The Tavistock Institute has been commissioned by Forces in Mind Trust (FiMT) to develop and assess an Armed Forces Community Healthcare Navigation pilot in South Birmingham.
The lead partner in the project are Birmingham Community Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust, who are working alongside the Tavistock Institute and the Defence Medical Welfare Service.
We are responsible for running a feasibility study assessing the potential for further roll out of the delivery model on a larger scale. This feasibility study seeks to validate our hypothesis that a multi-functional healthcare Navigator for the Armed Forces Community (AFC) will:
- Improve the engagement of Primary Care and the Armed Forces Community
- Enable improved access to health, social and third sector support
- Provide robust evidence of the needs of this community
- Provide robust evidence of the gaps in availability and accessibility of services
- Provide evidence to support continuation of the role and incorporation into future local policy transformation and the development and commissioning of services
To test the feasibility of this model we are evaluating the two work streams:
- Training and education of the Primary Care Workforce
- Delivering a AFC Health & Wellbeing Navigator service
Feasibility study data and outcomes will provide foundations for the strategic transformation of services by inclusion within health needs assessment, Armed Forces Community needs assessment, and informing future service developments and commissioning decisions. The pilot began in July 2017 and will run for one year.