Posted on behalf of King’s Fund:
Interoperability is more than technology: The role of culture and leadership in joined-up care
This report includes information on:
- Integration of care services, collaboration and digital transformation may seem separate but in reality they are deeply inter-related. Digital technologies are key to enabling collaboration between health and care partners in the new integrated care systems.
- Leaders and staff often have different interpretations of what interoperability is and how it can benefit staff and patients, with no clear consensus.
- In this report, we define interoperability as how people, systems and processes talk and work together across organisational structures and professions, supported by technology.
- Interoperability has three equally important aspects that are vital for success: good co-working relationships between staff so that they want to connect; technology that makes co-working as easy as possible; and an enabling environment (in which funding, capacity, skills, education and governance are aligned).
- Although traditionally seen as a technology problem, good technology is not enough for interoperability.
- To build and strengthen relationships, people need space and time away from their day-to-day responsibilities, and a structure that can help remove existing power dynamics.
- Relationships need to be continually developed and strengthened across organisations and professions for interoperability to progress.
- There need to be improvements in how digital technology functions, specifically: the use and adherence to standards for how data is captured and shared; addressing the fragmentation of technologies, and simplifying the multiple approaches to data-sharing.
- Leaders need to work collectively to minimise power dynamics; staff needs to be supported to lead change projects, and communications should reinforce a collaborative working culture.
- National NHS bodies should consider making changes to funding and funding timescales, using whole-system incentives and national initiatives to enable progress on interoperability.
Read the report here
