Developing a framework for gathering and using service user experiences to improve integrated health and social care: the SUFFICE framework.

Vicky Ward,Gary Fry,Lisa Pinkney

doi:10.1186/s13104-016-2230-0

Abstract

BackgroundMore people than ever receive care and support from health and social care services. Initiatives to integrate the work of health and social care staff have increased rapidly across the UK but relatively little has been done to chart and improve their impact on service users. Our aim was to develop a framework for gathering and using service user feedback to improve integrated health and social care in one locality in the North of England.MethodsWe used published literature and interviews with health and social care managers to determine the expected service user experiences of local community-based integrated teams and the ways in which team members were expected to work together. We used the results to devise qualitative data collection and analysis tools for gathering and analyzing service user feedback. We used developmental evaluation and service improvement methodologies to devise a procedure for developing service improvement plans.FindingsWe identified six expected service user experiences of integrated care and 15 activities that health and social care teams were expected to undertake. We used these to develop logic models and tools for collecting and analysing service user experiences. These include a narrative interview schedule, a plan for analyzing data, and a method for synthesizing the results into a composite ‘story’. We devised a structured service improvement procedure which involves teams of health and social care staff listening to a composite service user story, identifying how their actions as a team may have contributed to the story and developing a service improvement plan.ConclusionsThis framework aims to put service user experiences at the heart of efforts to improve integration. It has been developed in collaboration with National Health Service (NHS) and Social Care managers. We expect it to be useful for evaluating and improving integrated care initiatives elsewhere.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s13104-016-2230-0) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

Highlights

More people than ever receive care and support from health and social care services
This framework aims to put service user experiences at the heart of efforts to improve integration. It has been developed in collaboration with National Health Service (NHS) and Social Care managers
This paper focuses on the development of a framework for gathering and using service user feedback to improve integrated working between health and social care staff

Summary

Introduction

More people than ever receive care and support from health and social care services. Initiatives to integrate the work of health and social care staff have increased rapidly across the UK but relatively little has been done to chart and improve their impact on service users. In 2013 this was followed by the naming of 14 ‘integration pioneers’ across the UK where innovative ways of delivering coordinated care and bringing services closer together are being pursued [8] These and other sites have used a range of approaches including multidisciplinary meetings [9], risk profiling and case management [10] and pooled service and commissioning budgets [11]. The majority of initiatives in the UK have tended to take place at a micro level where providers seek to deliver integrated care for individual service users through care co-ordination, care planning, use of technology and other approaches [12]. Such initiatives include setting up community-based co-located teams of nurses, social workers, occupational therapists and physiotherapists [13,14,15]

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