Current projects
Map of Medicine is working with healthcare communities to implement clinically-led service improvement programmes.
A selection of our current projects is below:
North East London Cancer Network
Developing clinically effective cancer pathways on Map of Medicine in North East London
Fit for the Future Programme – North Staffordshire, England
The Map of Medicine is being used within the Fit for the Future programme to develop, agree and implement care pathways for patients. The programme of reform and improvement of health services across North Staffordshire is being delivered to provide more hospital standard services in local communities, achieve better collaboration between clinicians and care settings and provide better understanding of diseases and conditions.
Mental Capacity Act - Hywel Dda Local Health Community, Wales
Hywel Dda has published a local pathway on the Mental Capacity Act 2005. The Act says that all adults are assumed to have the capacity to make their own decisions unless it is proved otherwise. The principles of the Act are to support a person to make a decision when possible, acting in their best interests and in the least restrictive manner. The Hywel Dda pathway is designed to help provide care for people who lack the capacity to make decisions for themselves. The localised pathway improves engagement and delivers valuable information in bite size chunks.
Maternity Best Practice - Healthcare for London
The first of its kind, the Maternity best practice pathway has been developed by Healthcare for London to support the commissioning of maternity services and to inform women of what to expect on their maternity journey. Developed by experts from a range of healthcare settings including midwifery services, hospital trusts, and primary care trusts, the pathway provides women with appropriate and safe maternity care choices, particularly regarding place of birth and pain relief. Because the pathway represents best practice across London, it can be used by commissioners, maternity services, midwifes and women alike.
Southwark – Adult & Child Obesity
We are working with Southwark Local Healthcare Community to support their fight against obesity. Southwark counts one of the highest rates of childhood obesity in England. Localising the Map to develop an obesity care pathway for Southwark allows them to ensure that local referral criteria and guidance is easily accessible by all.
Musculoskeletal conditions - Cornwall Local Health Community
Cornwall LHC is using the Map of Medicine as a service redesign and communication tool to assist in achieving the objectives of their Service Improvement Programmes, with an initial focus on Musculoskeletal conditions in order to reduce waiting times from referral to treatment, provide assessment and treatment in the most appropriate location and improve the patient experience of the care journey. The LHC hopes to promote efficiencies in the healthcare system that can be redirected to improve service provision for patients elsewhere.
National screening programmes – UK National Screening Committee
The UK National Screening Committee (UK NSC) is working with the Map of Medicine to produce pathways for all the English non-cancer screening programmes it has responsibility for. The pathways increase programme awareness, help promote standards and provide a useful resource for training. To date, pathways for fetal anomalies screening (including Down’s Syndrome) and newborn hearing screening (including diagnostic assessment and habilitation) have been completed. Work has begun on infectious diseases in pregnancy pathways. Others, including Sickle cell and Thalassaemia, newborn blood spot, newborn and infant physical examination, diabetic retinopathy and abdominal aortic aneurysm screening, will follow in due course.
Cancer Reform Strategy
Map of Medicine and the National Cancer Networks are all engaged in supporting the delivery of the Cancer Reform Strategy. Local guidance for England has been added to six pathway by the pathways project team of the National Cancer Networks Forums.
World Health Organization
As part of its policy of corporate and social responsibility, Map of Medicine is currently working with the World Health Organization (WHO) to provide eHealth technologies to the developing world. Map of Medicine was the first e-health product chosen by the WHO's Sharing eHealth Intellectual Property for Development initiative (SHIPD) to be provided to six African countries: Nigeria, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia, Cameroon and Kenya.