self-assessment management tool for delivery of information prescriptions...

Self-assessment management tool for delivery of information prescriptions

August 2009

March 2010

sarahh

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Self-assessment management tool fordelivery of information prescriptions

This tool aims to support organisations with the implementation of information prescriptions.

It covers the background to information prescriptions, including what they are, who they areaimed at, and how they can improve the service user’s experience.

It helps you to examine what your organisation is already doing and consider the further stepsyou may need to take to implement information prescriptions.

Introduction

The NHS Constitution, published in January 2009, makes the provision of service userinformation a right and is backed up by legislation for the first time:

‘The NHS commits to offer you easily accessible, reliable and relevant information to enable youto participate fully in your own healthcare decisions and to support you in making choices’(Section 2a of the NHS Constitution)

Information prescriptions can contribute to the commitments of the NHS Constitution andrepresent good practice for supporting individual rights. They provide a route for helpingindividuals to access information, feel empowered and be more able to participate fully indecisions about their care.

Every organisation already provides information to service users and their carers in a variety ofways. Information prescriptions will help you to build on existing good practice and help you tomeet key quality indicator targets such as those set within the Commissioning for Quality andInnovation (CQUIN) payment framework.

What is an information prescription?

Information plays a crucial role in supporting people with long-term conditions to take care of themselves and improve their quality of life. Information prescriptions will give everyoneaccess to the information they need, when they need it, in a way they prefer to receive it. An information prescription tells people about:

• their condition

• treatment options

• care services (from equipment to help you get around the house to specialised exercise classes)

• benefits they may be able to claim

• housing

• support groups.

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The Information Standard, formerly known as the Information Accreditation Scheme, was launched in Autumn 2009, and helps people make informed decisions on their care and the

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care of their families by making it easy to identify information that is consistent, reliable andfrom a trustworthy source.

Over 50,000 organisations produce health and social care information in England, and any ofthese can apply to join the scheme and become a certified information producer, whether theyare a public sector organisation (NHS or local authority), a voluntary sector organisation or acommercial company.

Organisations that apply to join the scheme will be certified against a standard. The certificationbodies will be approved by UK Accreditation Service (UKAS), an independent agency thataccredits certification bodies.

Similar to other schemes, such as the Fair Trade mark, those organisations that meet the criteriaset out in the standard will then be entitled to place the quality mark on their informationmaterials. Information producers can also use the standard to improve the way in which theydevelop their information, leading to an overall improvement in the quality of informationavailable to people.

Further information is available from the Department of Health,www.dh.gov.uk/theinformationstandard

Benefits of information prescriptions

The benefits to service users and carers include:

• meeting the wider information needs of service users and carers, providing access to information not traditionally or routinely offered, ie, not just health

• increased awareness of local services and support groups

• specific, comprehensible and timely information, which helps to reduce unnecessary anxiety,stress and confusion

• service users and carers are able to continue asking for and receiving information at everystage of their care pathway and in every encounter with a professional

• help to make informed choices about what information to receive and in which format, howto receive it, and what decisions to take in relation to their health and well-being

• a more flexible service, not restricted by appointment times, and supplied by a wider rangeof support and advice centres, websites and helplines. This may also reduce the number ofscheduled appointments needed

• less crisis management is needed – with improved self-management service users may be lesslikely to experience crises such as relapses or chronic episodes

• the opportunity to become active partners in care planning

• improved information and health literacy among service users and carers.

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The benefits to professionals and organisations include:

• reliable information can be accessed systematically, rather than relying on memory or familiar but less reliable sources

• high quality, tailored information, drawn from certified information producers

• information that can be systematically updated and passed on to recipients

• saves time by reducing the need for subsequent lengthy discussions

• reduced instances of stress, anxiety and confusion in service users, which in some cases have led to anti-social behaviour, violence, self-harm, substance misuse, STIs and otheroffending behaviour

• increased understanding of different service areas and the capacity to offer a more holistic service

• improved quality of information for people with long-term conditions among non-specialist services, particularly those run by GPs and community teams.

Commissioners

Commissioners will be interested in the part information prescriptions can play in helpingpeople with long-term conditions to undertake more self management. Understanding howpeople are using services and what they need is part of the information prescription processand will help commissioners to develop better links with communities to inform local decisionmaking and priority setting.

Also, by communicating service expectations through the information prescription process,commissioners are more likely to find out from users and carers where and when things go wrong.

Further information, including guidance for commissioners, is available from the InformationPrescriptions website, www.informationprescription.info

NHS Employers

NHS Employers is supporting NHS and social care organisations to enable them to address theworkforce implications of information prescriptions.

As well as this tool, we have developed an e-learning module to help staff develop the skillsand competencies needed to assess information needs and prescribe appropriate information.

Further details are available on our website www.nhsemployers.org/informationprescriptionsIf you have any comments or feedback on this self-assessment tool, please [email protected]

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About this tool

This tool will help you consider what your organisation currently does in relation to providinginformation for service users and carers, and what further work may be needed beforeinformation prescriptions can be routinely offered.

It will help you to review the way you provide information, and lead to open discussion with service users and carers about what they find helpful and how they prefer to access information.

This tool has been designed as an aid to your own internal development as an organisation,and you will not be inspected or expected to share your findings with any external agencies.

This tool will not provide you with a comprehensive checklist by which to assess your readiness,but it will highlight the areas you need to consider in terms of your organisational ability andcapacity to deliver information prescriptions and help you to form an action plan to advanceyour organisational strategy.

The Information Prescriptions website includes a section on how to plan for delivery ofinformation prescriptions including hints and tips, how to get started and developing youraction plan.

Who should complete this tool?

