Power Up Passion Projects

Power Up Passion Projects

Translating continuing professional development into action

 

The GPs at the Deep End Bristol network in collaboration with the BNSSG Integrated Care Board and the CATCH (Communities Acting Together for Climate and Health) programme has created Power Up Passion Projects.

Healthcare professionals working in areas of high deprivation see widening health inequalities and speak passionately about improvements they would like to see.  The Power Up Passion projects will give time and funding for healthcare professionals to study an area of interest to them and translate this learning into action to improve their practice and patient health.  The projects are an exciting opportunity to improve a) patient health b) staff health and wellbeing or c) staff recruitment and retention.  The CATCH programme will support practices where needed to partner with local voluntary, community and social enterprise (VCSE) organisations to help facilitate this action.

All Deep End practices in BNSSG are eligible to apply for a grant of £3,000 to £6000. For details of how to apply, see below.

 

Examples of potential projects

Increasing physical activity

  • Why: Increasing physical activity, even small amounts, is associated with important health benefits and disease prevention.  Increased exercised is associated with a reduced risk of developing heart disease, stroke, dementia, diabetes, and some cancers by >30%.  There are also green benefits – healthier populations need less medicine (lower carbon), increasingly walk & cycle (lower carbon) and are more resilient to extreme weather events.

 

  • How:
    1. One GP and one long-term condition nurse undertake the Moving Medicine online course which teaches clinicians how to have quick, effective, and positive conversations that encourage patients to do more physical activity.
    2. The GP and nurse connect with four local exercise providers e.g. a local gym providing exercise on referral scheme, a low-cost dance class, a judo class for children and a seated exercise class for older patients. Referral processes are streamlined e.g. SMS patient texts are developed with details of how patients can self-refer.
    3. The GP and nurse advertise the local exercise provider options on waiting room TV screens.
    4. The GP and nurse email + give a presentation to wider practice team (inc. social prescribers) to share learning and details of local exercise provision and how to refer. Local exercise providers also attend and give updates in future to keep exercise fresh in clinicians’ minds.
    5. Free exercise taster session for staff so they can see the benefits for themselves.
    6. The practice applies for RCGP Active Practice status.

 

  • Measurement: Practice tracks referrals via EMIS code ‘Referral to Physical Activity Programme’ and collects feedback from healthcare professionals and patients.

 

  • Cost (£3150 total):
    • £1550 for course fee & paid time (£35/hour) for GP and nurse to do online course.
    • £1400 for 40 hours paid time (£35/hour) for GP and nurse (20 hours each) to connect with local exercise providers, develop resources and prepare presentation.
    • £200 for one local exercise provider to provide a free exercise taster session.

 

Vegetable box project for patients with type 2 diabetes

  • Why: Rates of type 2 diabetes are increasing and eating a healthy diet (high in plants and wholegrains and low in processed foods, fat, sugar, and salt) can help prevent, reverse, and improve control of this condition.  Eating a plant-rich diet has many other health benefits e.g. reduced risk of cardiovascular disease and cancer, as well as benefiting the planet as animal products tend to have a higher carbon impact.  Vegetable box prescription projects (one for diabetes and another for non-alcoholic fatty liver disease) have produced positive results in other parts of the UK.

 

  • How:
  1. One healthcare professional (HCP, e.g. GP, long-term condition nurse, health coach) undertakes the University of Winchester Plant-based Nutrition online course which looks at the evidence behind healthy diets and teaches clinicians how to incorporate evidence-based nutrition into routine clinical practice.
  2. The HCP creates healthy nutrition resources for patients e.g. TV screen posters, SMS text with links to resources.
  3. The HCP shares their learning and resources with the wider practice team via email and a presentation.
  4. The HCP work with social prescribing/health coach team to select 5 patients to receive a weekly veg box for 16 weeks. Inclusion criteria will be of a diagnosis of Type 2 Diabetes or Pre-Diabetes, low income, able to collect veg box in person each week and most importantly, a willingness to give it a go and make changes to their diet.  As well as collecting the box, the patients will receive a weekly email containing a recipe using the vegetables given that week.
  5. The social prescribing/health coach team to contact each patient every 2 weeks (phone or in-person) during the project to check in and provide health coaching.

 

  • Measurement: Measure patients’ HbA1c and weight at start and end of the project as well as recording their thoughts and feelings around engaging in the project.

