IPCHS Practices

Learn from real-life experiences with health services reform. We distinguish three types: emerging, promising and leading practices. Share your practice by clicking "Add practice".

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Oct. 11, 2016 Europe

Strengthening governance and accountability, Reorienting the model of care, Creating an enabling environment

Strengthening primary care in Voznesensk, Ukraine

The district of Voznesensk experimented with initiatives, such as provider payment mechanisms, designed to align service delivery with the principles of family medicine, becoming an example for broader primary care reform across Ukraine; effective local leadership, combined with political and financial support, created a stable platform from which bottom-up reforms were built; aligning local initiatives with national priorities proved valuable for gaining legitimacy and support for the initiative; availability and capacity to collect and share data was fundamental for improving communication between health providers and increasing continuity of care. A district-wide electronic patient registration and medical records system was created ...

Oct. 11, 2016 Europe

Engaging and empowering people and communities, Strengthening governance and accountability, Reorienting the model of care

Strengthening community-based mental health services in Cyprus

New political commitments to mental health reform led the government to pass the Mental Health Act in 1997 to promote community-based mental health care; a wide variety of community-based mental health services have been made available, with emphasis on services for prevention, early treatment, rehabilitation and home care; advocacy from the health workforce motivated reforms and helped define the vision for care transformations; strategic timing was an important contributing factor in achieving political support for mental health reform; partnerships with NGOs and volunteer organizations helped expand the continuum of mental health care.

Oct. 11, 2016 Europe

Strengthening governance and accountability, Reorienting the model of care, Creating an enabling environment

Strengthening disease prevention services in Albania

The government, which was strongly committed to establishing universal health coverage, launched a four-year Free Check-Up Programme to introduce free screening services for chronic conditions; adopting a proactive approach to prevention was essential for reaching and engaging the target population (all citizens aged between 40 to 65 years); significant efforts were made to improve the systematic collection and monitoring of population health data; government support for activities, and a key partnership with the Health Insurance Institution to reimburse health check-up services, helped embed the initiative into the health system.

Oct. 4, 2016 Europe

Strengthening governance and accountability, Reorienting the model of care, Coordinating services within and across sectors

Implementing early childhood development centres in Bosnia and Herzegovina

As part of a wider initiative for the social protection of children in post-war Bosnia and Herzegovina, UNICEF partnered with cantons and municipal governments in 2010 to establish Integrated Early Childhood Development (IECD) Centres; a situational analysis and piloting of the approach supported a sharpening of priorities and the development of practical solutions; longstanding partnerships between government actors and development agencies allowed for gradual capacity-building at the subnational level, enabling local uptake of new roles and responsibilities relating to early childhood development; aligning national policy with municipal action encouraged widespread adoption of changes, increasing consistency in approaches and securing sustainability ...

Oct. 4, 2016 Europe

Strengthening governance and accountability, Creating an enabling environment

Designing a national diabetes plan for Slovenia

The Ministry of Health convened a working group to develop a national diabetes strategy. After several years of deliberation among working-group members, the finalized National Diabetes Strategy was approved by the government in 2010; an active patient association supported patient engagement and involvement throughout the initiative’s planning and implementation process; meaningful stakeholder engagement across professions and institutions helped develop a common vision for the initiative; building trust between stakeholders took time, but was necessary to allow functional teamwork and effective plan development; oversight from the Ministry of Health fostered important linkages across activities, ensuring that changes to service delivery ...

Oct. 4, 2016 Europe

Strengthening governance and accountability, Coordinating services within and across sectors, Creating an enabling environment

Exploring new provider-payment models to incentivize performance improvements in Hungary

The Care Coordination Pilot was launched in 1999 to explore ways to improve the coordination and quality of health services. Under the pilot, Care Coordinator Organizations (run by health providers from general practices or polyclinics) acted as virtual fund holders for capitation-based health care budgets within their local catchment areas; carefully chosen financial incentives guided performance improvements by rewarding efficiency, incentivizing preventive care and encouraging treatment in lower-level settings; empowering professionals with new responsibilities helped to overcome provider dissatisfaction; extensive data collection supported analysis and comparison of local organizational arrangements.

Oct. 4, 2016 Europe

Strengthening governance and accountability, Reorienting the model of care, Coordinating services within and across sectors, Creating an enabling environment

Developing guidelines to reduce under-five child mortality in the Republic of Moldova

The government developed an under-five child mortality reduction initiative and established new standards and protocols for the observation of childhood illness; research conducted prior to the initiative identified the root causes of problems and provided evidence of the need to act; guidance and support from the Ministry of Health led to coordinated intersectoral action Educating and expanding providers’ competencies challenged pre-held attitudes regarding the detection and treatment of childhood illness; joint-sector delivery by health providers and social workers facilitated more comprehensive and coordinated care for patients; national ownership over the initiative was important; activities were fully integrated into national standards ...

Sept. 22, 2016 Europe

Strengthening governance and accountability, Creating an enabling environment

Strengthening the response to noncommunicable disease in Turkmenistan

The government developed the National Health 2020 Action Plan 2014–2020 to guide action on noncommunicable disease; international attention on key issues helped generate national momentum and political will for health reform; a strong understanding of key challenges, supported with baseline population health data, facilitated the development of the Plan and allowed tailoring of activities to population needs; intersectoral partnerships across government ministries helped to keep the Plan on the political agenda and safeguarded health reforms against being undermined by other sectors’ policies; aligning with the existing primary care infrastructure facilitated the adoption of the Plan; a strong public communication ...

Sept. 22, 2016 Europe

Strengthening governance and accountability, Reorienting the model of care, Coordinating services within and across sectors

Establishing ambulatory care for patients with tuberculosis in Uzbekistan

Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF), in partnership with the Government of the Republic of Karakalpakstan, introduced ambulatory care from day one (ACD1) as an alternative model for TB care; a strong understanding of service delivery challenges led to a solution that met patients’ needs; a supportive political and legal framework, developed prior to implementation, helped to sustainably embed reforms within the health system; strong relationships between key actors who had a history of working together aided the initiative.

Sept. 22, 2016 Europe

Strengthening governance and accountability, Coordinating services within and across sectors, Creating an enabling environment

Integrating health and social care in Highland, Scotland

A lead organization model was introduced in Highland to promote greater integration between health care and social services. This new management structure united previously fragmented professional groups, serving to streamline service delivery and improve working relationships; broad political support for integrated care created a favourable environment for change; strong support from local senior management drove the initiative forward; extensive local engagement across all care levels ensured widespread buy-in for the initiative and reduced resistance to change across stakeholder groups; design and implementation of the initiative was iterative and not every detail was worked out prior to its launch; leaders stressed ...