COMMITTED

TO DEVELOPING EXCELLENCE
IN PRIMARY CARE

COMMITTED

TO DEVELOPING EXCELLENCE
IN PRIMARY CARE

COMMITTED

TO DEVELOPING EXCELLENCE
IN PRIMARY CARE

Resources

Welcome to Our Resources Hub

Welcome to our resources hub! Here, you’ll find valuable tools and insights to support your healthcare organisation. Whether you’re planning strategies, engaging stakeholders, or optimising operations, these resources are designed to help you achieve your goals.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

We understand that healthcare planning and operations can feel overwhelming. To support you, we’ve compiled answers to common questions about our services. These FAQs cover topics

Estates Strategy Development
  • What is an estates strategy, and why is it important?
    An estates strategy outlines how your healthcare facilities support clinical objectives and long-term goals. It ensures resources are used effectively to deliver quality care.

  • How do I know if my current estate is underperforming?
    Indicators include inefficiencies, underutilised spaces, or facilities that no longer meet patient or operational needs. A strategic review can identify gaps and opportunities.

  • What steps are involved in developing an estates strategy?
    Key steps include assessing current facilities, engaging stakeholders, evaluating options, and creating a clear plan aligned with your objectives.

Bid Writing and Procurement Support
  • How can I make my NHS bid stand out?
    Focus on a clear clinical model, strong evidence of success, and aligning your bid with commissioner priorities. Tailor your approach to meet the specific requirements of the tender.

  • What types of bids can The Primary Care Partnership support?
    We assist with NHS service bids, APMS contracts, and other procurement opportunities in primary and community care.

  • Can you help with specific sections of a bid, or only full submissions?
    We can support the entire bid process or assist with specific aspects, such as reviewing responses or completing financial templates.

Organisational Development
  • What is the difference between organisational development and business planning?
    Organisational development focuses on improving operations, communication, culture, and working practices. Business planning is more about setting strategic goals and growth plans.

  • How can organisational development improve patient outcomes?
    By fostering effective leadership, streamlined operations, and engaged teams, organisational development creates a strong foundation for delivering quality care.

  • What types of support do you offer for organisational development?
    Our services include benchmarking, risk assessments, staff training, and facilitating time-outs to reflect and strategise.

A Quick Guide to Health Needs Assessment

Health Needs Assessments: A Foundation for Informed Strategies

A health needs assessment (HNA) is an essential tool for understanding your population’s health priorities. This guide explains how to gather and use data effectively. By following the steps outlined, you can create strategies that address specific needs and improve outcomes. Explore the guide to learn how HNAs can also support estates planning and service development.

1 Getting started
Levels of Assessment

A health needs assessment can be conducted at three key levels:

    1. Population-Level: Examines the overall health needs of the entire practice population or community using population health data to identify trends and priorities.
    2. Specific Client Groups: Focuses on the needs of particular groups, such as older adults, children, or underserved populations.
    3. Disease or Intervention-Specific: Evaluates how well the needs for a specific condition or intervention, such as diabetes care or stroke prevention, are being met.

These levels often overlap. For example, a population-level assessment may highlight specific health challenges that require further exploration, such as mental health needs in young adults. Similarly, a disease-specific focus may reveal broader trends in population health.

 


Building Your Team

An HNA is most effective when conducted as a collaborative effort. By involving colleagues from different professions or organisations, you can ensure the process is comprehensive and grounded in diverse perspectives. Teams of 3 to 6 members often work well and might include a GP, nurse, manager, administrative staff, and information analysts.

For community-focused HNAs, including colleagues from social care or community services can enhance your understanding of local population health data and social determinants of health. Ensure all team members are committed to using the results to drive meaningful improvements in services and care delivery.

 


Time and Resources

HNAs require time but are a cost-effective way to improve services and enhance job satisfaction. Be realistic about the time and resources your team can dedicate. If resources are limited, consider focusing on a single client group or condition.

Setting aside protected time and a small budget—for materials, surveys, or training—can streamline the process. Population health data from existing sources, such as national statistics or local health observatories, can also save time and provide valuable context for your assessment.

 


Gathering Information

Collecting and analysing the right data is critical to a successful HNA. Keep the following in mind:

  • Use population health data to identify trends and validate findings.
  • Balance quantitative data (e.g., disease prevalence rates) with qualitative data (e.g., patient experiences) for a fuller picture of health needs.
  • Focus on data that directly informs your goals and avoid collecting unnecessary or irrelevant information.

Data can come from multiple sources, including:

  • Existing Data: Practice records, ICB data, and national statistics from platforms like NHS Digital or Public Health England.
  • New Data Collection: Surveys, interviews, or focus groups designed specifically for your HNA.

Using population health data in combination with targeted data collection ensures your HNA provides actionable insights. Choose methods that are practical for your team’s time and resources.

