What is the challenge your project is going to address and how does it connect to the theme of 'How can improvement be used to reduce delays accessing health and care services'?

Multiple professions can have input to MSK conditions in children, which often results in duplicate referrals for the same condition – potentially leading to 3 assessment appointments across 3 professions and 3 treatment plans.

Within the Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) community, MSK conditions, such as tip-toe walking, is a common occurrence, however, being brought into a clinical setting can trigger the child’s anxieties and impact on the assessment process.  Where a diagnosis is made, little more can be added to the treatment plan provided by other professions.  This resource will provide information for children and their parents/carers on how to identify the reason for tip-toe walking and provide information on home management without duplication of referral.

This resource will be instantly provided on request and accessed as often as needed, with an option of linking in with Encompass (new digital integrated care record), and act as a proof of concept for other similar conditions.

What does your project aim to achieve?

This proof of concept project will aim to achieve the benefit of animated educational resources in the treatment of a range of MSK conditions, including what they are, why they happen and how to manage them. Furthermore, signposting to when and where to seek professional help/ input.

This will

1.   Reduce demand on services, by providing a care package deliverable by parents/ carers/ the child.

2.   Reduce multiple referrals over multiple professions.

3.   Unify the education and advice given for this condition bringing the strengths of each profession’s treatment philosophies under one resource.

4.   Provide timely access without impacting school or work attendance at a face to face appointment with a clinical specialist located up to 30 miles away.

5.   Providing resources for non-specialist clinicians to utilise.

The multi-professional project group will use improvement methodology to identify similar areas where similar resources may support reduction in anxiety, waiting lists, and deliver advice at point of need.

How will the project be delivered?

Using co-production and co-design, the team will work with:

• ASD services
• Podiatry
• Physiotherapy
• Occupational therapy
• Paediatrician
• Parents/ carers & children who tip-toe walked
• Audio-visual support
• Informatics

Based on information provided, a story board will be devised and developed into an animated short video lasting 3-5 minutes covering the details previously identified.  Funding will provide professionally developed content, making sure it will deliver the message in an engaging way.

Measures

• Outcome measure – The number of referrals sent through to multiple teams
• Process – How many times clinicians have shared the resource
• Process – How many views the resource has had
• Balancing – How many times the child has required further specialist input.
• Balancing – Inappropriate referrals
• Balancing – No. of times resouce issued: No. of times seen in person for this cohort

How is your project going to share learning?

This project will identify the impact that short, condition specific, education videos can have on public health. Additionally it will identify if increasing resources aimed at educating children in school has a positive impact on improving population health in general and if an AHP package linking in with the teaching curriculum could further bolster the outcomes of this project.