Implementing the Information Governance (IG) Toolkit - a case study in the words of a facilitator

Introduction

In 2006-07 the IM&T DES was introduced and 95/99 practices signed up to components one and two. This included practice engagement with the IG toolkit which the Data Quality Team supported.

It was a good opportunity to support the Information Governance Team in the following two years and do the IG Toolkit visits on their behalf. This fits in well with our facilitation skills and previous engagement with the practices over this very subject. There are 98 practices covering four localities – a wide and varied geographical area from the seaside, to the cities and towns to the Dales. To make matters worse on both occasions the due date for the toolkit submissions had lapsed and our team were having to work on borrowed SHA time to complete all toolkit submissions. Here’s how we did it.

What we did...

For the first year, we as a team, were only equipped with the basics of IG so we engaged the help of Wendy Harrison from Bradford PCT, as they were in the forefront of implementing national templates for this.  The GP Practices were obliged to complete the IG Toolkit carrying out the assessment and achieving a level two for eight out of the fourteen criteria points. With Wendy’s advice and handouts, we set to work implementing the work plan:-

• A brain-storming session was set up in a secluded corner of a local Health Centre. With the help of numerous cups of coffee we were able to sift through the mountain of information and pull together a plan

• Next a table was constructed to act as an aide memoir for each of us.  The table consisted of the eight criteria points. Each point had key objectives against them – these were applicable to the practice to adhere to the requirements of the IG toolkit

A diagram of the work plan we developed to act as our aide memoir.

• We needed to test the work plan and pilot the paperwork. So contact was made with a local friendly practice for this to happen. Annita, the Practice Manager, was very obliging and invited us round. We duly went through the key objectives, saw evidence against some points, advised and gave “hand-outs” on others. The outcome was that we were all happy with the results!

• The next step was to engage with all the practices. An email was sent to our prospective practices listing the proposals and purpose of our visit. Dates and times for meetings were made and our diaries filled up rapidly over the summer months

• The average time for a visit took about 2 hours to complete, this involved going through each point thoroughly – documenting the findings, showing the practice where to find the relevant information on the toolkit pages, or giving out “hand-outs” to support their IG portfolio

Conclusion

The objectives of this exercise were fully achieved with most practices engaging and completing the toolkit on-line, despite the complications around verification of each practice toolkit in the first year

Essential goals were established at the practice end – in that they had an IG Policy document. Our team benefited from working with the IG Toolkit and gaining a better understanding of what was needed. This stood us in good stead for the following year, as we were asked once again to support the practices in submitting their toolkit.

Henrietta Byrne