Health Needs Assessment

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Session 3 - Health Needs Assessment
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Ground Rules

• Listen to others and value the diversity of
  opinions in the group
• Be constructive
• Value the differences there are no rights or
  wrongs, no good or bad
• Be open and honest
• Keep to agreed time, especially start and finish
• Mobile phones!
• (extracted from, Working with Groups. General
  Improvement Skills. Modernisation Agency)

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Outline of session

• Discuss the concept of need and how it is
  defined.
• Explain the importance of developing needs led
  projects / activities.
• Discuss the importance of engaging and involving
  communities in health needs assessment.
• Examine the purpose of a health needs assessment.
• Explain the Health Needs Assessment process.
• Examine practical health needs assessments that
  have been carried out in Leeds.

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A main government aim is to reduce health
inequalities.

• A Health Needs Assessment can be a useful tool in
  this process through targeting services and
  support towards the most disadvantaged groups.

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What is need

• Felt and expressed needs are defined by the
  population, community or individuals.
• Normative needs by those delivering services.
• Comparative needs by managers and commissioners.

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• The planning and commissioning of services should
  be from a needs led approach (What service does
  our population need)
• Rather than
• a service led approach
• (how can our population use the services we have)

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NICE Definition of Health Needs Assessment

• A Health Needs Assessment is a systematic method
  for reviewing the health issues facing a
  population, leading to agreed priorities and
  resource allocation that will improve health and
  reduce health inequalities.

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Why carry out a HNA?
To understand the health needs of your population.
IDENTIFYING THE NEEDS
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Why carry out a HNA

• A tool to provide evidence about a population.
• Address health inequalities.
• An opportunity to engage with specific
  populations.
• An opportunity to target service planning
  resource allocation.
• An opportunity for cross sector partnership
  working.
• Develop a health strategy that is responsive to
  patients needs.
• Promote evidence based practice.

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Health Needs Assessment is......

• Systematic
• Population based
• An approach used to find out about health issues

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What is need

• The steps for a health needs assessment used in
  the session come from
• A Health Needs Assessment tool, developed by
  Candia Allen, Public Health Nurse Facilitator
• The tool can be accessed at via the following web
  link
• http//www.leedspct.nhs.uk/archive/northeast/attac
  hment/00000000edcf3591017443e65dddbba8/00000000b4a
  3c1b00af59b534fe3632b/guidefinal(6)ed.pdf

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Steps to HNA

• Getting started, establishing aims, objectives
  a project framework.
• Building a picture of your community.
• Feeding-back the evidence.
• Action planning.
• Moving on / review.

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Step 1 getting started

• - Define population.
• E.g All people living in Beeston.
• - Define subpopulation group.
• E.g Children under 5 their families.
• - Reasons why this group has been chosen.
• Clear aims objectives for the project need to
  be identified. Who needs to be involved.
• Identify key stakeholders for HNA.
• Decide who will do the HNA.
• - Adequate resources to conduct HNA.
• - Be aware of Government Health policy key
  objectives for improving health.

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COFFEE
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Step 2 Building a picture of your Community

• Map existing community strengths, resources and
  services.
• Involvement of key stakeholders.
• Collect data.
• 1) Secondary data.
• 2) Primary data, new data that you and your
  colleagues will collect.

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Step 2 Building a picture of your Community

• Collecting secondary data
• District profiles and statistical information can
  be accessed on the following websites
• www.leeds-statistics.org
• www.neighbourhood.statistics.gov.uk
• www.statistics.gov.uk/census
• Examine existing local research that has been
  done. E.g. studies done by statutory / voluntary
  organisations.
• Community practitioners practice profiles.

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Step 2 Building a picture of your Community

• Collecting primary data by
• a. Market research
• Quantitative surveys
• Focus groups
• Interviews with users and others
• b. Democratic methods
• Meeting people in their own groups
• Stakeholder conferences
• Consultation workshops
• Public meetings

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• c. Rapid Appraisal
• Written records
• Interviews from a range of informants
• Observations made in neighbourhoods or interviews
  in homes
• d. Participative community research
• All of the above (as in rapid appraisal) but
  includes using local people as researchers.
• e. Consultation
• Service users
• Carers
• Representatives

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Step 3 Feeding-back the evidence

• List your main findings
• in order of importance
• ? Detailed report to professionals and summary to
  the community
• Find appropriate neutral places for dialogue to
  take place
• Make sure that data is not misinterpreted or
  misrepresented
• Avoid jargon and confusion in language
• Commit to action plan to take recommendations
  forward

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Step 4 Action Planning

• Formulate a plan of action with time scales.
• Keep the plan on track.
• Keep people motivated and enthusiastic.
• Have regular progress meetings
• Capture what is happening - on paper, photo,
  tape...

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Step 5 Moving on review

• Evaluation must involve an honest description of
  what happened
• It is not meant to prove that everything went
  brilliantly
• But to celebrate successes
• Share difficulties encountered

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PDSA Cycle ref Langley et al 1996
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Group Work

• Peer review of health needs assessments that have
  been carried out in Leeds
• In groups, using the checklist review the health
  needs assessment provided.

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Health Impact Assessment

• What were the outcomes?
• How effective were they?
• Are they reaching the target population?
• Were there any negative effects?
• Review the data collection method.

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