IFIC Scotland Autumn Update

Team Scotland led a host of sessions and networking events in collaboration with IFICs Special Interest Groups (SIGs). Presentations and recordings will be uploaded to the SIG webpages. You can join SIGs for free by clicking here. Our collaborative workshop on adopting House of Care in Scotland, Isle of Man and Brazil prompted interest in establishing a new SIG on the House of Care approach. We will explore this with Martin Hayes, lead for Project ECHO in Northern Ireland, and with Margaret McKeith, ALLIANCE lead for House of Care. More information on the House of Care model is available here!

IFIC Scotland was pleased to contribute to IFICs report "Realising the true value of integrated care: Beyond COVID-19." Launched in May, it highlights the opportunity to reset our fragmented health and care systems so that they are integrated, driven by people and communities and resilient in the face of future systemic shocks. The report is accompanied by a set of webinars that explore the nine pillars of integrated care. Scotland hosted the webinar on People as Partners.

You can view the report and the Webinars here.

Transforming Together gets a mention in our recent blog for WHOs global strategy. This highlights the critical importance of continuity and coordination of care as described in our previous contribution to developing WHOs practice brief for the global Framework on integrated people-centred health services
The blog can be accessed here.

You can view perspectives on integrate care from around the world by checking out the blogs and case studies on WHOs knowledge platform

'I understood very quickly the value of the learning and course content. I started in September 2019 and through the reading materials I quickly recognised an area which could affect practice in my place of work. By the end of October, I had approached my management team with a strategy to realign the service to allow greater development between multi professional teams and to support Person Centred Integrated Care. I understood very quickly the value of the learning and course content I started in September 2019 and through the reading materials I quickly recognised an area

which could affect practice in my place of work. By the end of October, I had approached my management team with a strategy to realign the service to allow greater development between multi professional teams and to support Person Centred Integrated Care. By January I had my proposal drawn up and my manager immediately approved its implementation. The course has had an impact on my practice, helping me see the bigger picture, and has helped me secure a new role. Moving from Practitioner with Sense Scotland to Development Officer with Scottish Care is a huge move for me. The feedback I got from the interview for my new position was that my knowledge and understanding of integrated care was exactly what they were looking for. I absolutely credit Helen Rainey, the course leader, and her wonderful colleagues for their learning and support within the first year of this course. I couldn’t have achieved so much without them.’

A short video with students’ reflections on the blended learning programme can be viewed here.

Due to the pandemic, our Compassionate Communities virtual Active Learning Programme is being delivered from June 2020 to March 2021 by a small team drawn from Compassionate Inverclyde and our Reference Network partners. The programme aims to support participants to improve lives and opportunities in their communities by living our values of kindness, dignity and compassion. Monthly online facilitated group sessions are complemented by a series of topic resources and peer support.

Over 100 participants from across Scotland joined a Compassionate Communities workshop during the ALLIANCE annual conference and discussed how to build resilience in local communities.

For more information on the Active Learning Programme contact mandy.andrew@alliance-scotland.org.uk

Around 40 delegates shared their valuable lived experience mixed with policy and advocacy perspectives and contributions from around 40 health, social care, housing, Third sector, academic, education and regulatory bodies. We called for a ‘Once for Scotland’ approach to healthy ageing and prevention in later life with coordinated action at a local level across Scotland, recognising every community is different and drawing on the unique assets of neighbourhoods, people and place. Our report has been shared with the Scottish Government Cross Party Group on Older People, Age and Ageing. It can be accessed here.

After a pause to allow clinicians to focus on COVID-19 priorities, we are delighted to resume our participatory action research project with NHS Ayrshire and Arran. Funded by Burdett Trust and led by UWS and the ALLIANCE, the Frailty Matters project is developing and studying the value for community nurses of a combined coaching and educational intervention on frailty. Janette Barrie shared a summary of the first phase of the research at ICIC20.

During October we have some further public and professional engagement sessions to sense check and refine the Frailty Matters House. For more information please contact janette.barrie@uws.ac.uk

We are delighted to welcome a new addition to our team. Beautiful baby Marina Zoe Kotronoulas arrived safe and well in August. Congratulations to proud mum Constantina, the project Principle Investigator. We wish her well for Project Marina! Further updates on Frailty Matters will be shared here.

