Implementing Telecare
Clarify vision and expected outcomes

Having a clear outcomes focus for a project helps to turn a broad idea or vision into practical plans that can change practice. All projects compete for resources and those with a clear strategic vision and plan of action are more likely to secure them, especially if they aim to achieve outcomes which stakeholders’ value.

A project’s strategy sets out the vision for the project, the outcomes it intends to achieve and how this will be done. It links the project to the wider context, and especially to the interests of powerful stakeholders – and to the wider strategic goals of the partnership. Any project is at risk of spreading its resources over too many targets: a clear strategy enables those leading the project to decide where to focus resources to support the successful delivery of the project. A strategy states what services the project will deliver and to which target groups. It enables the project team to give a confident answer to the valid question - ‘why are we doing this?’. Is it, for example, to:

  • Provide better quality of services for prioritised population groups?
  • Lower service costs by introducing reliable and efficient operating processes?
  • Improve staff satisfaction by making their work more interesting?

Considering this helps service managers to avoid making decisions driven by fashion. The technical possibilities of telecare are vast, and there is a danger of seeking the newest “gadgets” for their own sake. A sense of strategic direction provides a coherent framework within which to discuss project choices, and prioritise areas of service development and activity.

In conclusion

Developing a telecare strategy will help the project team to:

  • secure and retain senior management support
  • communicate with stakeholders
  • set clear outcomes and measures of success for project stages
  • create a project plan
  • design an approach to monitoring and evaluation of outcomes.

It is important to note that the strategy does not need to be a lengthy, published document.

Tool 4 – Clarifying vision and expected outcomes exercise

This activity can be used to focus the project team’s thinking.

Activity guidance - Part A

  1. Write the name of your Telecare project on a ‘post-it note’, and then ask ‘why are we doing this?’ Begin your answers (there may be three or four) with the phrase ‘in order to …’
  2. Write each answer on another ‘post-it note’, and place it above the one with the name of the project.
  3. Repeat the process for each of your answers - ask ‘why?’, and answer with ‘in order to …’ Use a new post it note for each – and place them above the first level of post-its.
  4. Continue this for a few minutes – until you have built up three or four levels of questions and answers: by then you should have a number of broad, long-term outcomes which the project can serve. You will need to re-arrange your chart a few times until it makes sense. See an example below.
  5. If possible, share your chart with several key stakeholders and produce an agreed network (or hierarchy) of the outcomes you expect the Telecare project to deliver.

View an example chart.

Activity guidance - Part B

  1. Refer to your stakeholder analysis (Tool 2) and recall the interests of your most significant stakeholders – including senior management and elected members.
  2. Write down the interests of these stakeholders, and show how the outcomes you have identified for the Telecare project will support their interests – including the partnership’s strategic aims. If the outcomes you have identified for telecare do not appear to be supportive of your key stakeholder’s interests, you should revisit the outcomes you have identified to ensure synergy between the two.
  3. The output from this exercise will be a list of agreed strategic outcomes for your local telecare project and enable the formulation of an overall vision statement.
  4. You can then use this information to secure and maintain senior management buy-in to the project, through the development of a local Telecare Strategy and Implementation Plan.

Practice examples and further information

Links to examples of related documents produced by telecare partnerships from across Scotland and the UK and further information can be found in the Telecare Resource Bank. These include:-

  • National Telecare Strategy (JIT)
  • Edinburgh Telecare Strategy
  • Fife Telecare Strategy
  • Inverclyde Telecare Strategy
  • Highland Telecare Strategy
  • Argyll and Bute Telecare Strategy
  • Orkney Telecare Strategy

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