Our Idea

The Integrated Musculoskeletal Service (IMSK) will provide a new integrated model of care with a focus on prevention and early intervention embodying a culture of health promotion and wellness taking a holistic approach to patient needs.

A major challenge to this approach is that organisations historically operate within silos. The new service has been commissioned in an integrated manner to address this.  With support from the Peer Coordinator, the Peer supporters would move in a fluid manner between all aspects of statutory services, third sector and community assets in order to ensure that the patient experience is optimised. Peer Supporters with ‘lived experience’, will bring credibility to service delivery supporting shared decision making at various junctures of the pathway. 

In preparation, we have created a Third Sector Alliance with key partners with whom we will collaborate and deliver care. We have delivered a workshop and gained the commitment and support of all partners. We have agreed a shared approach and devised an action plan which will be recovery focussed. It is apparent that services may default into traditional pathways which may exclude the significant benefits of authentic collaboration with third sector and those with lived experience. This project will aim to address this in a tangible manner, promoting a model of co-production.

Our proposal

We want to create a Peer Coordinator role to recruit a small team of voluntary peer supporters who will work across organisational boundaries to ensure that there is seamless transition from one aspect of care / intervention to another. The Coordinator and peer supporters will promote and provide the linkage between agencies and endorse a person centred approach to health and wellbeing. The peer supporters will utilise the evidence based actions of the 5 ways to wellbeing ( NEF) and engage with individuals to maintain associated goals through bespoke behavioural strategies relating to the recovery model. The peer supporters will continue to communicate with the person on a regular basis to maintain engagement and identify self-management techniques.

Lancashire Care Foundation Trust will train the coordinator and peer supporters via its training academy to ensure that they are equipped to guide the individual and contributors along the support and recovery pathways. We will also ensure that there is access to shared training opportunities with partner organisations in order to utilise the community assets. The Peer Coordinator will recruit specific peer supporters with lived experience of each of the components of the service-Rheumatology, Persistent Musculoskeletal Pain Management and ME/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome to support our focus on patient empowerment and shared decision making with patients, changing from ‘What is the matter?’ to ‘What matters to you?’

The peer supporters will become an integral part of the whole service operating as bridging agents between all elements of care and support ( see diagram )

The benefits we hope to achieve.

The recruitment of a Peer coordinator and Peer Supporters will promote true integration across the service. Peer supporters will help devise person centred support plans, which will be able to demonstrate measurable health and social gains via a bio psychosocial approach.

The IMSK Service will utilise the IGRO star, which is a solution-focussed approach. The Peer Coordinator and peer supporters will be trained in the use of these specific measurable scoring tools and approaches.  Patients will experience a consistent approach during interactions with the service and have a better understanding of self-management techniques leading to increased measurable outcomes.

We are expecting to see improvements in friends and family scores, compliments to the service and a reduction in complaints. These metrics alongside outcome measurement tools are measurable.  

This approach will also support our aim to ensure patients are cared for in the right place at the right time and access support beyond statutory services

Benefits we expect for the Q community.

Our Coordinator and Peer Support Model will be a significant adjunct to our voluntary support systems and self-management approach. This will create a model of peer support which can be adapted and shared with the Q community.  A range of tools will also be shared with Q members. The solution-focused approach can also complement existing models and optimise recovery. We will also share our lessons learned via our process and our learning can be  incorporated into similar projects elsewhere. This will provide a tangible model, which can be ported as best practice in other areas where similar challenges are encountered