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4.15 The process: Sustaining and extending your IP initiative
In the 'first steps' section we looked at how to start planning the development of your IPs. Many project managers will want to start small, in areas where information is already being given to users and carers, then expand into other service areas. How do you go about sustaining what you have achieved so far and then expanding on it?
It may be helpful to think about this four box model.
1. Existing IP process/Existing Services
Box 1 describes an existing IP process that is part of an existing service. Think about possible improvements, and try to test them, before you consider expanding the IP process. You will need to be satisfied that the model is working efficiently and effectively – testing this with users and professionals. There is guidance in the 'involving people' section about methods such as surveys and focus groups that you might use to evaluate what you have done and consider success factors. Keep promoting IP to staff, partners, users and carers. They all need to understand and feel the benefits.
2. Existing IP Process/New Services
Are you ready or able to consider expanding the IP process into a new service area? This would mean repeating your approach, adapted on the basis of lessons you have learned, but working with different users, carers and professionals. When expanding into a new service you might find it useful to go back to the checklists in this resource to make sure you have thought about all the success factors and included them in your project plan. What else might need to be different this time around - in terms of sources and directories of information as well as different partners such as voluntary sector organisations with whom you may be working? Do you have a clinical champion who can persuade professionals in the new service to adopt IP? Expanding into a new service area is bound to carry some risks: discuss these with the people you will be working with and think about ways of reducing risks and making contingency plans.
3. New IP Process, Existing Services
You are already offering IPs to your service users but perhaps you believe there's an opportunity to do this differently. For example, you might feel the time is right to move from manual systems to electronic ones, or that you want to reach more widely into the community and establish a more 'whole system' approach. Once again, the sections of this resource about involving people and ensuring accessibility will help you to make sure that your proposed changes are really what people want and will produce a better service that meets their needs. The risks in this case are about the effects that changes to the process might have: you'll need to consider how you can measure improvements and adapt systems as appropriate. You will already have established staff networks, so feed back to them how the new IP process is going to improve things for users and carers.
4. New IP Process, New service
This is a bit like going back to the start, but with the advantage of all you have learned the first time. To be thinking about changing both process and service area, your first IP experience is likely to have been good, but perhaps your research has convinced you that the different users in the new area have different information needs and preferences.
Wherever you are in the boxes, and whatever you are planning, ensure that staff are informed at all stages. Regular and meaningful engagement with all the staff involved is critical throughout the roll-out of a new system or approach. Update staff at training sessions, through staff networks and at formal and informal events. Don't be afraid to ask them to help you develop approaches and solve problems, and make it clear that you welcome their feedback.
This brings us to the end of this section of this resource. In the next section we look at what the pilot sites learned about how to promote IPs.
