Case Study 1

How Good Are Your Services?

This case study describes a baseline study of services for older people carried out on behalf of Moray Community Health and Social Care Partnership. It is provided as an example of linking service development to user and carer priorities.

Most of the time we measure our performance with "proxy" indicators, such as waiting times for a service, repeat admissions, turnover of services, volumes of provision, and so on. However, the only real way of knowing if we are providing the right services, in the right way, at the right time, is to ask those who use services, and those who might require services, for their views.

Many partnerships will seek the views of users and carers, but often this is through ad hoc or informal mechanisms or feedback via the service provider. Consultation with service users is usually at its most intense when there are proposals to change service provision. For example, closure of a care home or creation of a new day service, or changing the functions of a community hospital.

In addition to the above, Moray Community Health and Social Care Partnership has undertaken a baseline study to gain a picture of how their services are perceived – focusing on services for older people. A brief for the study was prepared and a tender exercise carried out. Craigforth, one of Scotland's social research and management consultancies, was commissioned to carry out the study.

Aim

The aim of the research was to ascertain how the quality and effectiveness of services was perceived by the public, customers, patients, and carers. It related to services provided directly by NHS Grampian and the Moray Council, and those commissioned by the local partnership from the voluntary and private sectors. Existing views and priorities for the future were considered in order to help plan and improve services effectively.

The research findings were intended to provide a baseline of service user satisfaction levels, from which future satisfaction could be measured.

Objectives

The research objectives were to:

  1. Establish the public’s views on how services are currently provided;
  2. Identify areas of improvement to public access and service provision;
  3. Identify the public interest in the planning of services;
  4. Make recommendations for the methods of communicating and involving customers in the future; and
  5. Establish outcome measures that can be compared in two years' time.
Methodology

A mix of quantitative and qualitative research methods were used, including postal self-completion questionnaire surveys that were used to recruit people who were interested in contributing to further detailed, qualitative research. Focus groups with commissioners and service providers were also held. Further detail about the study method is available in the report, which you can download from this website.

Conclusions and recommendations

Overall levels of satisfaction with care and support services, with hospital services, and with GP services were all very high. However, there were important differences in the satisfaction levels for different groups, with carers the least satisfied. Important recommendations included the need to address identified service gaps, and to identify ways to encourage service users and carers to come forward with their problems and concerns. Ensuring that carers are involved in the assessment and delivery of services was another recommendation.

You can read all of the conclusions and recommendations by downloading the report. They relate to the following areas:

  • Client Confidentiality and Data Protection.
  • Finding out about and accessing services.
  • Satisfaction with services used.
  • Problem handling (Care and Support Package).
  • Support for Carers.
  • Future Service Users (50s and over).
  • Future Customer Communication and Involvement.
  • Outcome Indicators.

You can download a copy of the full report here.

For more information about this study, you can contact Sally Chisholm, Head of Community Care, Moray Health and Social Care Partnership: sally.chisholm@moray.gov.uk