Thursday 10 June 2010

Bits and bobs

Project Manager Today, June 2010

Interesting article on project to renovate Lincoln Centre for Performing Arts in New York – involving New York City Ballet and New York City Opera – had to fit around performances. Highlights the need for clear governance and decision-making (a number of committees focused on specific specialist areas which all had to escalate decisions for approval to an overarching committee so all decisions signed off in same place; need for constant, ongoing engagement with those affected to minimise disruption and to promote understanding of rationale behind decisions, and to enable shared decision making where possible)

Joseph Czarnecki includes an interesting comparison on PMBOK v PRINCE2

Henny Portman writes about avoiding PRINCE 2 In Name Only – must follow 7 principles of PRINCE2 to do properly – continued business justification; learn from experience; defined roles and responsibilities; manage by stages; manage by exception; focus on products; tailor to suit project environment.

Dante Peagler writes about the need for effective planned project handovers – so often, there is no formal handover and there is then a period where the new PM has to catch up and may not pick up on the tacit knowledge. Need to allow enough time, ensure project documentation is up to date, introduce new PM to key stakeholders, work in parallel if possible, make transition dates clear.

HSJ 27/5/10

Interesting article on risk modelling - which includes mention of PARR and West Mids BUPA solution – and growing use of virtual wards to avoid A&E admissions. Now looking into social care applications – identifying elderly people who are at risk of losing independence through ageing/ill health. 80% of PCTs estimated to be using predictive modelling. Different approaches to virtual wards – nurse-led with GPs becoming involved as required (Croydon), dedicated virtual ward doctors (Wandsworth); general practice led (Devon); virtual discharge ward running predictive model on inpatients and offering those at high risk of readmission 30 days of support (Toronto). NHS Devon now looking to commission a front end – including dashboards – to help manage their GP led service.

Also supplement on Health Intelligence focusing on PHOs. Outlines following challenges:

  • smarter management of multiple data sources
  • helping local users understand and use health intelligence in decision making
  • intelligible health information for informed consumers
  • more intelligent approach to real time data
  • filling persistent gaps – new health and quality measures and reliable population-based registers
  • better sharing of health and local authority data
  • better grip on measuring the whole pathway of intervention.

Talks about the tension between needing data quickly or needing assurance that data is clean – (reminds me of usefulness = validity x relevance/work). Also talks about role of PHOs e.g. production of annual health profiles, and topic-themed PHOs e.g. obesity, injury, child and maternal health. NWPHO has alcohol profiles which are being used across the NHS. London PHO has developed health inequality tools – smoking cessation, statin prescribing, antihypertensive prescribing, controlling high blood sugar in people with diabetes, interventions to reduce infant mortality. Also considers how PHOs support WCC showing example of Y&H’s SPOT tool, to help prioritise investment and disinvestment. Also mentions the SHAPE (Strategic Health Asset Planning and Evaluation) toolkit to inform strategic planning of services and physical assets. Nice to see mention of NLPH.

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