Category Archives: News

What One Care’s business intelligence team can do for you

News

We all know accurate data is at the heart of service and business decisions, and One Care’s business intelligence team is here to help with exactly that.

Working behind the scenes, our team helps practices, PCNs and local authorities use data to test the effectiveness of their services, and to target and improve patient care. Members of the team are all data experts and the information they provide is an essential future planning tool.

Each practice already has access to its own activity dashboard created by the team, which is updated regularly with key information about performance. But there are other ways practices can make use of the team’s expertise.

Harry Paul, One Care’s head of data, said: “Our experts are here to help practices make sense of their statistics. We’re always looking for new ways to help them extract the right data, and to use that data to shape the services they provide.

“We work with practices to see what’s needed. Often a problem encountered by an individual practice is also an issue for others, so we can work together to create a solution for all.”

A practice might, for example, want to examine data on specific patient cohorts. The team can pull the data for that cohort and demonstrate what interventions they’ve had and if they’re proving successful. Or a practice may want to examine its vaccination statistics so it can more effectively target future clinics.

Harry added: “More recently, we’ve been helping practices ensure they are correctly identifying appointment slots to make sure they’re paid correctly. And we will also be supporting the extended access initiative with a slot mapping exercise.”

On a wider scale, the team produces a monthly report for the Bristol, North Somerset and South Gloucestershire Integrated Care Board (ICB) covering all aspects of general practice activity. The report includes about 1,200 different searches and the data shows everything from the number of patient contacts and prescriptions given across BNSSG, to how many blood and cholesterol tests were carried out. The report helps the ICB identify trends, and acts as a valuable prediction model.

The team is also working with the ICB and Avon and Wiltshire Mental Health Partnership NHS Trust (AWP) on the NHS mental health services data set, quantifying the volume and type of the workload undertaken by ARRS workers. And with South Gloucestershire Council, Bristol City Council and the ICB on ARTIs (acute respiratory tract infections) – providing weekly reports on how many patients per age group have been diagnosed with a range of respiratory conditions.

In addition to regular reporting and ad hoc projects, the team is also involved in research projects with two UK universities looking at risk predictors, and effective diagnostics for a long-term condition.

Harry said: “The data work we offer saves practices time and money. If a practice has even just a vague idea of what it needs, I’d encourage them to get in touch so we can talk it through and come up with a solution.”

You can contact the team on: business.intelligence@onecare.org.uk

Delivering digital support for BNSSG general practice

News, ,

One Care’s digital team had a busy 2023 successfully supporting practices across BNSSG.

The team offers a range of digital expertise to practices – from in-person EMIS and managed referral training, to help with day-to-day operational TeamNet issues. Last year the team completed just under 400 tasks for practices.

Bex Tilling, head of One Care’s digital support, said “Our team of specialists help practices with their digital issues, systems and programmes. We advise over phone and email, and visit practices for in-person discussions or training.”

Last year the team helped 43 practices with CareFlow Connect, and carried out a LARC audit for 23 practices. The team also trialled a new enhanced digital support initiative – 76% of practices have so far received hands-on support under the new plan, and nearly a quarter of practices have completed the team’s digital maturity survey, which helps them understand the gaps in their digital provision.

Additionally, the digital team last year developed a range of searches and protocols to help the working life of practices. The most used of these included the homeless health dietician template; cholesterol launcher; and diabetes protocol.

All practices were busy on TeamNet last year with an average of 2,566 users logging in each month, and the team provided in-person TeamNet training for nine practices.

Bex said “As well as helping with existing systems we’re also here to advise practices on the most appropriate new digital systems for their needs, and through our digital forum we share best practice among managers.”

Forty-two practices/PCNs​ have so far participated in the team’s digital forum, along with representatives from One Care, the ICB, the Training Hub, and CSU.

Bex added “We’ve had a really positive year of activity with practices. Digital systems are central to practice operations and management and we’re here to help practices improve their digital confidence and make sense of what’s out there.”

