The recent design workshops mark the start of the design sprint of the LOTI Sandbox in Adult Social Care. Our aim with the LOTI Sandbox is to bring together the right people across the entire health and care system to think creatively about potential solutions to systemic challenges we’ve all become too familiar with.

These design workshops focused on the four themes that emerged out of the discussions at the Immersive Event back in early October. To help us get into solution mode, we framed these “as how might we” questions and focused on the following areas:

1. Community interventions
2. Transfer of care
3. Care assessments
4. Triage of messages

Our design workshop approach

Having looked at the challenges and opportunities as well as the lived experiences of people needing care at the immersive event back in October, the aim of these design workshops was to turn these ideas into potential solutions that we can develop as part of this process.

During an intensive two days filled with great discussions, drawings and dreaming about the future of care, we were delighted with the creativity, ambition and collaborative spirit shown by participants.

The broad structure for these workshops included:

• Designing our preferred future based on a persona we wanted to be better off as a result of our intervention
• Identifying what needs to be in place for our preferred future to become a reality and
• Solutioning using the ‘Crazy 4s’ activity (adapted from the most commonly used Crazy 8s)

There was general consensus that there are some fundamental things needed in order to unlock any innovation in the sector which include:

• Better information sharing across the entire health and care system so that no individual has to repeat their story.
• Better collaborative working across health and care, e.g. by creating integrated commissioning teams for health and care services, and joint contracting of services like care provision or virtual wards.
• Increase awareness amongst professional on available health and care options for people at different stages of their health and care journey.
• Use innovative funding models to support the VCS (voluntary and community sector) – a real option to support and allow people to be more independent and healthy and prevent escalation of needs.
• Use continuous feedback loops or mechanisms across the entire system to improve the experience of people and staff.

These may not be new or surprising ideas to anyone who’s worked in this ecosystem. They stem from common challenges experienced in both the health and care parts of the wider system, which for most part had been hidden by the siloed working.

Early solutions

The great enthusiasm and discussions translated quite nicely into potential solutions, some we could start implementing now and some in the near future. The ideas shared were bold and ambitious, reflecting the appetite for cross-sector collaboration and the desire to change the status-quo.

Here’s a summary of some of the ideas put forward:

Technology and Data

• Care passport – a QR code accessible personal data file or passport that follows an individual from childhood with complete information on their health and care needs.
• ‘My-ghty Magnet’ – a fridge magnet that comes with a QR code containing information that health and/or social care practitioners visiting a resident’s home would need to access.
• Feedback Sharing App – a digital solution for capturing residents’ feedback on each step of their health and care journey.
• A care provider database that clearly outlines the type and level of care and support offered.
• A post-hospital discharge continuous monitoring tool – a tracking or reporting system / tool that provides updates to relevant agencies when someone is discharged from hospital and monitors resident’s wellbeing and outcomes.

People and Ways of working

• Joint budgets and commissioning of services with VCSs, boroughs and health partners working in collaboration to provide tailored support to individuals who need care.
• A framework for evaluating the impact of prevention work: prevention is not as heavily invested in as it is hard to make a business case and challenging to show impact.
• Care buddies: A program where friends or family of a person needing care can volunteer to be their ‘care buddy’ – craft a list of what type of support this person can give, provide the buddy with a pack they can use to help the person needing care navigate the system.
• Integrated neighbourhood teams in boroughs.
• Education and training for practitioners across the system on the menu of support options offered by different health and care organisations.

Next steps

In early December, the LOTI team will be hosting another set of workshops looking to further develop prototypes. Following the prototype workshops, towards the end of January next year, we will be showcasing these prototypes at an in-person event, if you are interested in getting involved, please visit our events page or get in touch.