« Previous | Contents | Next »
Listen
CHAPTER NINE PERCEIVED PROGRESS TOWARDS MILESTONES
9.1 Reflections on national support
Table 9.1 and Figures 9.1a and 9.1b indicate local coordinators' satisfaction with NIST's action on national milestones (see box 9.1), based on the results of the second survey of local coordinators.
Coordinators were more satisfied than dissatisfied with action on 12 of 13 national milestones. Coordinators were most satisfied with action on publishing guidelines for the media with education and awareness raising (milestone 10) and supporting, disseminating and developing national and local indicators, figures and trends on suicide and deliberate self-harm (milestone 5). The only area where coordinators were more dissatisfied than satisfied was in performance management arrangements to monitor impact of the strategy and action plan on service provision (milestone 12). Milestone 9 ('Providing guidance and support on making local decisions regarding allocation of Choose Life funds') elicited the most 'mixed views' responses.
Box 9.1 Choose Life national level milestones - Establishing and supporting a national support Learning Network involving local agencies
- Collecting and disseminating information on relevant research findings
- Providing a mechanism for sharing information on 'what works'
- Developing a structure to share information on training programmes
- Supporting, disseminating and developing national and local indicators, figures and trends on suicide and deliberate self-harm
- Publishing guidance on priority groups
- Establishing a research programme on suicide prevention/commissioning of new evidence reviews (e.g. on risk factors or effective interventions)
- Providing advice on specific suicide awareness raising methods and practices
- Providing guidance and support on making local decisions regarding allocation of Choose Life funds
- Publication of guidelines for the media with education and awareness raising undertaken
- Evaluation and monitoring of national and local impact of strategy and action plan on service provision
- Performance management arrangements established to monitor impact of strategy and action plan on service provision
- Providing opportunities for consultation and feedback on national progress
|
Table 9.1 Frequency of responses (satisfaction / dissatisfaction) to action on national milestones
| Mile-stone
1 | Mile-stone
2 | Mile-stone
3 | Mile-stone
4 | Mile-stone
5 | Mile-stone
6 | Mile-stone
7 | Mile-stone
8 | Mile-stone
9 | Mile-stone
10 | Mile-stone
11 | Mile-stone
12 | Mile-stone
13 | Total
N | Total
% |
|---|
Very Dissatisfied (1) | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 4 | 2 | 18 | 4.95 |
|---|
Quite Dissatisfied (2) | 5 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 6 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 5 | 2 | 35 | 9.62 |
|---|
Mixed Views (3) | 10 | 7 | 9 | 10 | 7 | 7 | 8 | 7 | 13 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 8 | 107 | 29.40 |
|---|
Quite Satisfied (4) | 10 | 14 | 11 | 7 | 11 | 9 | 6 | 10 | 7 | 4 | 8 | 5 | 8 | 110 | 30.22 |
|---|
Very Satisfied (5) | 0 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 7 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 16 | 1 | 0 | 7 | 52 | 14.29 |
|---|
Too early to say (6) | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 6 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 4 | 0 | 21 | 5.77 |
|---|
No Response | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 21 | 5.77 |
|---|
Total | 28 | 28 | 28 | 28 | 28 | 28 | 28 | 28 | 28 | 28 | 28 | 28 | 28 | 364 | 100.00 |
|---|
Figure 9.1a National milestones: frequency of responses
(satisfaction / dissatisfaction)
Figure 9.1b Mean satisfaction ratings for national milestones
(where 5 is high, and 0 is low)
Figure 9.2 Coordinators' satisfaction rating of national milestones (2004-06)
Figure 9.2 compares the mean satisfaction rates for national milestones in the 2004/05 and 2005/06 surveys. Table 9.2 ranks each of these milestones out of 13 in terms of the mean satisfaction scores received in the first and second surveys (where 1 is the highest scoring milestone, and 13 the lowest).
Variances in the mean satisfaction scores between the two surveys are small. Changes in rank of milestone are more revealing. Milestone 5, for example, was ranked third lowest of all milestones in terms of satisfaction in the first survey but second highest in the second survey, suggesting that local coordinators feel national progress has been made in terms of supporting, disseminating and developing national and local indicators, figures and trends on suicide and deliberate self-harm. The creation of the Choose Life website and SIREN and work with NHS Health Scotland, GROS and ISD to ensure annual provision of suicide statistics were highlighted by the Choose Life Head of Implementation as evidence of progress towards Milestone 5.
Milestone 10 has retained high ratings relative to other milestones, whereas Milestones 11 and 12 continue to be rated lowest in terms of coordinator satisfaction over the two surveys. While the Choose Life Head of Implementation indicated that an electronic management information system has been created, and an independent evaluation commissioned, these ratings would suggest that local coordinators are still to be convinced that adequate progress has been made in terms of evaluation and monitoring of national and local impact and performance management arrangements.
Table 9.2 Variance in satisfaction between first and second survey, by national milestone
9.2 Reflections on local progress
Table 9.3 and Figures 9.3a and 9.3b indicate local coordinators' self-assessment of performance for each of the local milestones (see box 9.2), based on their responses in the second local coordinator survey.
Coordinators were more likely than not to have reported some level of implementation action in relation to 10 of 12 local milestones. For the two remaining milestones (7 and 11), no action was as common a response as some level of action. This could suggest that establishing and maintaining local self-help groups (milestone 7) and gaining access to and using evidence from a Public Mental Health Resource Service (milestone 11) are areas that local coordinators are finding more difficult to implement, or are less confidence in their progress towards implementation. The fact that, to date, there is no structure or entity with the name 'Public Mental Health Resource Service' may well have influenced this perception.