To discuss any digital needs please contact digital@onecare.org.uk

 

 

 

Introducing the new general practice activity data (GPAD) slot analysis tool

News, , , ,

One Care’s business intelligence team, with support from Pier Health, has developed a new Excel tool to help practices accurately code their slots and ensure their data is in line with national guidance. This can increase funding for indicators linked to national slot categories like ACC-08.

Using the slot analysis tool, practices can see how all slots were mapped to national categories in previous months, giving them a clear visual overview of all slot allocations across their PCN for a period of time. Many slots were previously incorrectly mapped, which impacted practices’ income.

Harry Paul, data manager at One Care, said “We realised practices were finding the national dashboard complicated and regularly delayed in data provision. Consequently, slots were being mapped incorrectly meaning practices may not have been paid correctly for the work being done.

“Our new slot analysis tool reconciles what activity practices believe has taken place, with the activity that has actually taken place. It provides accurate and reliable data and we’d encourage all practices to use it. This development would not have been possible without One Care’s Kah Chan and Joe Smith at Pier Health.”

The new tool will:

  • ensure accurate retrospective slot coding
  • allow practices to check slots are mapped correctly to improve slot-linked payments
  • provide useful data for forward planning

Practices keen to find out more and to be given access to the analysis tool should contact business.intelligence@onecare.org.uk

 

One Care oversees first shifts booked through BNSSG’s collaborative bank

News

The collaborative bank project has hit an exciting milestone, with the first shifts filled and completed by a member of the bank.

The collaborative bank uses technology from Ryalto to enable practices to offer shifts to other local practice staff, and be matched with colleagues who have the necessary skills and experience to fill them.

Nine practices across BNSSG are taking part in the initial pilot stage. One Care is also recruiting additional staff to the bank itself, including care navigators and medical secretaries. This will increase the agility of their workforce, offering a way for participating practices to fill gaps in their workforce to meet their patients’ needs flexibly and quickly.

Michéle Powell, PCN Delivery Manager at Phoenix PCN, said “The collaborative bank and the Ryalto app are helping us transform how we deliver care to our patients. The additional capacity it offers will be a fantastic tool to help us tackle winter pressures.”

The Ryalto app is also being used to great success in Network 4 PCN to manage shifts for vaccination clinics, with nearly 2000 shifts booked.

Enhancing proactive care and population health through data analysis

News, ,

One Care’s population health management (PHM) team uses data to better understand the health needs of the BNSSG patient population.

The team supports general practices to deliver targeted proactive care to specific patient groups, particularly those facing significant health disparities.

Phil Gladwin, population health analyst at One Care, worked closely with a Primary Care Network (PCN) in South Bristol to identify patients who would benefit most from personalised support.

Through analysis of health and social factors data and talking with practice clinicians, Phil identified patients with a combination of mental health issues, obesity, and diabetes who were at high risk of further ill health. Practices then contacted this group of patients to offer targeted evidence-based support.

In Yate and Frampton PCN, PHM Fellow Dr Brynn Bird developed a similar project with One Care’s PHM team.

NHS data shows spending on both diabetes care and antidepressants is significant – and has increased since before the Covid-19 pandemic – suggesting these are areas where greater support may be needed.

To identify the patient cohort with the greatest potential, the PHM team also considered other conditions including obesity and hypertension.

This data-driven approach enabled the PCN’s care coordinators to contact this patient group, inviting them for appointments and interventions designed to foster improved health outcomes.

Dr Bird said “We wanted to engage with people in the neighbourhood who are likely to suffer poor health in the long-term, due to their current mix of physical and mental health conditions and social circumstances. We were particularly interested in those who would not normally see us to help with their health, aiming to change the trajectory of their health and wellbeing.”

Providing this kind of support enables patients to better manage their health and wellbeing. The PHM service assists practices in identifying these patients, informing them about available services, and intervening before further complications develop.

Dr Bird added, “We are working with a variety of supportive people in the community, led by our health and wellbeing coach, to give those at high risk of poor health the support they need to make interventions in their own lives that are suitable for them. This is an ongoing process, and we are aiming to build on this with further presence in Yate where individuals can turn for guidance.”

These initiatives are just a few examples of how data analysis can focus healthcare provision to improve population health. If you are interested in discussing a population health management project, please email business.intelligence@onecare.org.uk.