The first Small Islands Learning Exchange (SmILE). Sadly, COVID-19 meant we had to cancel our plans for SmILE 2 with our friends from Malta’s Social Care Standards Agency. Dr Francesco Sindico of Strathclyde Centre for Environmental Law and Governance (SCELG) and James Ellsmoor of Island Innovation conducted a rapid survey to understand how islands were coping with the crisis. A final report has key messages and recommendations on how to promote a more resilient and sustainable future for islands and their communities. You can click here to browse the survey responses by each islands

IFIC Board member Prof Donata Kurpas introduced us to EURIPA, a network for Rural and Isolated Practitioners within WONCA Europe - the academic and scientific society for general practitioners in Europe. The first EURIPA Rural Health e-Forum welcomed 97 rural practitioners from 28 countries. SIG members Oliver Radford and Claire Bader from the Isle of Man presented a paper on their Care Home and Covid-19 Assessment and Treatment Teams. Tamsin Smith from the University of the Highlands and Islands joined a panel discussion to reflect on rural practice. Medical students from Brazil shared how they have been helping with the COVID-19 response in both urban and remote areas of the country.

Angela Murray, Isle of Man DHSC Chief Officer chaired a networking session for IFICs small islands SIG at ICIC20. Assistant. Prof Vladimir Mozetič, Director of the Community Health Center, Primorje-Gorski kotar County, Croatia, gave a fascinating overview of their system. Attuned to prevention and management of chronic disease the rural and island system has enviable IT, telemedicine, a dialysis centre and mobile palliative care teams enabling delivery of clinical care on their islands. Thanks also to Anne Ferrugia from Malta and Anne Mills and Margaret Swindlehurst from the Isle of Man for sharing their insights. When we emerge from travel restrictions we will be sure to plan SmILE2 and SmILE3 in Malta and Croatia! In the meantime we must settle for hosting a series of virtual twinning sessions.

Isle of Man Partners
IFIC and IFIC Scotland are delighted to have won a competitive tendering process to provide consultancy support to Isle of Man for the next phase of their work on Integrated Care. We will support Delivery groups on Intermediate Care; Community Frailty and the roll out of the successful locality Wellbeing Partnership model. Support will be mostly virtual but we look forward to visiting Isle of Man as soon as it is safe – and perhaps we can catch up with our friends on Compassionate Isle of Man’s new "Sit and Chat" benches.

These distinctive benches are places where people of any age can sit and chat. They are a visible reminder of the simple acts of kindness that can make a big difference to people who may be lonely or in need of a smile and a friendly chat. Find out more about the ‘sit and chat benches’.

Research Collaborations
It has been good to work with UWS and academic partners from England, Mexico, Canada and several European countries in response to current UK and international research calls. Now we wait for decisions …..

Prof Anne Hendry was guest editor for the Journal of Integrated Care Special Issue on Integrated Palliative and End of life Care. Anne was ably supported by our strategic partners: Prof Debbie Tolson (UWS), Prof Aine Carroll (IFIC Ireland), and Anne Mills, (CEO Hospice Isle of Man and Scholl Academic Centre). Thanks to members of IFICs Special Interest Groups for sharing their work. You can access the bumper special issue of eight papers and editorial here!

Our latest publications and reports:

Health and Social Care for Older People in Scotland – chapter in the 2nd edition of Tratado de Medicina Geriatrica, a key Spanish and Latin American textbook on Geriatric medicine (Elsevier, June 2020).
Three horizons of integrating health and social care in Scotland in the 2nd edition of Handbook Integrated Care, (Springer, in press). Thanks to Maimie Thomson, Elaine Mead and Pete Knight for support.
A short evidence review on Caring Cities for the Memora Foundation with our IFIC and AdvantageJA colleagues. This corporate social responsibility project is a response to the tragedy of COVID-19 in Spain. The topic reports will be discussed with the public in a series of virtual round tables.
A further 3 publications on Intermediate Care and Frailty with AdvantageJA consortium partners.

The Community Hospital Association and Professor Jon Glasby, University of Birmingham, are hosting three webinars to share evidence from recent research on the role, value and future of community hospitals. For a free place please register here 5th Nov 11.30-1pm; 12th Nov 12.30-2.00pm; and 19th Nov 12.30-2.00pm

British Geriatrics Society Autumn conference will be held online over three days November 25-27. Join live or watch it on catch up to view the latest research and clinical practice in care of older people. You can register here!