Health Care

The assessment for this module is a 2,000 word individual report containing sufficient evidence and a self-evaluation of the achievement of the module objectives and learning outcomes.
You are also required to produce a 500 word reflection on potential lessons from the this module for the individuals in this real-life case study. (need to cite background references, which is in case study file)

Case study: Service Redesign at South Devon NHS Trust

Module aims

This real-life case study focuses on the principles and practices of organisational and service transformation in healthcare. It is designed to provide students with insight into two aspects of change: process of change and the content of change. Lessons from the Foundations for Health Management Consulting module can be applied in this case study context.

The Case Study details are below.

Module objectives

Knowledge and skill objectives

• Understand the process of leading organisational change, with a focus on the sequencing of actions, leadership skills, engagement and input from different stakeholders
• Understand leadership strategies to engage powerful stakeholders in the change process
• Understand management practices to promote the implementation of changes
• Apply knowledge from the programme to solve real management tasks
• integrate theoretical knowledge with practical skills relevant to the health management sector

Learning outcomes

The case study should help participants to apply:

• Problem solving skills in an organizational environment
• Analytical skills to select and use relevant information

Assessment

The assessment for this module is a 2,000 word individual report containing sufficient evidence and a self-evaluation of the achievement of the module objectives and learning outcomes.

You are also required to produce a 500 word reflection on potential lessons from the this module for the individuals in this real-life case study. (need to cite background references below)

Please refer to the following documents:

Service Redesign at South Devon NHS Trust (A)

Service Redesign at South Devon NHS Trust (B)

This case is about reviewing and redesigning a care service pathway which cuts across various organisational boundaries in a local health system. The challenge is to coordinate different stakeholders without any additional funding. The case emphasises the change process and how this can be managed in a complex environment. It therefore draws on a range of topics you have addressed during the IHM course.

The task is designed to give you an opportunity to demonstrate an understanding of key management issues in health services by analysing and demonstrating understanding of a real-life case.

You need to draw on lessons from this module (e.g. on project management, engagement with clients/stakeholders, communications) and think about how these might apply in the context of this case. For example, how well were these applied, what could have been done better, were the project management and client/stakeholder engagement tools adapted in any way?

Approaching the task

(1) You should unpack the key events and details of the case. For example, describe the challenges faced by the principal actors and their consequences, why these can be seen as challenges, how the challenges were addressed, and whether there were any alternative ways of addressing them.

(2) Discuss the wider context for the case. What were the policy, market, technological or other considerations which may have shaped the events in the specific case study? What are their implications? For instance, the case is about stroke care services – are there any innovation trends within stroke care that impact on the room for manoeuvre or options faced by the protagonists in the case study?

(3) Focus on the following questions when preparing the case study:

1. What were the shortcomings of the existing model of care that the changes sought to address? What are the characteristics of an effective chronic care system?
2. How did Jenkins handle the issues relating to organisational and professional power and politics in leading this service change? Think about the following:
   • What barriers and facilitators did she anticipate?
   • Which barriers caught her off guard?
   • How did she use her professional and expert power to gain buy-in for the service change?
   • What other sources of power and influence were available to Jenkins?
3. Consider Jenkins’ vision and communication strategies. What worked well? What areas could she have improved? How would you characterise Jenkins’ effectiveness as a change leader?
4. What outcome measures were used to assess the success of this change project? What criteria would you use to assess the organisational and patient care outcomes?

Background references

As well as the case study documents themselves, you will need to draw on lessons from this programme as a whole and management literature more widely. You may find the following useful in analysing the case and drawing conclusions:

Kotter, J. (1995) Leading change. Why transformation efforts fail. Harvard Business Review. Sirkin, H., Keenan, P., Jackson, A. (2005) The hard side of change management. Harvard Business Review.

Kaplan, R., Norton, D. (2006) How to implement a new strategy without disrupting your organization. Harvard Business Review.

Leutz, W. (1999) Five laws for integrating medical and social services. Lessons from the United States and United Kingdom. The Milbank Quarterly 77(1): 77-110.

Goodwin, N. (2016) Understanding Integrated Care. International Journal of Integrated Care 16(4), 6.

Bautista, M. et al. (2016) Instruments Measuring Integrated Care: A Systematic Review of Measurement Properties. The Milbank Quarterly
Work on the assessment of chronic illness care via http://www.improvingchroniccare.org/.

The 2001 National Service Framework for Older People which formed the backdrop to the changes in South Devon. Standard 5 relates to stroke care delivery.