Friday, 26 October 2012

Ego[stat]istical fact of the day

A few weeks ago we talked about the problem of dodgy data and the need for ‘election-ready data’, well we’re taking another look at the issue today but from a slightly quirkier angle.

Data plays a vital role in any membership organisation, the ability to effectively communicate and engage with your members relies in large part on the quality of your data.  For NHS Foundation Trusts data quality becomes even more important to be able to fulfil the reporting requirements of Monitor.  Without accurate demographic information (age, gender, ethnicity) Trusts can’t provide the data that Monitor require every year.

At MES we currently hold over 1,250,000 individual records for our clients and that figure is continually growing. Because we recognise the importance of data quality we regularly cleanse it making sure to remove any duplicates, ensure the accuracy of postal addresses and remove any deceased members.  Not only does this make reporting much easier, but it also makes mailings much more cost effective as you don’t include members who no longer live at the address you hold.


Through this data cleansing process we've come to understand a few quirks that come with any set of individual records. The most interesting of which is the surprisingly high number of people who marry someone with a similar name or the same first initial.  The number of Pauls married to Paula’s, or Sarah’s married to Steve’s is always a surprise.  At first we just thought it was one of those odd facts of life that didn't really have an explanation.

But last week we found out that the trend we were seeing actually has a psychological reasoning.  A number of studies have identified something called the name-letter effect, where individuals are said to prefer letters that appear in their own name and numbers that appear in their date of birth.  You can even test this yourself – I asked five of the MES team what their favourite number was and three all gave numbers that feature in their Date of Birth.  This name-letter effect is reinforced by a second idea called implicit egotism where people are attracted to people, places and situations that reflect on themselves and this is often cited as the reason that people are attracted to others with similar names. 

So next time you’re going through your membership list have a quick look and see how many of your members have got similar names, you might be pleasantly surprised.

Wednesday, 24 October 2012

Sgt Peppers Foundation Trust Conference Stand


Yesterday, staffers from MES and ERS travelled up to Liverpool ‘on a magical mystery tour’ for the Foundation Trust Network Annual Conference. It has been good to ‘come together’ to ‘HELP!’ our database clients with latest additions to the system. Following feedback from this year’s user-group we are proud to be launching version 6 of our NHS Membership Database, here at MES we have always had the attitude of ‘we can work it out’.  Its great to have a ‘day in the life’ to catch up with faces old and new. 'We are the egg men.'

Friday, 19 October 2012

Goodbye Rhodri


A note of sadness.  Our great colleague and friend Rhodri leaves us today – after nearly 5 years with MES.  He has been a brilliant colleague, champion and true ambassador for us and I wish him lots of luck.  You will be gone, but not forgotten - goodbyeeeeee!

Foundation Trusts: Their contribution to the engagement debate… and science!


Next week is the annual NHS Foundation Trust Network conference, now in its 5th year. This year it’s a 2-day event – evidence of the sector’s growth and development, and of course the huge change going on in the NHS right now. As ever, MES and its parent company ERS will be there chatting to clients, putting our feelers out and keeping our ears to the ground.

In advance of that, today we’re launching our publication about the sector’s impact on engagement.  In 2012, it is difficult to get through the day without seeing or hearing a news story, a government initiative being launched or a campaign commencing that talks about the importance to engage with us all.  We should all be engaging – being consulted, taking part, being listened to, no decision made about us without us and so on.

Tuesday, 16 October 2012

Consultation Translation


Pushto, Tamil, Tigrinya, Swahilli, Somali, Punjabi, Mandarin, Hindi, Gujarati, French, Farsi, Bengali. The Shaping a Healthier Future consultation summary document has been translated into all of these languages.

MES worked alongside the London Communications Agency to create the entire suite of consultation materials for NHS North West London's service reconfiguration consultation.



Friday, 12 October 2012

Delivering healthcare through collaboration – a view from the South (of the Equator)

Changes in commissioning health care services
The new changes to England’s health care structure (Health & Social Care Act 2012) will put clinical commissioning groups (CCGs) in charge of commissioning healthcare services. This will also mean that other non-NHS organisations (such as third sector organisations) will be able to apply for funding to provide health care services. This creates new and innovative opportunities for NHS trusts to work in collaboration with charities and other third sector organisations.

Friday, 5 October 2012

CCG Practice Team Engagement – Where to Begin?


Wave 1 Clinical Commissioning Groups (CCGs)  are on the cusp of authorisation. However this is not the end, this is not even the end of the beginning!

Leading up to this momentous occasion, CCGs have not been sitting idly around. There has been a charge to ensure that GP’s, Nurses, Practice Managers and Receptionists are on-board and know how to contribute.

In our work alongside emerging CCGs, so far, the biggest challenge has been simply to get through to people. In the run up to authorisation there is a daily typhoon of emails, letters, bulletins and more emails, and not a lifejacket in sight!

Then there is the daily business of running a practice. We have found that practice teams are overwhelmed by data and deadline, trying to speak to them about something which is beyond a ‘must do’ is very hard, but not impossible. Our aim has been to frame involvement in commissioning in a way that doesn’t demand more time. Sounds simple when written down, in reality this is quite a tough nut to crack.