What is the challenge your project is going to address and how does it connect to your chosen theme?

We are looking to establish a framework to support and increase students studying away from home to register with a local GP. Currently there seems to be no evidence of a joint up approach, and the recent increase in mental health issues and suicide around HE requires many different areas to be involved. This will aim to improve the overall population health in this cohort and enable the right care to be accessed at the right time for any healthcare needs. There seems to be an increase in calls to 111 that is in direct correlation to the start of term time. Using an approach similar to previous national work around Falls ran by NHS Horizons and the Ambulance sector ProjectA team, we would want to involve all parties to look at improving awareness of how and when to access services, more than just the current fresher’s week. We can measure against students registered in previous years. and being a national initiative we can share work and try QI PDSA methods for quicker results.

What does your project aim to achieve?

The aim is to bring together all the partners that are currently working with this population. To co-design a consistent framework across UK locations. There will be different local changes, but there should be a robust network to support these patients in times of need of access to healthcare. At present the only focus seems to come at Fresher’s weeks, and after this the use of healthcare services can be sometimes complicated. Alongside GP care, having a framework will encourage joined up access to things such as mental health services. Unfortunately there has been more and very recent news regarding an increase in suicide/mental and emotional crisis from this cohort. Having all the relevant stakeholders engaged can only produce a better outcome for all. The measure will be how many students have registered with GP’s, and also a measure of calls to 111 that may have been more suited to a different service. Also students and families need to be involved to ensure compassionate care.

How will the project be delivered?

Recently relevant stakeholders were brought together for four separate collaboration days, by Helen Beven and the NHS horizons team through ProjectA, with support from leaders in improvement across all Ambulance Trusts, including critical friends. Due to this approach we were able to co-design an approach to Falls, Mental Health, Wellbeing and finally a QI network. There is now a framework for Falls that will be implemented nationally. This was only possible by the innovative approach to the day and the proposal is to do the same with this topic. We have had already had discussions with MH leads, GP surgeries and Universities, and there is a definite appetite to want to do more at brining everyone together. We intend to come away with a testable framework that can have QI methodology applied immediately.

What and how is your project going to share learning throughout?

The potential is of new ways of working and sharing, opening up and creating new networks that otherwise would still sit in silos. These partners all have the same goal of improving the compassionate care we deliver, so it has to be sensible to bring these experts together. Too long have we tried to work as individual organisations, unknowingly pulling in slightly different directions. We need to work smarter and not harder, and by taking this one opportunity to build this collaboration will open up more areas for improvement, or at the very least initially reduce waste of duplication of resource. It is a much the principal of the proposed project as well as the outcome. The Ambulance Q network has been supported and is now starting to work in this way and the potential is very exciting.