An integrated approach to neuroscience care: An innovative model to support the new integrated care system.

Integrated care systems join up health and care services, so that people have the support they need, in the right place, at the right time. The aims include improving outcomes in healthcare, tackling inequalities in access and enhancing productivity and value for money. This is needed for neuroscience care as the traditional delivery of neuroscience care is inefficient, outdated and expensive, and can involve complex referral pathways and long waiting times.

Can collaborative working improve diabetic retinal screening rates in individuals also diagnosed with a severe mental illness?

Aim: We aimed to create a collaborative data sharing project between two NHS trusts to improve attendance and access to diabetic retinopathy screening in individuals with severe mental illness (SMI).

Methods: The eligible patient lists were analysed before and after interventions to assess their effectiveness over two data runs.

Results: Screening attendance rates increased by 31% and 25% in the data runs; a significant number of patients (15%) who were screened required onward referral to hospital eye services.

Highlighting strengths and resources that increase ownership of cervical cancer screening for Indigenous communities in Northern British Columbia: Community-driven approaches.

Objective: To examine the unique and diverse strengths held by rural and remote Indigenous communities in northern British Columbia, including multi-generational support systems in health and wellness, profound connections to the land, and strong cultural foundations, and harness these strengths, allowing communities to engage in innovative and empowering health and wellness programs.

Methods: Building on these pre-existing and fundamental strengths, an alternative option to cervical cancer screening was introduced to nine Carrier Sekani health centers located in northern interior British Columbia in response to disparities in screening rates. Introduced in 2019, CervixCheck uses a self-collection approach that is private, safe, convenient, and offered at local community health centers by trained and supportive health staff.

A nurse-led model at public academic hospitals maintains high adherence to colorectal cancer surveillance guidelines.

Objective: To examine the compliance of colorectal cancer surveillance decisions for individuals at greater risk with current evidence-based guidelines and to determine whether compliance differs between surveillance models.

Design: Prospective auditing of compliance of surveillance decisions with evidence-based guidelines (NHMRC) in two decision-making models: nurse coordinator-led decision making in public academic hospitals and physician-led decision making in private non-academic hospitals.

Setting: Selected South Australian hospitals participating in the Southern Co-operative Program for the Prevention of Colorectal Cancer (SCOOP).