Patient Pathway —
Training activity: 12

Details

Draft an outline business case, including formal options appraisal, for a new model of service delivery or practice to improve the effectiveness of the patient pathway

Draft a plan for implementation

Type

Developmental training activity (DTA)

Evidence requirements

Evidence the activity has been undertaken by the trainee​.

Reflection on the activity at one or more time points after the event including learning from the activity and/or areas of the trainees practice for development.

An action plan to implement learning and/or to address skills or knowledge gaps identified.

Considerations

• Cost, time, efficiency, and clinical outcome
• Assessment of feasibility, safety, governance and legislation
• Patient experience, stakeholder and patient experience impact
• Patient centred care and support
• Pathways to implementation
• Risk assessment

Reflective practice guidance

The guidance below is provided to support reflection at different time points, providing you with questions to aid you to reflect for this training activity. They are provided for guidance and should not be considered as a mandatory checklist. Trainees should not be expected to provide answers to each of the guidance questions listed.

Before action

• What new model of service delivery or practice is the focus of your business case?
  • What are the key elements of a business case (e.g., need, benefits, costs, risks)?
  • How will you conduct a formal options appraisal?
  • What are the essential components of an implementation plan?
  • What knowledge of business planning and service development is needed?
• What do you hope to learn about the process of developing a business case for healthcare service improvement?
  • What insights do you expect to gain about options appraisal and implementation planning?
  • What prior understanding do you have of healthcare economics and project management?
• How will you define the problem or opportunity that the new model addresses?
  • What data will you need to gather to support your business case?
  • What options will you consider in your appraisal?
  • How will you assess the feasibility and impact of each option?
  • What key steps will be included in your implementation plan?
  • What potential challenges might you face in drafting the business case and implementation plan, and how will you prepare for them?
  • How do you feel about contributing to service development through business case creation?

In action

• While appraising the evidence, what criteria are you using to evaluate the quality and relevance of the available research?
  • Why are these criteria important in this context?
• What decisions are you making about the strength of the evidence and its implications for the potential effectiveness of the new model?
• Are there any intuitive judgments you are making about the applicability of the evidence to your local context?
  • What factors are influencing these judgments?

On action

• Summarise the evidence you appraised and your initial conclusions about its strength and relevance to the proposed new model.
  • What key findings from the evidence stood out?
• What did you learn about appraising the evidence base for new service delivery models?
  • Did you improve your ability to critically evaluate research and identify relevant information?
  • Were there any limitations or gaps in the evidence that you identified?
  • What did you learn about considering these limitations?
  • How did you synthesise the information from different sources within the evidence base?
  • How does the ability to critically appraise evidence inform the development of effective and evidence-based practices?
• What aspects of evidence appraisal or understanding research methodologies do you need to develop further?
  • What specific databases or resources might be helpful?
  • How will you approach future evidence appraisals?
  • What specific actions will you take to enhance your critical appraisal skills?
  • What guidance on evidence appraisal would be beneficial?

Beyond action

• Have you been involved in drafting other business cases or implementation plans since this DTA?
  • How has your understanding of the key components of a business case (e.g., needs analysis, options appraisal, financial implications, implementation plan) evolved?
  • Have you compared your initial draft with subsequent business cases or real-world implementation plans?
• How has this experience influenced your understanding of the strategic and financial considerations in healthcare service development?
  • Have you applied the principles of options appraisal and implementation planning in other projects?
  • Has your appreciation for the complexities of bringing new initiatives into practice grown?
• What skills in strategic thinking, financial awareness, project management, and communication did you develop that will be valuable in future leadership or service management roles?
  • How has this experience shaped your understanding of the process of service innovation and change management?
  • What actions will you take to further develop your skills in business case development and implementation planning?

Relevant learning outcomes

#	Outcome
# 2	Outcome Communicate clearly and effectively with a range of stakeholders to inform and educate.
# 6	Outcome Manipulate, visualise, analyse and interpret clinical and clinical service derived data.
# 7	Outcome Critically appraise developments and map implementation in a clinical service, considering the financial and operational factors alongside clinical need.