Customer stories
A targeted approach to solving joint pain and getting people active again
A targeted approach to solving joint pain and getting people active again
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Over 150 people attended a Joint Aches and Pains Hub in Grantham as part of a first-of-its-kind event for Lincolnshire. Using linked data to focus invitations on adults with joint pain, the pop-up event helped connect people with health and community services in the area, providing more holistic, personalised support and strengthening links between professionals.
Led by the K2 Healthcare Sleaford Primary Care Network (PCN) and the Lincolnshire personalisation team, the project brought together statutory, third sector and independent providers at a local leisure centre in Grantham to offer a ‘one-stop-shop’ for people experiencing joint pain. The event allowed people to speak to various health and care professionals in an informal, non-clinical environment. Given the increasing pressures on primary care and local hospital services, this was intended to improve people’s access to professional advice and support.
"Having easy access to the linked datasets for Grantham and Rural was essential for helping us work out who to target within the community. Our analysis of the data went hand-in-hand with the conversations we had with people with lived experience through our co-production workshops. Together these helped us paint a clear picture of what was going on in people’s lives and what they needed to help them.”
Approach
The team used linked data available through Lincolnshire’s PHM data toolset to identify people that may benefit the most from this event, and combined insights from the data toolset with information from a local coproduction group to shape the event itself. This included which professionals should be represented and how best to market the event to the public.
Although the event was open to anyone locally, three specific groups emerged from the data:
- Those identified by the PCN as needing a Health Check were invited to have their blood pressure and weight taken, along with other checks.
- Those currently awaiting surgery and on a prehabilitation programme were invited for a session with an occupational therapist to prepare for surgery.
- Those referred for a hospital outpatient physio appointment were invited for an initial consultation with a physiotherapist, including a care planning conversation.
Invitations were sent to relevant individuals from their GP or hospital encouraging them to book appointments on the day, whilst a stakeholder working group was engaged to design and deliver the event.
"To have a one-stop-shop like this is an excellent idea because if you went through the normal route of being referred to all different departments and social referrals you’d be going here, there and everywhere. If you come here and spend just a couple of hours, you can talk to practically everybody you’re going to need to find out what can be done and what help is out there.”
Impact generated
More efficient for professionals, more convenient for the public
The four-hour event allowed health and care professionals to conduct multiple consultations with people who would otherwise have faced lengthy delays if seen in a more ‘traditional’ clinical setting. With other partners on hand including weight management services, the local pain management group (Flippin’ Pain), and other health and wellbeing providers, people could be easily and quickly directed to other sources of support.
Improved knowledge and stronger relationships between practitioner
The event also brought together different people involved in musculoskeletal care who might not ordinarily have the opportunity to connect with each other. Qualitative feedback from stakeholders suggests that this has helped to break down professional silos, improving their working knowledge of the range of support available and encouraging further interagency working at a neighbourhood level.
A replicable model than can be applied to other areas of care
Conceived as ‘healthcare done differently’, the project was carefully documented to extract the key lessons and develop a ‘model’ approach to creating similar ‘pop-up’ healthcare events in the community. Other MSK-oriented events have already been run in other parts of Lincolnshire, and it is hoped that the same model could also be adapted to support additional areas of care in future.
"My first impression of working in this way made me gasp. We’d never worked like this before and didn’t know what buy-in we would get. We were concerned about what it looked like to the public to take staff out of their primary role for the day. What about notes and governance?! But we did it! The networking, having better links with partners, effectively signposting our patients … these are all things that continue beyond the event. There were some that I didn’t realise even existed!”