Is There a Future for Planning Teams?

Abstract

Health care planning in the NHS is undergoing a revolution. The proposals in Working for Patients, which involve the separation of funding from the provision of services, and the proposals for community care in Caring for People have profound consequences for the planning and provision of services for the so-called priority groups. Planning teams, which were first established after the 1974 reorganisation, have been one of the main vehicles for planning coordinated care for such groups. The current study, which updates earlier findings, was carried out shortly before the publication of Working for Patients. It found an increased number of planning teams catering for a wider range of client groups, increasing unit involvement in care group planning and more emphasis on joint planning with local authorities. The implications of the findings for the post-review NHS are discussed, in particular the future of joint planning, the future of CHC involvement in planning and the future of planning teams themselves.

Unlicensed assistive personnel in ambulatory care

“…21 Examples of educational approaches ranged from fully employer-based training 12,[14][15]22 to blended job-based and formal education, [10][11][12][13]26 to carefully structured training for more advanced UAP roles, such as the UK's Assistant Practitioner (AP) role. 18,27,28 Two articles attested to the importance of dedicated time away from the distractions of patient care, even when education was employerbased. 12,14 In addition to initial training, ongoing professional education and competency verification was found to be important for UAP.…”

“…Johnson and Moulton reported 40% of the UAP in their study lacked training relevant to their roles 21. Examples of educational approaches ranged from fully employer-based training12,14-15,22 to blended job-based and formal education,10-11,12-13,26 to carefully structured training for more advanced UAP roles, such as the UK's Assistant Practitioner (AP) role 18,27,28. Two articles attested to the importance of dedicated time away from the distractions of patient care, even when education was employer-based 12,14.…”

“…The chance to grow professionally while supporting a family was greatly valued. 28 This suggests that staff will continue to favor on-the-job approaches to training. However, researchers noted that a lack of dedicated time for learning was a challenge to success, consistent with findings from a recent study on nursing continuing professional development.…”

“…One of the benefits reported by UAP was the ability to advance without leaving the workforce to return to school. The chance to grow professionally while supporting a family was greatly valued 28. This suggests that staff will continue to favor on-the-job approaches to training.…”