Hear from Research Fellow Dr Stella Arakelyan, as she takes part in a Scotland-wide meeting of Universities’ departments of General Practice in Carnoustie. Image A couple of weeks ago, I participated in the two-day conference where Academic GPs and researchers from five universities in Scotland (Aberdeen, Dundee, Edinburgh, Glasgow, and St Andrews: ADEGS) met to share their cutting-edge research, with high-profile plenary speakers giving fascinating and inspiring talks. ADEGS 2024 was a great opportunity for me to present the early findings from AI and Multimorbidity (AIM-CISC) work, focusing specifically on the care transitions (in and out of hospital) of people with multimorbidity. Although the conference was full of highlights (i.e., thought-provoking presentations, lightning talks, interactive discussions, not to mention Ceilidh dancing!), the workshop focused on developing skills to be a Change Agent and build a culture of collaborative improvement in clinical practice was of particular interest and value to me. The workshop, led by Angela Flynn, Jayne Stuart, University of St Andrews, sparked discussions on financial and operational pressures faced by the NHS and why change is needed, what change is needed, and how to identify, implement, and most importantly measure change. We discussed soaring demand for services, ageing population, widening health inequalities, multimorbidity burden, and climate change as key drivers affecting the health and wellbeing of individuals, their families, and wider communities in Scotland. In our groups, we developed ideas on the attributes of a Change Agent and barriers they may face to re-designing existing care models and pathways and covered the myths and realities of leading change. Image There was a shared sentiment amongst the workshop participants that more than ever, we need to focus on improving safety, effectiveness, and experience of care in Scotland and the wider UK and that approaches from implementation science are ideally suited for application to the transformation challenges our NHS so badly needs. The workshop left me with the hope that by empowering those closest to the problem to co-develop locally appropriate solutions that best meet service provider and user/caregiver needs we can bring about incremental changes in the NHS required to deliver high-quality care. Overall, ADEGS 2024 conference served as a dynamic platform for sharing knowledge and learning from each other, promoting collaboration and actions towards better healthcare in Scotland. Image Publication date 19 Feb, 2024
