The IHDP approach

Concluding comments

• IHDP had a clear vision from the outset and sought to learn from others over how that vision needed to be realised to add real value for patients and those involved in delivering their care.
• Being outward looking, having widely recognised and credible leadership, a shared motivation, demonstrating ‘skin in the game’, and showing direct relevance both locally and nationally, helped IHDP to make rapid progress in key areas.
• We built an agile team around the vision, which brought diverse perspectives and understanding, which helped greatly with delivery.
• IHDP brought transparency and visibility at all levels to gain support in the change process, which facilitated scaling local learning to national level.
• We made great efforts to understand the different contexts, priorities, drivers and barriers for stakeholders, and looked for ways to tangibly help. We invested time, effort and resource in developing relationships and areas of work while maintaining momentum.
• We thought broadly about stakeholder groups, how to reach them and understand their needs, while being aware of the ‘key players’ to involve in the first instance.
• As an independent programme sitting outside traditional Scottish Government and NHS governance structures, IHDP was able to span the cancer sector, and act as a translational hub to bring sectors together and identify synergies.
• At the same time, strong links with Scottish Government and strong connections with NHS networks enabled IHDP to have visibility and traction at both policy and clinical levels.
• We recognised from the start of the programme the types of resources needed to support innovation and ‘test and learn’ approaches, applying the right resource in the right place to expedite progress.