Commissioners
Reduce health system costs and administrative time by using GENIE to connect people to local support and activities in their area
BOOK A DEMOWhy use GENIE?
Saves Money
Genie saves £170 to £400 per user per year in formal health system costs due to reduced hospital stays, A&E and GP appointments (Reeves et al, 2014; Blakeman et al. 2015, Welch et al. 2020). Genie reduces the administrative time service providers spend on preparing to meet patients, allowing them more contact time with users (Kennedy et al. 2016, Vassilev et al. 2019, James et al. 2020).
Evidence-based
Genie has been developed over five years by internationally recognised health and social care experts using and building on published peer-reviewed research funded by the NIHR and EU. Genie has been proven to improve health outcomes and quality of life for conditions including high blood pressure, COPD, diabetes, kidney disease and mental health (Blakeman et al. 2015, Welch et al. 2020, Bloom et al. 2020). It also improves community collective efficacy not just that of the individual (Vassilev et al. 2019).
Easy to Use and User-Centered
Genie enables patient-accepted network activation. Through enabling the visualisation of support networks, Genie helps users and facilitators understand and identity needs. Genie identifies preferred areas interests, support, health and wellness needs of users. Using the platform improves engagement and frequency of contact with existing network members and increases number of links with local and online groups and activities (Kennedy et al. 2016, Vassilev et al. 2019, Reidy et al. 2019).
Integrates with Existing Directory of Services
The Genie Directory of Services can be used either as the primary database for local services or integrate with existing DoS database(s). This means effort is not duplicated to maintain multiple databases and multiple local databases can be merged into single accessible directory. Commissioners can identify the needs of the different user groups and the need for support in different areas and underserved populations.
Genie is acceptable to users, link workers, and commissioners due to bringing together robust evidence base of positive impact on health, well-being, and social engagement of users; practical utility for users, link workers (e.g. social prescribers), and commissioners of services; and its simplicity of training and use.
What do I need to think about before getting a license?
- Who are the potential users (e.g. people who are lonely or isolated, live with long-term conditions) and facilitate Genie in my area (e.g. social prescribers, link workers, health trainers, local area coordinators)?
- Who are the local partners that can be involved when starting to use Genie?
- How can existing collaborations be maintained during the implementation of Genie and what are the local forums through which to do that?
What are the stages of implementing Genie?
The implementation of Genie involves two stages: stage one: tailoring to the requirements of the commissioning organisation and the needs of local users, and stage two: training, and adoption in practice.
Stage 1
- Who should be able to access Genie, and what level of access should different stakeholders have;
- The key outcome measures and performance indicators of of using Genie (e.g. number of users, evidence of positive changes for users, cost savings) required locally;
- How to set up and maintain the resource database linked to Genie;
- Technical process of the hosting and maintenance of the software;
- Local requirements about IT response time, data back-up, bugs fixing, and data security;
Stage 2
- Engaging representatives of local organisations and service providers in discussions about their involvement in the implementation process;
- Agreement about the locally needed number of training and train-the-trainer sessions, and additional follow up support;
- Training Genie facilitators at sessions organised by the Genie team (up to 3 hours each);
- Further adaptation of the Genie software and the process of its delivery to fit the requirements and needs of local organisations;
- Where needed, developing additional tools and their integration into Genie, e.g. feedback forms, outcome measures;
- Train-the-trainer sessions for facilitators once they have developed sufficient experience of using Genie;
How to make Genie sustainable?
- Tailor Genie to fit local referral pathways (e.g. GP, community, or self-referrals) and processes of delivery (e.g. by social prescribers, link workers, health trainers, as part of existing services provided by social services or community organisations);
- Be positive about working across organizational boundaries and geographical areas (e.g. develop a good understanding of different priorities of partners that maybe in tension with each other; build a process of negotiating a common agenda for the implementation of Genie across stakeholders);
- Engage with local partners as early as possible (these would vary by locality, but for example, social prescribers, voluntary and community organisations, relevant social services);
GIVE GENIE A TRY
Here’s the process…