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Project Overview

NIMHE North West Development Centre commenced its partnership working arrangement with Harvey Walsh and partners in the early part of 2003 on a project designed to support the implementation of the NICE Schizophrenia Clinical Guidelines. We see this project as an example of good partnership working between the NHS and pharmaceutical industry which demonstrates that an open and transparent relationship ultimately leads to better patient outcomes.

The project has achieved its stated goals by working within an agreed project management framework (PRINCE) that supports an integrated approach to multi agency working. This requires the support of key local stakeholders such as the Chief Executive, Local Implementation Teams, in addition to local service user and carer groups.

The project draws on research which shows that a multifaceted approach to the dissemination and implementation of guidelines is more effective in affecting positive change for patients, compared to the passive dissemination of printed materials (Eccles 1999)

A key deliverable for this project has been the development of an interactive website and an associated CD ROM for use by all healthcare professionals involved in the management of patients with a diagnosis of schizophrenia and experiences of psychosis. The website and CD ROM are populated with information generated by NIHME (NW), the three pilot sites that have worked on this for the last 2 years and includes national and local guidance around best practice. We have been pleased to see improvements in:

  • Joint decision making between service users, their carers and healthcare professionals.
  • Communication across all areas of health and social care
  • The flow of information across organisational boundaries
  • Evidence-based clinical decision making (better access to evidence based interventions and care)
  • The user/carer experience of mental health services
  • Peoples understanding of the role of medication in a person’s recovery – especially those issues that effect concordance and usage.

We are very pleased to have recruited 15 new organisations in the next stages of the project as the expectations for integrated and open sources of information become more widespread. The use of we site technology to support change and improvements is exciting and will pave the way for raising further the expectation of receiving care and treatment that fosters hope and optimism at the point of service delivery.