Facilitating the Adoption and Uptake of a Primary Care Innovation

Client Challenge

Visions4Health was commissioned by the Accelerated Access Collaborative (AAC) to accelerate the uptake of a high-impact, early-stage innovation in cardiovascular health which was:

• On track to receive a NICE recommendation
• To be reimbursed through a novel funding mechanism
• Required a primary care delivery model to maximise the benefit to the population in England, at a time when primary care was seeing unprecedented demand for its services
• To be led locally by the Health Innovation Networks (HINs, formerly known as Academic Health Science Networks) who were responsible for system engagement and the development of a local plan to implement the innovation within the local lipid management pathway

Our Solution

Visions4Health worked in partnership with the AAC to develop an interactive PDF-based value communications toolkit for the HINs which would enable them to effectively engage with local system leaders. The toolkit included:

• The case for change – why this treatment area should be a priority for service transformation
• An implementation pathway for HINs to improve the outcomes of patients with CVD, particularly those in deprived areas with limited access to the NHS
• A clinical profile of the innovation
• A synopsis of funding options to support service transformation

Outcomes

• Visions4Health co-facilitated a series of 15 ‘roll-out webinars’ with each HIN cardiovascular project team. All webinars were well-attended and provided an opportunity for each HIN to share their ideas and concerns and ask any questions regarding the programme implementation
• Feedback from the HINs was overwhelmingly positive:
  “Can we have a toolkit like this for all our programmes”
  “Thank you, this will be really helpful”
• As a follow-on activity, Visions4Health was commissioned to develop a medicines optimisation pack to support decision-making by formulary committees. The pack was cascaded by NHS England to medicines optimisation leads and chief pharmacists