Experiences of families using an early example of a neighbourhood multidisciplinary care team for children and young people in Birmingham, UK: a qualitative exploration of acceptability.

INTRODUCTION

In the United Kingdom, the National Health Service is attempting to address the increasing prevalence of chronic conditions, including obesity, and mental ill health among children and young people (CYP) by creating neighbourhood multi-disciplinary teams (NMDTs). These challenges to the health and well-being of CYP are particularly pronounced amongst underserved populations and it is expected that combining health services and social care services can help address these ongoing inequalities. Despite this significant shift in the delivery of care, there is a lack of robust evidence on families' experiences of these integrated services to inform their development. This work helps address this by providing a qualitative exploration of the acceptability to families of an early example of an NMDT for CYP, the "Sparkbrook Children's Zone", as delivered in Birmingham, UK.

METHODS

The study used data collected from two focus groups conducted with eight parents whose children had been treated by the Sparkbrook Children's Zone. The data were analysed using a directed content analysis to populate the relevant domains of Sekhon's theoretical framework of acceptability.

RESULTS

In summary (by domain), we found that that individuals' awareness of the service was derived from a range of sources and, although understanding that the service was multidisciplinary, they were sometimes unsure of the precise organisations involved (Intervention coherence). Parents described how access was supported by a locally situated and collocated service (Burden), the importance of the personalised relationship they developed with providers (Cultural sensitivity), and finally, the benefits of extended consultation time and the support they received for the family's complex clinical and social needs (Perceived effectiveness).

DISCUSSION: Parents appeared to be strongly in favour of the collocated multi-disciplinarity of the service over their usual primary care. However, more work was needed with larger sample sizes, a broader range of demographies, and across services that offered alternative staffing models. In this way, service leads and commissioners could better understand the key characteristics of NMDTs that influenced patient and family acceptability and engagement.