The most reported progress has been made with establishing local action plans to implement Choose Life (milestone 1) and developing and implementing local training programmes in line with national and local strategy and plans (milestone 8).
Box 9.2 Choose Life local milestones - Local alliances in place with recognised coordination
- Local action plans established to implement Choose Life
- Local Health Improvement and Community Plans incorporating key points of local suicide reduction plans
- Action underway to implement local action plans with additional local investment
- Funding support provided as an incentive to direct resources and expertise at priority groups within mainstream programmes and activities
- Local innovative practice established and undertaken by local voluntary and community groups
- Support provided to establish and maintain local self-help groups
- Local training programmes developed and implemented in line with national and local strategy and plans
- Local areas provided with effective support and information by NIST and involved proactively in National Implementation Support Network
- Local areas have access to national and local data in suitable formats with evidence of use of data in local planning and implementation processes
- Local areas have access to Public Mental Health Resource Service and use this evidence (and others) to inform implementation of action plans
- Local developments informed by evidence of effective interventions and by sharing of practical experience
|
Table 9.3 Frequency of responses to progress on local milestones
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | Total | Total % |
|---|
Not Recognised (1) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 11 | 3.27 |
|---|
No plans for action (2) | 0 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 7 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 24 | 7.14 |
|---|
Not yet implemented (3) | 1 | 1 | 5 | 4 | 2 | 1 | 8 | 2 | 4 | 4 | 5 | 8 | 45 | 13.39 |
|---|
Partially implemented (4) | 13 | 11 | 11 | 16 | 7 | 13 | 10 | 9 | 14 | 15 | 9 | 11 | 139 | 41.37 |
|---|
Well implemented (5) | 12 | 14 | 9 | 0 | 9 | 10 | 3 | 15 | 3 | 4 | 2 | 5 | 86 | 25.60 |
|---|
No Response | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 5 | 3 | 30 | 8.93 |
|---|
Invalid Response | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0.30 |
|---|
Total | 28 | 28 | 28 | 28 | 28 | 28 | 28 | 28 | 28 | 28 | 28 | 28 | 336 | 100.00 |
|---|
Figure 9.3a Local milestones: frequency of responses
(implementation progress)
Figure 9.3b Mean scores for local milestones
(where 5 is high, and 0 is low)
Figure 9.4 Coordinators' self-assessment of performance on local milestones (2004-06)
Figure 9.4 compares the mean self-assessment scores of local coordinators in terms of implementation action on local milestones in the 2004/05 and 2005/06 surveys. Variances between the surveys are small, although all milestones except 9 ('Local areas provided with effective support and information by NIST and involved proactively in National Implementation Support Network') show a slight increase in self-assessment scores over time.
Table 9.4 ranks each of these milestones out of 12 in terms of the mean self-assessment scores received in the first and second surveys (where 1 is the highest scoring milestone, and 12 the lowest). The table indicates consistency over the two surveys in terms of how progress towards individual local milestones has been ranked by local coordinators. Coordinators continue to suggest that most progress has been made in terms of developing and implementing local training programmes (milestone 8) and continue to rate milestones 4 and 11 lowest in terms of implementation action taken.
Table 9.4 Variance in ranking of local milestones between first and second survey
Milestone | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 |
|---|
Year | 05 | 06 | 05 | 06 | 05 | 06 | 05 | 06 | 05 | 06 | 05 | 06 | 05 | 06 | 05 | 06 | 05 | 06 | 05 | 06 | 05 | 06 | 05 | 06 |
|---|
Rank (1-12) | 2 | 3 | 3 | =1 | 8 | 5 | 12 | 11 | 7 | 8 | 4 | 4 | 10 | 10 | 1 | =1 | 10 | 9 | 9 | =6 | 11 | 12 | 5 | =6 |
|---|
Difference |  1
|  2
| 3 | 1 | 1 | = | = | = | 1 | 3 | 1 | 1 |
|---|
9.3 Summary
This section reports on perceived, rather than actual, progress towards national and local milestones, based on local coordinators' satisfaction with national action towards milestones, the Choose Life Head of Implementation's views on national action and local coordinators' own assessment of their progress towards implementing local milestones.
These findings are based on the results of two local coordinator surveys and an interview with Choose Life's Head of Implementation. Because of changes in some personnel between the two surveys, and some areas choosing not to respond, we have not investigated change in individual local areas over the two surveys. However, by combining responses from across the 32 sites, a general pattern does emerge.
In terms of the national milestones, coordinators reported general satisfaction with national action taken towards all milestones, except milestone 12 ('Performance management arrangements established to monitor impact of strategy and action plan on service provision'), where dissatisfaction levels were higher.
In terms of the local milestones, coordinators were more likely than not to have reported some level of implementation action in 10 of 12 milestones. Most self-reported action had been taken in terms of developing and implementing local training programmes (milestone 8) and least action was recorded for milestone 11 ('Local areas have access to Public Mental Health Resource Service and use this evidence (and others) to inform implementation of action plans').
With one exception (national milestone 5), there was considerable consistency over the two local surveys in those national and local milestones that were rated highest and lowest by local coordinators.
« Previous | Contents | Next »