Quality in home care: client and provider views

This paper reports on the findings of a small-scale study that investigated the meaning and delivery of quality in home care in four local authorities from the perspective of informal carers, users and providers and explored the views of users about proposed changes in the ethos of home care stipulated in the National Care Standards for Domiciliary Care (2003). We start by outlining the method used and then describe the characteristics of the consulted provider agencies and the characteristics and needs of the service users. Section 5 reports users’ experience of the home care service and section 6 the important aspects of quality from the perspective of users and providers. Finally, the report addresses the implications of our findings on the future development of home care provision

NYS PROMISE Learning Community Group Concept Mapping: Fall 2016 Case Manager Experience - Final Report

Beginning in 2014, the Federal Government provided funding to New York State as part of an initiative to improve services that lead to sustainable outcomes for youth receiving Supplemental Security Income (SSI) benefits. As part of the NYS PROMISE initiative, Concept Systems, Inc. worked with the Learning Community to develop learning needs frameworks using the Group Concept Mapping methodology (GCM). The GCM projects gather, aggregates, and integrate the specific knowledge and opinions of the Learning Community members. This allows for their guidance and involvement in supporting NYS PROMISE as a viable community of practice. This work also increases the responsiveness of NYS PROMISE to the Learning Community members’ needs by inspiring discussion during the semi-annual in-person meetings. As of the end of year three, three GCM projects have been completed with the PROMISE Learning Community. These projects focused on Outreach and Recruitment Project 1), Case Management and Service Delivery (Project 2), and Case Manager Experience (Project 3). This report discusses the data collection method and participation in the Case Manager Experience GCM project, as well as providing graphics, statistical reports, and a summary of the analysis

Improving children's behaviour and attendance through the use of parenting programmes: an examination of good practice

There is powerful evidence that attendance at school and academic performance are positively related and that those who are excluded and do not attend school regularly, whatever the reasons, are more likely to become involved in crime. Recently, much emphasis has been put on the role that parents can play in improving the attendance and behaviour of their children. The Anti-Social Behaviour Act 2003 introduced new powers for Local Education Authorities (LEAs) to apply for a parenting order to help address children's behaviour in school. This court order compels a parent to attend a parenting programme and to fulfil other requirements as determined necessary by the court for improving their child's behaviour

Phase 2 of the Multiple Provider Employment Zones Qualitative Study, DWP Research Report 399

This report presents the findings of a qualitative study of the operation and impact of the Multiple Provider Employment Zone (MPEZ) initiatives that have operated in four cities (London, Birmingham, Liverpool and Glasgow) since 20041. The study builds on earlier work by Cambridge Policy Consultants (Hirst et al. 2006), which concentrated on issues related to the early establishment of the MPEZ initiative and the initial experiences of Providers, Jobcentre Plus districts and customers. The Phase 2 research took place approximately one year on from the Phase 1 study and focused on tracking developments in the operation of MPEZ as the initiative became more established. The study involved interviews with EZ Providers (managers and Advisers), Jobcentre Plus representatives (managers and Advisers) and customers (young people (aged 18-24) claiming Jobseeker’s Allowance (JSA), who would otherwise have returned to New Deal for Young People (NDYP)2, lone parents receiving Income Support and early entrants – see section 1.6 for full details). In order to gain a wider perspective, researchers also spoke to representatives of organisations that have employed MPEZ participants and a number of stakeholder organisations with a broad interest in local labour market policies and programmes in the MPEZ areas. In total, the research involved interviews or group discussions with over 300 individuals, providing a range and depth of qualitative information that allows a detailed picture to be established of the way that MPEZs developed between mid- 2005 and mid-2006, including the experiences of employers and the labour market destinations of MPEZ participants. A central issue addressed in the research and in this report is the ‘multiple’ element of the initiative and the value that is added through the existence of more than one Provider in each MPEZ area. Questions of allocation, choice, specialisation, competition and innovation are considered from the perspectives of Providers, Jobcentre Plus, customers, employers and stakeholders and the final sections present some conclusions and issues for consideration in relation to these topics

Employment Assistance Program Focus Group Report

The September 11th Fund, working with the John J. Heldrich Center for Workforce Development at Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, created the Employment Assistance Program to help dislocated workers regain employment and wages lost in the aftermath of the September 11th, 2001 terrorist attacks. The project consisted of eight focus groups conducted at a professional focus group facility in Manhattan between June 25 through July 9, 2003. This publication reports on the findings of those focus groups

