The LINk Steering Group Meeting scheduled for Wednesday 14/09/2011 will include a discussion about how the LINk prioritises the issues on its Work Plan. You are very welcomed to contribute any comments that you might have on how this prioritisation should be carried out and what should be a priority.
The guidance information provided to LINks from the NCI Guide No. 10 is very useful when assessing what a LINk Work Plan is and how it should be formulated (View Guidance Document Number 10).
Recently, the Portsmouth LINk reduced the number of items which appeared on its Work Plan, from 22 to 10, and then informally prioritised the remaining 10 issues (View prioritised list). The next step to be taken by the LINk is a formal prioritisation exercise involving all members of the Steering Group working to an agreed model of prioritisation.
The LINk Guide No. 10 referred to above will inform you that prioritising issues is about agreeing achievable and relevant goals when planning LINk activities. The guidance also points out that LINks need to be networked when identifying priorities, sharing information about the health and social care needs of the area with other groups and organisations and collaborating via shared work programmes so that LINks can work effectively together and with other bodies that have a role to hold services to account. This requires LINk participants to have a debate about shared priorities and also to remember that the real priorities may reflect the needs of people and groups not yet involved or engaged in the LINk.
Prioritisation, properly conducted, involves an “...agreed set of criteria against which themes and trends can be weighted/prioritised to identify appropriate and timely actions...”, this is because “...communities need to have confidence that their LINk is looking in to the issues that matter to local people...”.
This process will involve more time than the 30 minutes allocated on the Agenda set for the 14th of September.
The purpose of this article is to inform you that this activity will be going ahead very shortly after the Steering Group Meeting and it is hoped that this article will encourage you to contribute any ideas and thoughts that you might have about this important task.
The purpose of this article is to inform you that this activity will be going ahead very shortly after the Steering Group Meeting and it is hoped that this article will encourage you to contribute any ideas and thoughts that you might have about this important task.
I think it would be useful if The Link publishes its criteria and weighting procedures which underpin decisions regarding prioritisation.
ReplyDeleteHolly Easlick has made the following comment "I think the current list represents some real major issues within the health service and I am glad to see they are being made a priority by the Link; however I was wondering which 12 issues were cut from the original list and how they were decided as having less priority?"
ReplyDeleteHolly's comment underlines what I wrote about criteria and weighting procedures in my posting made on 5 September.
ReplyDeleteSorry, Holly, I have only just seen your comment. In fact, the reduction in the number of issues has come about mainly by looking carefully at what we were doing, taking issues that had parts in common and combining them. 'Transfer of Care', for example, covers discharge from a treatment centre (not just a hospital) and the admin (notes/letters/etc.) that goes with it. There was also a small number of issues that remained active although the LINk had done all it could to influence matters. Finally, it comes down to what the LINk can achieve with the number of active volunteers it has available. We are likely always to have to prioritise as there are more issues than people to work on them!
ReplyDelete