Dr Win Tadd and Professor Mike Calnan headlined the Spring 2011 SDO Network chief executives forum meetings with the findings of a major ethnographic study exploring the experience of dignity in the acute care of older people in four acute NHS trusts.
The London Forum heard from Professor Christine Edwards on the use of projects as change management tools in the NHS and Dr Richard Cookson shared the findings of his study into the effects of choice on equality of access to healthcare with the members at the Nottingham meeting.
Both Forums had the opportunity to discuss some of the issues they felt were most important for the new Health Services and Delivery Research programme to investigate and discuss their needs for knowledge mobilisation activity from the new programme.
Full details, including presentations from the event are provided below:
Professor Michael Calnan and Dr Win Tadd will shared some of their latest research: “Dignity in practice: an exploration of the care of older adults in acute NHS trusts” and discussed its implications and recommendations for NHS providers and commissioners. The study explores the experiences of older people, those of their carers and the behaviours and practices of the providers of care from which recommendations and guidance on the provision of dignified care have been developed.
See also: "Right place –wrong person: dignity in the acute care of older people." • Tadd et al • Quality in Ageing and Older Adults • Volume 12 Issue 1 • March 2011
Christine used examples drawn from her SDO funded research project to explore the use of projects as change agents in the NHS. The NHS has a long history of piloting initiatives and running implementation projects, but not all will result in long term change. Through this presentation, Christine explored the facilitators and barriers to long term changes in culture brought about by the implementation of shorter term projects. The transfer of this technique, widely used in the manufacturing sector to NHS organisations is not straightforward, but can bring significant benefits.
A major debate around the Labour healthcare reforms was their potential impact on equality of access to health care. Some argue that the reforms would increase equality, by giving disadvantaged people choices that were previously available only to the wealthy. Conversely, other argued that the reforms would reduce equality, as disadvantaged people will be less able to exercise the choices open to them. However, the precise mechanisms through which the reforms are likely to influence inequalities were poorly understood. This study aims to provide the first comprehensive picture of national trends in inequality in the use of hospital services and its findings will be even more relevant in the current political arena.
The forums received an update on the future for the NIHR SDO research programme and an opportunity to shape the direction of future research commissioning and the role and activities of the SDO Network.