Consumer use and response to online third-party raw DNA interpretation services

This study was funded in part by a pilot grant from the Boston University School of Public Health. (Boston University School of Public Health)Published versio

Designing a smooth service experience: Finding the balance between online and offline service

Tutkimuksen tavoitteena on selvittää, kuinka digitaalisen ja analogisen palvelun voi paremmin yhdistää kokonaispalveluksi niin, että asiakas saa mahdollisimman sujuvan palvelukokemuksen. Tutkimuksen aihe nousee Tunteesta arvoa palvelulle –hankkeesta, jossa toteutettiin palvelumuotoilun kehitysprojekteja yhdessä viiden yrityksen kanssa. Niistä useammassa konseptien osana oli digitaalinen palvelu, mutta haasteeksi nousi digitaalisen kanavan yhdistäminen analogiseen, eli fyysisessä tilassa tapahtuvaan palveluun. Nykypäivänä digitaalisten palveluiden yleisyys on kasvanut ja ihmiset ovat yhä tottuneempia käyttämään digitaalisia kanavia osana palvelukokonaisuutta. Toisaalta käyttäjät ovat myös tietoisia digitaalisten kanavien tarjoamista mahdollisuuksista ja siten heidän odotuksensa ja vaatimuksensa palvelua kohtaan kasvavat. Eri palvelukanavien välillä on kuitenkin havaittavissa eroavaisuuksia ja siten yhtenäisen ja sujuvan palvelukokemuksen syntyminen asiakkaalle on vaikeaa. Asiakkaan tarpeiden ja odotusten sekä yrityksen tavoitteiden huomioiden palvelupolun luomisessa mahdollistavat palvelun sujuvan etenemisen palvelukanavien välillä. Tässä on laadullisessa tutkimuksessa tutkimusaineisto on kerätty puolistrukturoituina teemahaastatteluina. Tutkimusaineisto on analysoitu teemoittelemalla ja tutkimuksen löydökset vastaavat kysymyksiin, miten sujuva palvelukokemus muotoillaan palvelumuotoilun menetelmin, ja miten digitaalisia ja analogisia palvelukanavia tasapainotetaan palvelupolussa. Tutkimuksen tuloksen muodostaa seitsemästä osasta koostuva työkalu, jonka tarkoituksena on toimia palvelun muotoilun ja kehittämisen tukena.While working as a research assistant in Value through Emotion research project at University of Lapland and doing service design projects with several companies, I noticed that there is a challenge in designing a service that combines online and offline service channels. Nowadays the trend is to have an online service, such as service application, as a part of the overall service path, but there is often a gap between the online and offline elements of the service in regards of the communication and the quality of service delivery. The customers are more and more used to digital service channels and they are aware of the possibilities that online channels can provide. Therefore the customers have high expectations about the service delivery. Designing a service that keeps the continuity throughout the service despite the form of delivery channel would be a solution for providing the customer a smooth service experience. In this research I study how a smooth service experience can be built using service design methods. I also study how the balance between online and offline service channels can be found in the overall service path. The research data of partly structured theme interviews are analysed by qualitative research methods. As a result for this case study I present a toolkit with seven templates that can be used as a guideline and support in the service design process when combining online and offline service elements as a smooth service experience

What do measures of patient satisfaction with the doctor tell us?

Objective: To gain an understanding of how patient satisfaction (PS) with the doctor (PSD) is conceptualized through an empirical review of how it is currently being measured. The content of PS questionnaire items was examined to (a) determine the primary domains underlying PSD, and (b) summarize the specific doctor-related characteristics and behaviors, and patient-related perceptions, composing each domain. Methods: A scoping review of empirical articles that assessed PSD published from 2000 to November 2013. MEDLINE and PsycINFO databases were searched. Results: The literature search yielded 1726 articles, 316 of which fulfilled study inclusion criteria. PSD was realized in one of four health contexts, with questions being embedded in a larger questionnaire that assessed PS with either: (1) overall healthcare, (2) a specific medical encounter, or (3) the healthcare team. In the fourth context, PSD was the questionnaire's sole focus. Five broad domains underlying PSD were revealed: (1) Communication Attributes; (2) Relational Conduct; (3) Technical Skill/Knowledge; (4) Personal Qualities; and (5) Availability/Accessibility. Conclusions: Careful consideration of measurement goals and purposes is necessary when selecting a PSD measure. Practice implications: The five emergent domains underlying PSD point to potential key areas of physician training and foci for quality assessment