 

  • Cost (£4960):
    • £1610 for course fee & paid time (£35/hour) for 1 healthcare professional to do course.
    • £1050 paid time (£35/hour) for HCP to develop resources, prepare presentation, select patients, and provide support for social prescribers/health coaching team (30 hours).
    • £700 paid time (£35/hour) for social prescribers/health coaches to provide each patient with 30 min check in every 2 weeks.
    • £1600 for weekly vegetable box for 16 weeks for 5 patients (£20/box/week)

 

 Improving trauma-informed care and patient access

  •  Why: One third of people have experienced significant trauma and healthcare professionals working in Deep End practices are more likely to encounter affected individuals.  Previous trauma can make it harder to access healthcare as often care environments can feel unwelcoming and threatening.  Educating staff on creating kinder, safer spaces (both physically and emotionally) and removing barriers to accessing healthcare will help GP practices to provide better trauma-informed care.  Helping patients access appropriate healthcare in a timely way aids disease prevention, improves continuity of care and minimises unnecessary investigations and unplanned hospital visits which saves healthcare money and carbon.

 

  • How:
  1. One GP and one practice manager undertake the free e-learning for health Trauma-Informed care online sessions and the Doctors of the World Safe Surgeries Training module.
  2. The GP and practice manager read around the subject and discuss it with community partners e.g. local drug and alcohol services who have experience in this field, patient participation groups, Caafi health.
  3. The GP and practice manager present to the wider practice team and share their learning including how to make consultations trauma-informed. The practice team discusses how to put this learning into action.
  4. The GP and practice manager implement the Safe Surgeries Toolkit to help patients access care and develop practice resources to provide more trauma-informed care.
  5. The practice team make changes to the waiting room to make it feel safer and more welcoming e.g. optimising layout, decluttering, adding plants and relaxing art e.g., mural.
  6. The practice seeks feedback from patients and community partners to find areas for further improvement.

 

  • Measurement: Survey of patients’ opinion of waiting room experience before and after changes.

 

  • Cost (£4650 total):
    • £1400 paid time (£35/hour) for GP and practice manager to complete the sessions and read around the subject (20 hours each).
    • £1750 paid time (£35/hour) for GP + practice manager to connect with community partners, patient-participation group, prepare presentation + develop resources (25 hours each).
    • £1500 for resources to make the waiting room more trauma informed e.g. plants, art, screens etc.

How to apply

All Deep End practices in BNSSG are eligible to apply for a Power Up Passion Project grant.  The size of the grant will depend on the project costings – guideline £3-6k.  On-costs are not included.

Practices will need to return the completed application form to deepend-gps-project@bristol.ac.uk by Monday 15th July to be considered for a grant.

Successful projects will then have half the funding released.  After completing their project, the practice will complete and return a short project report form and will receive the remaining funding.

 

Project criteria – essential

1. The project must have a named project lead.

2. At least one clinician must complete some form of CPD (Continuing Professional Development). Ideally two members of practice staff but this is not compulsory e.g., GP, nurse, pharmacist, reception staff.  Training more staff will create a team to drive change and disseminate the learning further.

3. The project must aim to share the CPD learning with the wider practice team.

4. The project must turn the learning from the CPD into action to improve one or more of the following:

    1. Patient health
    2. Staff health & wellbeing
    3. Staff recruitment/retention

5. The project must be achievable in 12 months.

6. The project must measure at least one aspect to track project impact (e.g. collecting feedback from patients and/or practice staff).

7. The project must consider its carbon impact. The climate crisis is a health crisis, and it will impact those with the least, the most.  Any healthcare interventions need to consider their carbon use and ideally aim to reduce it.

 

Project Criteria – Desirable

1. The project should aim to link with at least one local VCSE organisation to widen impact in the community.

2. The project should aim to improve wider determinants of health. Healthcare only contributes 10-20% to peoples’ health outcomes.  Other determinants of health include access to healthy food, physical activity and green space, safe housing and low air pollution.  Projects aiming to improve one or more of these areas will be given priority.

3. The project should focus on health creation and disease prevention. Rates of lifestyle related disease such as type 2 diabetes are increasing with devasting impacts on patient health and our healthcare system.  Prevention is better than cure so projects which focus on preventing illness and promoting healthy lifestyles will be given priority.