Report review: Realising the Value
Published by: Annie Finnis, Halima Khan and Johanna Ejbye of Nesta; Suzanne Wood of The Health Foundation and Don Redding, of National Voices
Published: November 2016
I’ve heard this Realising the Value report referred to recently primarily in terms of its potential to provide robust evidence of the benefits of people and communities working together in the health system. In particular they’ve undertaken economic modelling for five case studies and have managed to put quantities to the efficiency savings from peer support and self management education which is a great leap forward. And they’ve been careful not to estimate savings where there is insufficient evidence. So this report will be very useful for people trying to make the economic case.
In addition to drawing together the evidence base, Realising the Value has established new networks and created many public resources and tools for commissioners, practitioners and others trying to understand and value person- and community-centred ways. This report pulls together all the recommendations and practical steps for local areas to start working differently and these are outlined towards the end.
We are waking up to the fact that the roots of health and wellbeing lie not in our hospitals but in our communities.
Interestingly, they call for a stepped change with sensitive implementation which should make greater use of behavioural insights to increase effectiveness and uptake. They also touch on the need to consider the culture of the organisation and workforce therein. I would have liked a little more about this as culture can be so difficult to change but so necessary if these approaches are to be sustainable. And there is a stark call for more investment in growing the evidence base and continued learning by doing.
The report uses five interesting and different case studies to bring the work to life and there are some useful diagrams and links to tools. This is a great summation of the results of the entire project and definitely worth a read if you’re working alongside some sceptical colleagues in finance.
Photo by Daniel Funes Fuentes
