Tools, Techniques & Templates

During our time within the industry we have developed many tools and techniques and this website provides us with the opportunity to share some of them with fellow industry experts.  We hope they will be of use to you.

The Assessment Tool

Introduction

Management arrangements for the Allied Health Professions (AHP’s) often lack consistency and clarity as they do not comfortably ‘fit’ organisational structures within trusts. We present our assessment tool (Table 2) for use in evaluating AHP management and organisational structures in the context of quality, effective, efficient and economical service provision. We believe that the proposed Tool is unique in that it can be used to evaluate a wide range of management functions of AHP services.

The Tool has been constructed using evidence-based information from our combined research spanning two decades, which has provided a valuable and rich source of data on AHP managers’ roles, responsibilities and duties, together with the views of post holders regarding the management and organisational structures in which they work. Our research has also included comprehensive literature reviews and investigation of organisational models internationally. Our assessment tool has been developed primarily to assess AHP structures; it is designed to be transferable to a range of health systems worldwide; it has been reviewed by AHP colleagues in the UK and Ireland.

The Tool assesses AHP management structures under 10 management Domains which were identified from our research. The 10 Domains are:

  1. Strategic Management
  2. Clinical Governance
  3. Human Resource Management
  4. Clinical/Professional Requirements
  5. Operational/Service Management
  6. Resource Management
  7. Information Management
  8. Education
  9. Commissioning
  10. Service Improvement/Modernisation

The Domains are not listed in any particular priority order.

Application of the Tool

The Tool may be used in two ways. Firstly, the current AHP service is assessed using the scoring sheet. Each management Domain has several sub-domains or Elements which are scored individually using a `traffic light’ scoring mechanism.

When all the Elements of the Domain have been traffic light scored, comments and conclusions are recorded. All 10 Domains are assessed in this way.

On completion of the scoring the results are analysed, enabling AHP managers to determine strengths and weaknesses of the current management and organisational arrangements, how structure impacts on this and importantly, how the existing management arrangements facilitate or impede the AHP services in providing high-quality, responsive patient care. This enables managers to determine which Domains of the service:

  • function as near as possible to optimal levels (green traffic lights)
  • function less satisfactorily (amber traffic lights)
  • function unsatisfactorily (red traffic lights).

If there is an initiative within an organisation to review or change management structures, the AHP manager can use the Tool to score the 10 Domains and individual Elements to assess the likely impact on the service organisation and stakeholders. A comparison between the existing and proposed management structures would then be possible, enabling conclusions to be drawn and constructive dialogue to take place with senior trust managers and commissioners about the likely advantages and disadvantages of the proposed new arrangements.

Scoring system: assessment Tool for AHP management models

We have designed the Tool to assess strengths and weakness of different management models. It can be used to assess management arrangements already in place and proposals for new arrangements. The two management models (existing system and proposed new system) may then be compared.

The assessment Tool is constructed in tabular form using a separate box for each Domain (Table 1), which illustrates a completed example assessment template for one Domain). Each Domain is numbered: for example, Domain 1 – Strategic Management, Domain 2 – Clinical Governance and so on. The Elements within each Domain are also numbered, with space for comments to be recorded if desired. A Green, Amber or Red score is allocated as appropriate and totalled at the end of each Domain. Following this there are text boxes for comments and conclusions about the Domain.

The assessment Tool is appropriate for evaluating both individual AHP services – unidisciplinary – and clusters of AHP services where these are managed as one large grouping. There are 10 management Domains, under which the Elements are listed. Not all elements will apply to all services, and therefore these may be left unmarked. Some Elements apply to more than one Domain, for example, workforce planning which appears in more than one Domain.

Example

Domain 1 comprises 10 Elements. The traffic light scoring system is completed where:

  • Red = No, unable to fulfill this function, unsatisfactory (<25%)
  • Amber = Only partially able to fulfill this function
  • Green = Yes, able to fulfill this function, satisfactory (>80%)

Comments are made in the element boxes, traffic light scores are totalled, then comments and an overall conclusion about the satisfactoriness or otherwise of the Domain are entered in the box at the end of the Domain. We recommend that a separate assessment proforma is used to evaluate each possible or proposed management model.

Conclusion

Our overarching objective in developing this assessment Tool has been to ensure – as far as possible – that AHP management arrangements, structures and service organisation are focused on infrastructures that facilitate and support provision of the best possible outcomes for our patients, the service providers themselves and the organisations in which they work.

Change is constant in the NHS and it is essential that we contribute proactively to the process in order to improve services without compromising the legitimate goals of those providing the services, ensuring as best we can that any changes proposed are in the best interests of patient care, are successful and good value for money.

There is no simple `right’ or `one way’ of configuring AHP services; however, it is intended that the assessment Tool will be helpful to those AHP managers and others to evaluate their current services or proposed restructuring and changes. So often we hear of restructuring which takes place without proper consideration of the likely advantages and disadvantages, or put forward on the basis of ‘politics’ or ‘ownership agendas’ of particular organisations or managers. Sometimes, this takes place without proper consideration of how services might be structured to provide optimum high-quality clinical outcomes, appropriate care pathways, patient flows, development for staff, economies of scale, ‘critical mass’, elimination of duplication, excellent communication and networking and many others. The assessment Tool incorporates a ‘big picture’ overview, it is evidence based, informed by research and detailed studies of the available literature and examination of a wide range of models – some in place, and some theoretical.

There are approximately 170 000 registrants in the professions within the remit of the Health Professions Council in the UK and a large number of support staff in a wide variety of roles (see chapter 1 of managing and Leading in the Allied Health Professions – Jones and Jenkins, 2006). This represents a very significant percentage of healthcare provision and use of resources. This workforce undertakes many millions of healthcare interventions and patient contacts every year. It is essential, therefore, that decisions about management arrangements, structures and organisation of these services are evaluated using a methodical approach. Our assessment Tool may be used to contribute to this process.

To download the Assessment Tool click here.

The Management Quality Matrix

Please follow the link here to find a copy of the Management Quality Matrix

The Benchmarking Toolkit

Please follow the link here to find a copy of the BenchmarkingToolkit

Key Elements in a Business Case

Different organisations may have their own templates for business case submission; however, if there is no set format the following is a useful guide.

Ensure essential information is included such as:  name of the organisation, name of the service, author(s), contact details and date.   Presentation is very important, as is the accuracy and relevance of the contents.

To download your own version of the Key Elements in a Business case template follow this link Key Elements in a Business Case.

Therapy Services Activity Sample Form

Download your own copy of the Therapy Services Activity Sample Form.

Personal Action Plan

Download your own version here Personal Action Plan.

Techniques for Generating Ideas

Download your own version here Techniques for Generating ideas.  Included in the Masterclass, Hamilton NZ March 2014 ‘Revamping your service for safe patient care Optimising your Resources’, to see the whole Masterclass presentation click here.

[color-box color = “blue”] You are welcome to use the tools, techniques and methodologies we have developed and published but we do ask that when you use them you they are fully referenced[/color-box]