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.
So what has worked so
far?
1. Make communications short and to the point. You can
always link back to more detailed version as and when necessary.
2. Integrate the whole communications activity. Then slim it
down to a zeitgeist.
3. Clear signposting of BIG DEADLINE.
4. Personalise the content – what care pathways do they care
about? Is the condition prevalent in their patch?
In one recent project, it was interesting to note that 100%
of responders who participated online indicated that email was the most
convenient way to contact them. But in the same breath we were also hearing
concerns about too many emails and important messages getting lost in the
haystack.
Over the course of our many engagement endeavours, we have
found that there is often a disconnect between what people say influences them
and what actually influences them. Similar evidence was found in a pilot scheme in NHS Bedfordshire.
So far so good, but it’s very much a work in progress. We will
not fully comprehend what day to day life for CCGs will be like until the
coming weeks, months and years unfold. It takes time to design and then refine
engagement processes and I’m happy to see a growing number of CCGs looking to
hit the ground running.
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