By Anna Betz and Jane Pightling for Enlivening Edge Magazine
See EE Magazine’s previous 3-part series on this topic starting here.
The Reimagining Health & Care Special Interest Group–a series of webinars hosted by the Health Foundation in the UK
In the video below, Brendan Martin from Public World shares valuable experiences and insights he gained from working with the ‘Test and Learn Teams’ within traditional organisations.
The presentation is well worth watching for anyone wondering how to introduce change within any kind of old traditional structures.
Rather than calling them pilot projects, he emphasises how such teams need to grow organically within the system without being subject to the normal hierarchy and top-down control.
Only when they are enabled and supported by the leadership to grow organically can they learn to develop truly Holistic Care. Hierarchical and siloed organisations don’t encourage the quality of relationships and organisational cultures we need in order to provide best support for those in need of it.
He talks about a simple framework of achievement with 3 intentions in contrast to KPIs and other outcome measures.
- Provide great care
- Enable great working lives
- Efficient use of resources
Such Test and Learn Teams will need to be protected from the normal rules and procedures of the organisation with the help of a ‘heat-shield’ who can provide support as and when needed.This calls to mind the metaphor of a seed which needs a more protected environment to sprout, grow and learn to express its true potential to eventually grow into a beautiful flower or fruit which brings joy and nourishment to all.
He calls this an iterative way of working which has also shown to save money for care services rather than a ‘time and task approach’ which turns out to be expensive in terms of human and material costs.
This webinar is part of a series hosted by the Health Foundation’s Q community. The Q community is an initiative connecting people across the UK who have expertise in improvement. It is hosted by the Health Foundation and co-funded by the NHS.
The Reimagining Health & Care Special Interest Group is part of this network and holds space for people, wherever they are located on the planet.
The Group is for people who are actively working and exploring how we might reimagine our health and care systems to recognise individuals and communities as health-producing. The Group addresses how we can connect people to purpose, welcome the whole person, and reinvent structure and systems to support this change.
The Group has noticed a surge in interest in our work and there is potential for these ideas and methods to enter the mainstream. We are at a tipping point and we expect initiatives will come under the usual pressure from the existing system to conform and preserve the current paradigm.
We therefore planned a series of webinars to share our experiences and learning. The series celebrates the work of care givers and receivers, those providing care directly and those working with the wider systemic issues of finance, governance, learning and leadership.
All are welcome to join the free webinars and our Group. For further information please contact [email protected] or access our website here https://q.health.org.uk/community/groups/reimagining-health-and-care/
