How they reacted
Stakeholders believe SCRIS will improve data quality and availability, and support improved service delivery, patient care and patient outcomes
Acquiring this breadth and depth of engagement and endorsement, from the most senior levels to those ‘on the ground’, takes time and persistence. It requires a measured and constructive use of effort and influence, cascading that influence across organisations and sectors. This rich engagement allowed the benefits of developing SCRIS to become self-evident, and difficult to challenge.
During its development and implementation, formal oversight of SCRIS was the responsibility of IHDP’s Joint Strategic Board, which linked into Scottish Government and spanned all sector and interest groups, including patients.
Communications with a wide range of potential audiences – to raise awareness and gather continual feedback - was an active workstream.
During the development phase, the SCRIS team held a series of stakeholder engagement events to showcase the prototype SCRIS dashboards, raise awareness of SCRIS and its associated services, and gather feedback from clinical, service management and analyst colleagues:
- ‘drop in’ clinic style sessions at the five Scottish Cancer Centres
- bespoke demonstrations for Cancer Networks
- engagement with key groups such as cancer networks and steering groups
Through these stakeholder engagement events the team were able to:
- raise awareness of the benefits of accessing and using cancer data through SCRIS
- gather feedback to inform ongoing SCRIS developments
- gather insight into requirements for analyst resource, to plan for future demand
- develop a coordinated engagement plan for ‘business as usual’ and incremental SCRIS development
SACT Prototype Dashboard Demonstration and drop-in sessions
Western General Hospital (Edinburgh), Beatson Cancer Centre (Glasgow) and Ninewells Hospital (Dundee).
In parallel with these engagement events, IHDP’s Director and the PHS senior leader kept NHS senior management updated on the project through regular meetings with NHS Scotland Chief Executive, Medical Directors and ehealth leads.
To hear about communications and engagement following the launch of SCRIS see:
Stakeholders want to work collaboratively to improve data utilisation
IHDP provided both core programme funding, and funding to ‘pump prime’ specific areas of work to co-produce SCRIS. This kind of approach, applying targeted resource, drives collaboration by removing practical barriers to participation and reasons for non- involvement.
A defined programme plan comprising discrete workstreams helped contributors to see where they could participate. Having a dedicated team which delivered at pace, gave credibility to the delivery plans. At the same time, an agile approach to delivery ensured plans were responsive to emerging needs.
Basing the SCRIS vision directly on the needs of users encouraged involvement, as stakeholders could see that this new approach to cancer intelligence would address the historical problems they had been experiencing over many years.
Key steps
Constructively apply effort and influence to gain a breadth and depth of engagement at all levels.
Continually work to raise awareness and gather feedback, through a range of activities and approaches for difference audiences.
Show commitment by actively contributing to progress and looking for ways to remove barriers.
Build the team around the vision, and involve the right people from the right sectors, at the relevant time.
Link the vision directly to the needs of users to gain traction and credibility, and encourage involvement.
Impact Stories
The ways in which IHDP’s approach and activities contributed to improved outcomes and impact are shown through impact stories.