One Care helps shape health and wellbeing support for BNSSG primary care

News,

As part of One Care’s enhanced health and wellbeing programme, One Care programme lead Tailte Breffni and North Bristol Trust staff psychologist Dr Emma Lishman met optometry and general practice staff from BNSSG last month. 

The health and wellbeing programme is a nine-month project that aims to improve understanding of the health and wellbeing needs of staff across dentistry, community pharmacy, optometry, and general practice. It aims to engage with staff to shape effective, fit for purpose support. 

At the meeting, Tailte shared some of the project’s key findings, including results from a health and wellbeing survey completed by more than 500 primary care staff members across BNSSG.  

Dr. Lishman presented ‘Start Well, End Well’, an initiative that aims to facilitate team connections to improve staff health and wellbeing within healthcare settings.  

There were productive discussions about how teams can build positive connections, and how time can be found to do this in the face of pressures such as workload and staff shortages.  

The attendees also looked at ways to culturally shift how health and wellbeing is viewed in their organisations. For example, through practical changes such as regular breaks for patient facing staff and collaborating with leaders and managers to make health and wellbeing a common priority for all.  

Participants in the health and wellbeing project will be supported to use a health and wellbeing bursary to implement ideas into their organisation, and measure the effectiveness of their interventions. The results will be shared across primary care in BNSSG, helping to embed health and wellbeing in the area. 

More ideas to support staff health and wellbeing can be found in the June primary care health and wellbeing newsletter.

Contact health.wellbeing@onecare.org.uk if you work in a primary care organisation in BNSSG and would like to learn more about the programme. 

GPCB supports PCNs’ successful bid for additional ARI hub funding

News, ,

Primary Care Networks (PCNs) in Bristol, North Somerset and South Gloucestershire successfully set up acute respiratory infection (ARI) hubs in January, after GP Collaborative Board (GPCB) support enabled them to bid for national funding. 

It followed an NHS England invitation for funding bids to set up ARI hubs, to address extra demand over the winter from patients with respiratory infections, including invasive Group A Strep in children.  

The hub model was based on the Covid vaccination model of flexible care across PCNs, meaning patients are cared for in the community. This approach allowed additional appointments and clinical resources to be dedicated to patients’ respiratory illnesses, reducing the impact on core practice services over winter.  

The mobilisation of general practice at scale across BNSSG, led by the GPCB, meant that BNSSG practices secured the full funding allocation for the area and established the hubs in a very short timeframe. This enabled 17,000 additional appointments to be offered between January and March.  

Funding was distributed based on PCN size, meaning equitable distribution among all PCNs. In future bids, the GPCB will explore how funding can be used to support practices in areas of deprivation to reduce health inequalities across BNSSG. 

An additional project from the same fund was run by University Hospitals Bristol and Weston (UHBW) children’s emergency department. The GPCB worked collaboratively with UHBW to share best practice; understand differing models of care across primary and secondary care in detail; and coordinate the projects to provide optimal benefit to patients.  

 Jim Hodgson, GPCB programme manager for urgent care, said “With the support of the GPCB, we managed to bring in a significant amount of funding into BNSSG to support practices and patients during the winter months. We overcame the challenges of tight deadlines and difficulties in the model to support practices to provide great care for their patients. We look forward to building on the learning and value of this winter’s model, taking the learning and insights to develop an even more effective response next winter.” 

Introducing population health analysis support from One Care

News, , , , , ,

One Care has launched a population health analyst support service, which aims to help primary care networks (PCNs) in Bristol, North Somerset, and South Gloucestershire (BNSSG) gain better insights into the health needs of their populations and the inequalities experienced by different patient groups.

The team provide intelligent insight to support PCNs to design and deliver appropriate services and interventions to address the identified needs.

The population health analysts at One Care also work with the wider healthcare system in making effective decisions to support general practice and the health and wellbeing of the local population.