 

2 Approaching Data Analysis to Inform Your Service

1. Define Metrics That Matter

Start by identifying the key questions your data should answer. Focus on metrics that provide actionable insights into health needs and service priorities. Avoid including data that adds complexity without value—it’s better to have fewer, meaningful metrics than overwhelming noise.

2. Organise Your Data

Group your data into clear categories to make analysis manageable and meaningful. For example, if assessing older adults’ needs, consider categories like:

  • Demographic and social information.
  • Secondary care usage.
  • Primary care resource utilisation.
  • Patient perceptions and priorities.

This structure is particularly useful when working with large amounts of qualitative data.

3. Present Quantitative Data Clearly

To make data easy to interpret and actionable:

  • Show totals to provide a snapshot of scale.
  • Use percentages to highlight proportions.
  • Include rates for comparisons, such as per 100 or per 1,000 patients.

For instance, instead of listing raw numbers, say: “25% of all consultations were for children under 15, and 96 out of every 100 children consulted their doctor at least once last year.”

4. Keep Visuals Simple and Effective

Simple charts, like bar graphs, are often enough to convey key points and start discussions. Avoid over-complicating with advanced statistical techniques unless necessary.

5. Provide Context and Comparisons

Set your data in context by comparing it with relevant benchmarks, such as district or national figures. This helps identify trends and gaps in care that your service can address.

6. Focus on Clarity and Relevance

Your goal is to produce information that’s easy to understand and directly supports decision-making. Use plain language and avoid overloading your audience with unnecessary detail.

3 Turning Insights Into Action: Linking Health Needs to Strategy

As you collect and analyse health needs data, your understanding of the key issues to address will evolve. You may also begin identifying potential solutions to the challenges that emerge. Translating these insights into actionable priorities is a critical step in driving meaningful change.

Setting Priorities and Evaluating Solutions
How you prioritise and take action will depend on your initial goals and the culture within your organisation. To evaluate proposed changes, establish a clear set of criteria, such as:

  • Health Benefits: What improvements will this change deliver for patients?
  • Cost Effectiveness: Are the financial resources required justifiable?
  • Feasibility: Can the change realistically be achieved given current circumstances?

It’s essential to align your priorities with those of your patients and the local community. Their support can be vital, particularly if your health needs assessment feeds into a business case for new premises, service extensions, or funding bids.

Developing a SMART Action Plan
To move forward effectively, create a structured action plan using the SMART framework:

  • Specific: Clearly define your goals.
  • Measurable: Include targets to track progress.
  • Attainable: Ensure the objectives are realistic within your resources.
  • Relevant: Focus on changes that align with identified health needs.
  • Timely: Set achievable deadlines to maintain momentum.

Describe the outcomes you aim to achieve, quantifying them where possible. Even qualitative outcomes, such as improvements in patient satisfaction, should be framed with clear, measurable indicators.

Assigning Leadership and Resources
Each action should have a designated lead and a clear plan for securing the necessary resources. Collaboration with local providers can also enhance your plan’s impact and ensure alignment with broader health and social care strategies.

Integrating Insights Into Broader Strategies
Your action plan can support or complement other strategic efforts, including:

  • Estates Strategies: Use health needs data to inform decisions about premises development or optimisation.
  • Bids and Business Cases: Demonstrate how your plan addresses identified health needs to strengthen funding applications.
  • Stakeholder Engagement: Align your priorities with those of patients, commissioners, and the wider community.

By linking your health needs assessment to actionable strategies and measurable outcomes, you create a roadmap for driving health improvements and delivering real value to your population.

4 Auditing Your Progress: Measuring Impact and Driving Continuous Improvement

A health needs assessment aims to optimise resources and enhance patient care. To ensure the changes you implement are effective, it’s essential to set regular review dates and audit your progress. This step helps you measure success and identify areas for further improvement.

Quantifying Outcomes
Your audit should include a quantitative analysis of the outcomes you set during the planning phase. Use measurable indicators to track progress and assess whether your goals are being met. For example, if your aim was to reduce hospital admissions for a specific condition, review data to see how rates have changed over time.

The Audit Cycle
Auditing is a continuous process, often requiring you to revisit earlier steps to refine your approach. The traditional audit cycle can guide this process:

  1. Review and Define Standards: Revisit the benchmarks or goals set in your action plan.
  2. Collect Data: Gather relevant information to evaluate progress.
  3. Compare Against Standards: Assess how current performance aligns with your original objectives.
  4. Implement Changes: Use the findings to refine your strategy and make improvements.

Revisiting the Process
After completing an audit, you may need to return to earlier steps in the HNA process to address gaps or new priorities. This ensures a dynamic, responsive approach that evolves with your population’s needs.

Embedding Continuous Improvement
By auditing your progress regularly, you create a feedback loop that drives ongoing service improvements. This process not only demonstrates accountability but also strengthens your ability to adapt to changing circumstances and deliver better outcomes for patients.