Training activity information
Details
Analyse a departmental policy and identify which external drivers informed the creation and content of the policy
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
- National policy and strategy landscape
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 specific departmental policy will you analyse? What types of external drivers might be relevant to this policy area?
- What insights do you hope to gain about the policy development process within a healthcare organisation, particularly the influence of external factors? What do you already know about different types of external drivers that can influence healthcare policy? How do you expect to develop your analytical skills in dissecting policy documents and identifying their origins? What do you anticipate learning about the importance of considering the wider context when developing local policies?
- Discuss this activity with your training officer or the policy owner to understand the background of the chosen departmental policy and any known relevant external drivers. Obtain a copy of the departmental policy and any associated documentation. Research potential external drivers that might be relevant to the policy’s subject matter (e.g., national guidelines, professional body recommendations, legal requirements). Consider a framework for analysing the policy and mapping its content to potential external drivers. Reflect on your understanding of policy analysis and the broader healthcare landscape, and identify any areas for further reading.
In action
- What is your process for analysing the departmental policy? What sections are you focusing on initially? What are you looking for to identify external drivers?
- What decisions are you making about which external factors (e.g., national guidelines, legislation, best practice) have likely influenced the policy? What evidence within the policy supports these connections?
- Which aspects of policy analysis and identifying external drivers feel more familiar to you? Where are you having to consciously consider different types of external influences?
- How effectively are you identifying the external drivers that have shaped the policy? Are you finding explicit references or making logical inferences?
- What challenges are you encountering in linking specific policy content to external drivers? Are there areas where the influence is less clear?
- What are you learning about how external factors shape departmental policies as you perform this analysis?
- Are there other external drivers you should be considering? Could you approach the analysis from a different perspective?
- Do you need to seek information about relevant external guidelines or legislation that might have informed the policy?
- Are you ensuring your analysis remains focused on identifying external drivers relevant to the departmental policy?
On action
- Summarise the key elements and purpose of the departmental policy you analysed. What external drivers (e.g., national policies, regulations, best practice guidelines) did you identify as influencing the policy? How were these influences evident? Were there any aspects of the policy where the external drivers were less clear?
- What skills or knowledge did you develop or improve in analysing a policy and identifying its external drivers? Did you gain a better understanding of how external factors shape local policies? Were there any challenges in tracing the links between the policy and external drivers? What did you learn about policy development? How did your method of analysing the policy (reflection-in-action) contribute to your identification of the drivers? How is the ability to understand the external influences on policy relevant to your future practice?
- What areas do you need to develop further in your policy analysis skills or your understanding of the wider policy landscape? How can you use this knowledge to better understand and engage with policies in your future work? What ‘next steps’ will you take to enhance your skills in this area? What support or resources might be helpful for your continued learning?
Beyond action
- Looking back at the departmental policy you analysed, how does your current understanding of external policy drivers and their influence compare? Have you analysed other departmental policies since this training activity? How does your approach to identifying external drivers compare to your initial experience? Did discussions with policy owners or colleagues provide further insights into the external factors that shaped the policy? Revisit your reflect-on-action notes for this training activity. What external drivers now seem more or less significant in light of subsequent learning about policy and regulation?
- How has your ability to identify external policy drivers influenced your understanding of the context in which departmental policies are developed and implemented? Has this analysis helped you appreciate the interconnectedness of local policy with broader national or regulatory frameworks? Has this experience informed how you interpret and apply departmental policies in your work? Has it influenced how you consider the need for policies to adapt to changes in the external environment?
- What analytical and critical thinking skills did you develop through this training activity that will be valuable in future policy-related roles? What actions will you take to further develop your knowledge of relevant external policy drivers in your field? How might the ability to analyse the influence of external factors on policy contribute to your future ability to develop or revise effective departmental policies?
Relevant learning outcomes
| # | Outcome |
|---|---|
| # 1 |
Outcome
Critically appraise organisational informatics strategies in relation to national policy and strategy. |
| # 2 |
Outcome
Critically evaluate the application of quality control and quality assurance measures within organisational informatics strategies, including how patient care outcomes and patient safety are addressed. |
| # 3 |
Outcome
Perform and report gap and alignment analysis of projects against local and national strategies including recommendations to resolve issue identified. |
| # 4 |
Outcome
Identify drivers for projects, appraising the relationship to policy and strategy. |