Partnerships Benefitting Health Programmes
When Dame Kelly Holmes Trust received funding in 2020 from the Peter Sowerby Digital Breakthrough Fund, we were able to put world-class athlete mentors shoulder to shoulder with a whole new group of young people facing challenges in their lives. Our programme, based in Alder Hey Children’s Hospital, is designed to support in- and outpatients in their recovery, by helping them become more physically active, increasing their wellbeing and helping them move forwards from a challenging time with confidence. To date over 30 young people have been connected to Trust athlete mentors of their choice, for 1-2-1 sessions, referred by their clinicians as part of their recovery journey.
One participant, a patient at the hospital due to his asthma, and who had struggled with bullying at school, said of his experience:
“I was really happy and excited when I heard that I was going to be working with an athlete. I really liked that I could pick who I wanted to work with and after seeing Henry’s video I knew I wanted to work with him. I liked that he did taekwondo but I also just knew that even though I hadn’t met him, I could tell he was a nice guy and I’d be able to open up to him.”
As a pilot, one of our clear objectives was to test the efficacy of the programme, and understand potential challenges, and solutions, to delivery. The potential reach of the programme is huge and following a really positive response to the pilot at Alder Hey from clinicians, young people and parents, we’re thrilled to have begun sharing our learnings with other hospitals interested in offering it to their patients.
In a recent Discovery Session led by the Trust and Alder Hey clinicians, and attended by Great Ormond Street Hospital and other hospitals, the delivery team shared some key findings:
Integrating the referral and feedback into patient’s notes has allowed us to provide useful information to all healthcare professionals involved
Making the process clear and understandable, with as straightforward a journey as possible, makes it easier for hospital staff and healthcare teams, parents and young people to engage. This also increases referral to mentoring success rates
Operating in partnership is key, and our Trust representative working on the ground at the hospital has been invaluable in sharing programme information and saving clinicians time on admin
Allowing young people to chose the athlete mentor they feel they would connect with offers them ownership, and builds trust. Our sporting champions provide a clear connection to the benefits of being physically active, offer practical advice and could have a positive impact at any stage of the patient’s journey
With the above knowledge in mind, we’re excited to have had the opportunity to engage with digital partner, Deloitte’s operations transformation, cloud & engineering and system engineering experts, in a hackathon. The group explored tech based options to streamline referral processes and improve end to end user journeys, for patient and parents, as well clinicians.
With a view to enhance the Trust’s offer to enable us to work with multiple hospitals, the group looked into using technology to allow the central ‘point person’ to increase efficiency and provide the service in many locations. Ideas generated could allow us to increase the reach of the programme, engage more young people, and minimise the impact on clinicians’ and health care providers’ time. One Deloitte attendee said of her experience:
“A childhood friend of mine had cystic fibrosis and I think a programme like this would have been so valuable to her. Thank you for letting us chip in on your goal to scale your impact.”
The momentum for this programme is building, with more hospitals and clinicians keen to bring the opportunity to the young people they treat. We’re keen to talk with more organisations who share our vision and are committed to helping more young people in more hospitals.
Be the Champion in their Corner – get in touch on fundraising@damekellyholmestrust.org