To get the most benefit from the tool we recommend that the process is led by a board levelmember, eg, chief executive, director of clinical engagement or a non-executive director withan interest in long-term conditions or public and service user involvement. Alternatively, it couldbe led by a director of adult social services, or a board-level member within a voluntaryorganisation.

How long will it take to complete?

This tool has been rigorously tested by individuals and organisation from the NHS, social careand the voluntary sector. It is anticipated that the form will take 1-2 hours to complete, plustime for data gathering, which will vary depending on the information that is readily availableand the time it takes to collate.

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Produced in partnership with the Department of Health.


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Current practice

Yes No

Yes No

No Question Yes No Evidence / action required� �

1 Who does your organisation currently provide information to? For example service users, carers etc.

2 What types of information are you currently providing eg, do you provide information about medical conditions, medicines, care provision or local support groups?

3 Is this information provided verbally, written or electronically?

4 Does your organisation provide information in accessible formats for service users and carers? Eg, audio visual format, Braille, plain English, other languages?

5 Does your organisation provide information in accessible formats for staff? Eg, audio visual format, Braille, plain English, other languages?

6 If not, what plans do you have to provide information in accessible formats for

• service users/carers

• staff?


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Yes No

Yes No


7 Where is the information provided? Please include information about information centres, libraries etc.

8 Do you provide different information for service users depending on where they are in the care pathway?

9 What sources do you currently use to provide the information?

10 Do you have mechanisms in place for signposting users to local services? Eg, agreements with other local organisations such as library services, pharmacy, etc

11 Do you have mechanisms in place for signposting users to national services? Eg, agreements with national organisations such as Macmillan Cancer Support, etc

12 What mechanisms do you use to quality assure the information that you provide?


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Yes No

Yes No

Yes No

Yes No


13 Do you have agreements in place as to who provides specialised information materials and who talks through information issues with service users? Eg, cancer information centres

14 Do staff have access to quality-assured information?

15 Are you aware of The Information Standard and how this can help you provide quality assured information?

16 Do you collect and evaluate feedback on the information and the quality of information that you provide from a) users and carers and b) staff?

17 How do you respond to this feedback?

18 Which staff members are responsible for providing the information to service users and carers?


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Yes No

Yes No

Yes No

Yes No

Yes No


19 Do you know how confident they feel to deliver it?

20 Do you know what training and support you have in place to address this?

21 How does your organisation record what information has been given to people and their carers?

22 Does this include liaison with other organisations, eg, pharmacy, social care, etc?

23 Are information prescriptions high on your organisation’s agenda?

24 Do you have a board-level champion to promote information prescriptions?


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25 Do you have a health information manager or someone who will lead this within the organisation?

26 Do your staff know who to speak to about information prescriptions in the organisation?

Yes No

Yes No


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Yes No

Yes No

Partnership working

Yes No

Yes No


27 Are you aware of what information your strategic partners (other public and third sector organisations) are delivering to people?

28 Do you have access to the information they provide?

29 Do you know if they provide information in alternative formats or different languages?

30 When your own organisation begins to offer information prescriptions, do you have a strategy/mechanism with your strategic partners to avoid unnecessary duplication?

31 How will your staff link the information they provide to other initiatives such as Personalised Care Planning?


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Service users and carers

Yes No

Yes No


32 Are service users and carers involved in the information giving process?

33 Are service users involved in the quality assurance process?

34 If so, how are they involved?

35 If not, how might you set up a system to quality assure and involve service users in your information provision?


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Yes No

Yes No

Yes No

Organisational support

Yes No

Yes No


36 Is there engagement and support for the introduction of information prescriptions?

37 If not how could this be improved?

38 Does your current IT infrastructure support delivery of information prescriptions throughout the organisation?

39 Is your IT department involved in the implementation and delivery of information prescriptions?

40 Do members of staff have internet access at work?

41 Are all PCs and laptops compliant with the guidance as recommended by NHS Connecting for Health?


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42 Do you have a budget for service user information materials?

43 If so, is it sufficient to ensure that information is available in the right format for the people who need it?

Yes No

Yes No


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Yes No

Yes No

Yes No

Workforce

Yes No

Yes No


44 Have you considered how to link the skills and competencies used in prescribing information to the Knowledge and Skills Framework (KSF) (NHS organisations only)?

45 If so, how?

46 Are you aware of what training is available to staff for prescribing information prescriptions?

47 Are your staff aware of the following links and support tools?

– e-learning tool for delivering information prescriptions

– NHS Choices

– Information Prescription website

Accessibility

Yes No


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48 Have you completed an Equality Impact Assessment for the introduction of information prescriptions?

49 How will you engage with staff to ensure they are behind the implementation?


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Monitoring and evaluation

Yes No


50 How will you monitor the delivery of information prescriptions?

51 How will you evaluate the impact of information prescriptions on health outcomes? Eg, what clinical validation methods could be adapted and what will you use?

52 How will you capture the experience of service users and carers in relation to information prescriptions?

53 Do you know how many staff have had training on information prescriptions using the e-learning module? www.nhsemployers.org/informationprescriptions

Ref: EGUI05701

Contact us

www.nhsemployers.orgE-mail [email protected] Employers29 Bressenden PlaceLondon SW1E 5DD

2 Brewery WharfKendell StreetLeeds LS10 1JR

The NHS Confederation (Employers) Company LtdRegistered in England. Company limited by guarantee: number 5252407

NHS Employers

supporting • promoting • representing

NHS Employers represents trusts in England on workforce issues and helps employers to ensurethe NHS is a place where people want to work. The NHS workforce is at the heart of qualitypatient care and we believe that employers must drive the workforce agenda. We work withemployers to reflect their views and act on their behalf in four priority areas:

• pay and negotiations

• recruitment and planning the workforce

• healthy and productive workplaces

• employment policy and practice.

NHS Employers is part of the NHS Confederation.

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