The analysts are working on several projects, including:

  • Dashboards to support locality ageing well programmes, showing the distribution, relationships and inequalities of various priority health areas across an area (including COPD, diabetes, heart failure). The dashboards visualise overall prevalence of conditions at each practice in the locality, while also breaking them down by age, deprivation and geography to show the most affected areas
  • Sharing priority patients lists for practices across BNSSG, based on clinical risk and amenability to benefit from targeted sets of appropriate interventions, for example: vaccinations; chronic disease reviews; advanced care plans; and cancer screening.
  • Reports on cardiovascular disease, its relationship with other long-term conditions, prescribing patterns, and patient activity within the practice, with a focus on prevention and identifying gaps in existing care
  • PCN reports and priority lists of patients suffering from a combination of long-term mental and physical health challenges, to support a personalised approach to care and continuity

Rhys Lewis, head of digital at One Care, said: “General practice has a unique role in understanding the underlying causes of ill health and supporting communities to address them and drive improvement. We encourage all PCNs to get in touch with One Care’s team to collaborate on turning data into meaningful intelligence to address population health and begin to tackle inequalities.”

Each PCN in BNSSG has a dedicated One Care analyst, who can be asked to investigate specific topics or areas where clinicians feel targeted work is needed. The team is available to meet with PCNs or practices that would like to know more or make use of the service. It can be contacted via email at business.intelligence@onecare.org.uk.

‘Meet Team GP’ launches today

News, ,

One Care and Bristol, North Somerset and South Gloucestershire Integrated Care Board (BNSSG ICB) have launched a new public information campaign, called ‘Meet Team GP’.

The campaign introduces and explains the various professional healthcare roles working in general practice – what they are, what they do, and how they help get patients the right care at the right time.

It covers roles such as paramedics; first contact physiotherapists; clinical pharmacists; physician associates; care coordinators and more.

The aim is to improve public awareness and understanding of these roles, so patients will understand why they may be offered appointments with one of these healthcare professionals instead of a GP, and accept these appointments.

‘Meet Team GP’ uses photographs, quotes and videos featuring real practice staff from BNSSG explaining their roles. The video case studies explain some of the roles, and how they provide patient care, in more depth.

As well as advertising on social media platforms, the campaign has packs for practices to use, including digital screen images and posters for reception areas.

Learn more about the campaign on BNSSG ICB’s microsite.

One Care leads on wellbeing programme for primary care staff

News

One Care is leading a programme to support staff health and wellbeing across primary care disciplines in Bristol, North Somerset and South Gloucestershire (BNSSG). It is the first programme of its kind, working with organisations across dentistry, community pharmacy, optometry, and general practice.

Staff in primary care face mounting pressures, including: increasing workload; difficulty recruiting and retaining staff; and treating patients with increasingly complex needs. With the additional challenges of winter pressures, we need to look after ourselves and one another more than ever.

Despite its importance, many people working in healthcare don’t feel they have time to focus on their own health and wellbeing. Continuing on this path is unsustainable for most, and is likely to lead to increased burnout and sickness absence.

The BNSSG health and wellbeing programme aims to ensure all primary care staff have an equal opportunity to access support. Hosted by One Care, BNSSG’s GP federation, it is working with the Integrated Care System and the national NHS health and wellbeing team.

The programme has three schemes:

  • Collating and sharing all freely available health and wellbeing support, training, and resources with primary care colleagues.
  • A network of health and wellbeing ‘champions’, linked to a peer support network across primary care in BNSSG, to support with promoting health and wellbeing offers and initiatives to their colleagues.
  • An enhanced health and wellbeing project, working with primary care organisations to explore what health and wellbeing looks like for them, then working with them to embed meaningful health and wellbeing initiatives. This project offers participating organisations a £2,000 bursary.

So far, the programme has contacted primary care organisations across BNSSG to find out which individuals and organisations are interested in taking part. More than 30 organisations expressed interest, and welcome events were held in mid-December. These will run again in early January 2023.

Tailte Breffni, One Care’s health and wellbeing programme manager said “This is a great opportunity to understand the unique issues primary care organisations are having and what support is required, rather than assuming a ‘one size fits all’ package. We hope to use this information to inform the system and develop future health and wellbeing support for primary care.”

Contact health.wellbeing@onecare.org.uk if you are in a primary care organisation in BNSSG and would like to get involved in the programme.