongly relevant, and for seventy-three of these indicators, a consensus was reached. The study was successful in generating a set of agreed indicators considered relevant for measuring RCD in primary care organizations. These will form the basis of a pilot tool kit to assist primary care organizations to develop research capacity. Further work will explore the applicability of the indicators in practice. [source]

Lay perceptions of the desired role and type of user involvement in clinical governance

HEALTH EXPECTATIONS, Issue 1 2009
Andrea Litva BA (Comb Hons) MA PhD
Abstract Objective, The aim of this paper is to explore variations in lay perceptions of user involvement in clinical governance. Context, The English National Health Service has sought to build a dependable health service through enhanced effectiveness, responsiveness and consistency. Clinical governance, a policy for improving service quality, is a key pillar of these reforms. It is a statutory duty of primary care organizations to ensure that users are involved in all service planning and decision making, including clinical governance. Yet surveys indicated that user involvement in clinical governance was underdeveloped and underutilized. Design, Focus groups were conducted with different types of lay people to explore their perceptions around public involvement in different aspects of clinical governance policy. Results, Content analysis of the transcripts reveals that different groups of lay people varied in their desired role perspective and preferred type of involvement in different aspects of clinical governance policy. Drawing upon existing models of user involvement, we identified three role perspectives that lay people could take in user involvement , consumer, advocate and citizen. We compared our findings regarding the desired type of involvement with existing models of user involvement, and identified a new type of involvement, overseeing, that is relevant to clinical governance policy. Conclusions, These findings suggest that to facilitate user involvement in clinical governance, it would be necessary to use different strategies to accommodate the differing role perspectives and types of involvement desired by different groups of lay people. [source]