‘Initiating a Health Trainer Service’ Development of Health Trainers in Hampshire

1. ‘Initiating a Health Trainer Service’Development of Health Trainers in Hampshire Lee Dawson Health Trainer Lead Hampshire PCT

2. Background • Involved with the development of HTs since ‘Prototype’ phase with Mid Hampshire PCT • Hampshire PCT – inherited some services (Monitored these and felt they were not delivering) • Early ’08 - Started work on providing ‘options’ paper for Hampshire HTs and funding confirmed… this is where my story begins!

3. Aims of session (or ‘what you have to sit through for the next 15 mins?’) • My mission today is to explain how we initiated/developed (quickly!) the ‘new’ HT service in Hampshire • Caveat – by no means textbook approach but there have been learning experiences that I can share

4. Options Paper • PCT management needed to know where we were with things (already working with Hampshire Probation and Winchester Prison) • Opportunity to take a step back – review things from the ‘new world’ perspective once the dust had settled from reorganisation • Start point – what were other PCT’s doing (especially our close neighbours)

5. Options Paper • Selling pitch – how could Health Trainer Service address PCT priorities • Was clear about Expected Outcomes (included building workforce with the right skills in place to tackle health inequalities, reaching the ‘hard to reach’ and providing access to and encouraging the appropriate use and uptake of NHS and other local services) • Costs • Quality assurance and Governance • Next Steps and recommendations

6. 3 Different Models • Portsmouth – tender and contract out to an organisation to deliver the whole thing • Southampton – employ HTs directly and deliver the service within the PCT • IOW – contracts / Service Level Agreements with several providers (and a little bit of direct employment through the PCT

7. Pro’s and Con’s • Went through a process of assessing the pro’s and con’s of each approach • Timescale precluded from finding one organisation + would they have the local knowledge (Hampshire-wide)

8. Decision… • Commission organisations to deliver • Focus on target area’s Gosport, Havant and Rushmoor • Link into the Vascular Inequalities programme (added early but not at beginning) • Need a Programme Coordinator • Need to start as soon as possible (September/October at latest)

9. Key Tasks • Recruit and employ a coordinator • Develop Training Programme • Identify, engage and recruit providers • Develop Service Specification • Recruit Health Trainers • There were significant risks attached to the approach within the time-frame

10. Project Management • GANNT Charts and planning – lots of overlapping tasks • Different stages in recruiting providers (knock-on effects) • What happened had little resemblance to the initial planning chart sequence • Ignored the ever changing GANNT Chart at one stage and through caution to the wind, relying on luck and intuition

12. Lessons Learnt • Be realistic about time-frames • Allow lead in time to develop a service specification and be clear about what you want the service to deliver then avoid add-ons if possible • Get a coordinator in place as soon as possible (to start planning HT development and delivery) • Sharing is invaluable – don’t be precious, beg, borrow (but don’t steal)

13. Thanks for listening! Lee Dawson 023 80627644 email: lee.dawson@ hampshirepct.nhs.uk or Claire McLeod (HT Programme Coordinator) 023 80627648 email: claire.mcleod@hampshirepct.nhs.uk