On 21 January 2021, ISRAA led the first Focus Group with the managers of the ValueCare project using the online platform SoCaTel. This tool was created thanks to a project from the Horizon 2020 funding program.
SoCaTel started on 1 December 2017 and will end on 31 January 2021. The consortium has 13 partners and the leader is the Rovira I Virgili University based in Tarragona, Spain. This platform allows users a free choice of governmental and non-governmental long-term care services according to their needs, thus strengthening the voices of citizens and their representatives. As a matter of fact, the participants collaborate throughout the process, from design to development and implementation, facilitating the co-creation of new services to address emerging needs and opportunities.
The synergy between SoCaTel and ValueCare has been put in place by organizing one of the focus groups previewed in the ValueCare project with managers, using this online platform in order to face the impossibility to have face-to-face meetings due to the Covid-19 pandemic. 7 managers from the Local Health Authority (ULSS2), from ISRAA (Istituto per Servizi di Ricovero e Assistenza agli Anziani), and from other realities in Treviso area have been invited. After an introduction on the aim of ValueCare co-design activities and training on the use of SoCaTel platform, two questions were proposed: one concerning the improvement of social and health services for patients with MCI (Mild Cognitive Impairment) and the second about the creation of value in services dedicated to patients with MCI. Managers gave their contributions via SoCaTel and at the same time had the possibility to comment on the contributions made by other participants.
After completing the first step of contributions with their ideas and comments, another step is previewed in order to vote some of the best ideas that emerged throughout the platforms. The added value is the opportunity to continue to comment and add their ideas also off-line without the need to be connected online all at the same time.
The innovation of this method could also be useful in the next round of ValueCare focus groups where the digital solution proposed will be presented in order to have important feedbacks on how to implement it.
