2024 has indeed been a busy and outstanding year for IFIC´S Integrated Care Solutions, which is a service that aims to support the effective implementation and evaluation of integrated care, with a commitment to involving service users and stakeholders at all points of the process.
We have successfully completed the research for The Health Foundation to develop international case studies of integrated models of chronic disease care at the primary-secondary care interface. The Health Foundation and IFIC will present the findings of this study in different formats – including a series of webinars – over the coming months.
In 2024, we have been working on two other large consultancy projects, which continue over 2025. One has been the evaluation of the pilot crisis resolution services (CRS) implementation in Ireland. The Irish Health Service Executive (HSE) Crisis Resolution Services Model of Care has two key service components, which are interconnected and should be integrated in service delivery; 1) Crisis Resolution Teams and 2) Out of Hours Crisis Cafés (branded nationally as Solace Cafés). The vision for CRS is “to provide integrated crisis resolution services to people referred with the right response at the right time for the right amount of time to enable and empower people on their recovery journey”. The evaluation aims to explore whether the programme is being implemented as originally envisaged; which factors and conditions are helping or hindering the effect of the new model of care; and what emerging lessons would need to be incorporated into the future development of the service.
The other one has been the provision of technical support to the Estonian Ministry of Social Affairs and DG REFORM on the Primary Care Reform in Estonia through a consortium led by PwC Estonia. Specifically, the focus of the work is to develop primary care networks across the country that bring together health centres and other primary care providers across a geographical area, working co-ordinately and collaboratively to create resilient service provision that responds to the needs of the population.
Finally, we are part of a research team led by IFIC Australia and Central Coast Research Institute (CCRI) to undertake co-funded research in a new partnership with Streamliners to explore innovative approaches to the economic evaluation of care pathways.
Willing to advance the science and practice of integrated care, all this wealth of experience and knowledge has been incorporated to our thinking on how to evaluate programmes and services in the context of integrated care, and so the IFIC Solutions team has written two chapters on this subject for the forthcoming edition of the Handbook Integrated Care.
End of Year Senior Associates Summary
IFIC Senior Associates have been instrumental in moving forward the integrated care agenda internationally. Senior Associates are recognised worldwide leaders and experts in integrated care that partner with IFIC to promote the integrated care agenda as well as IFIC current work.
Many of our senior associates attended ICIC24 in Belfast, NACIC24 in Calgary as well as contributed to webinars and other events. And during 2024, four new members have joined the Senior Associates network: Helmut Hildebrandt, Robin Miller, Jason CH Yap and Nick Goodwin.
