A Population Health Management (PHM) project aims to improve the health outcomes of a specific population group by carefully looking at all the factors that influence health and strategically managing them.
The goal is to improve the overall wellbeing of a community through well-coordinated health interventions that are specifically tailored to those groups. Applying PHM in south east London will enable health and care teams to deliver services that are:
- informed by a deep understanding of our communities’ needs
- developed in collaboration with the communities we serve, and
- focused, both on improving outcomes for all, and reducing the wide inequalities we see in health outcomes across south east London.
Key elements to consider for a PHM project in South East London ICS:
- Data integration: For PHM projects to be effective, all the data about communities — including clinical statistics, information on living and working conditions, and insight gathered through engagement — needs to be fully integrated to give us a fuller picture of community needs.
- Risk stratification: It’s crucial to identify which groups within the population are most at risk of experiencing health challenges. This involves analysing data to predict risks and prioritising our efforts accordingly.
- Stakeholder engagement: Collaboration with a wide range of stakeholders, including healthcare providers, patients, community representatives, local authorities and voluntary, community and social enterprises (VCSEs), is to ensure that interventions are accepted and effective.
- Outcome measurement: It is vital to have a clear set of measurements, or metrics, in place to gauge how effective an intervention is. These metrics help us to assess improvements in health outcomes and refine our approach to meeting the needs of the population.
- Sustainability: It’s essential to think about the long-term cost of an initiative and the resources needed, to ensure that PHM can be maintained over time.
