Analytics in health visiting – Moving beyond bean counting – Funded by The Health Foundation
The project was a partnership project between Southern Health NHS Foundation Trust (SHFT) and the iHV.
The aim of the project was to explore the use of data and current analytical capability in health visiting practice in Hampshire. This baseline information informed a test and learn development project to support health visiting services within SHFT to ‘move beyond bean counting’ and make better use of data. The project specifically focused on the use of routinely collected data from a range of sources to improve the identification of children with risk and vulnerability factors who are currently ‘hidden’ (i.e., they are known to services but are not receiving the support they need, as information is not utilised effectively, or is lost in current electronic records).
The project was delivered through a series of three interconnecting phases:
- National discovery phase – to support an understanding of current health visiting use of data and analytical capability nationally
- Local application of discovery phase and alpha testing – applying the learning from the national scoping to the test and learn site (SHFT)
- Deliverables included:
- The development of a new health visitor Digital Lead post; the postholder was responsible for supporting digital transformation in health visiting teams and workforce engagement.
- Development of a prototype data visualisation tool to collate key data and support clinical decision making in health visitor practice.
- A “how to guide” to disseminate the learning to other health visiting services with key considerations to improve data use and analytical capability in health visiting.
- Dissemination of the findings through publications and presentation at iHV national conference. Ongoing evaluation and development of the tool locally through local roll out and embedding in practice.
