Project ECHO®
Project ECHO® (Extension of Community Healthcare Outcomes) is a pioneering telementoring programme.
The Strategic Planning and Performance Group (SPPG) is working in partnership with Hospice UK to facilitate the delivery of Project ECHO NI across 30 ECHO networks including:
- Care Homes;
- Mental Health;
- Palliative Care;
- Positive Behaviour Support;
- Diabetes;
- Prison Healthcare;
- Social Prescribing;
- Northern Ireland Social Care Council and Frailty.
The ECHO model has been shown to be an effective way of addressing the knowledge gap that all healthcare professions face due to the rapid growth in medical knowledge. Within Northern Ireland the Health and Social Care Board (HSCB) recognised how well placed the ECHO model is to address the growing demand for secondary care services in terms of:
- providing a low-cost high-impact model to address the growing demand for secondary care services,
- focusing on increasing capacity,
- improving relationships across primary, secondary and tertiary care,
- adapting to meet the needs and resources of multiple communities and populations within primary care through de-monopolisation of specialist knowledge.
At a time when healthcare providers are under mounting pressure to do more and spend less, this model provides an affordable solution to addressing a growing need in training and supporting healthcare professionals.
Project ECHO® (Extension of Community Healthcare Outcomes) is a pioneering telementoring programme which was developed in the School of Medicine at the University of New Mexico (UNM). See more on ECHO origins on YouTube.
Principles of the ECHO Model
- Amplification – Use of technology to leverage scarce resources.
- Share Best Practices to reduce disparity.
- Case Based Learning to master complexity.
- Web-based Database to monitor outcomes.
All Teach All Learn
The heart of the ECHO model is its hub and spoke knowledge – sharing networks, led by expert multidisciplinary teams, utilising multi-point video conferencing to develop virtual communities of practice. Each ECHO Network has dedicated IT support, admin support and dedicated IT equipment. Spokes generally join the ECHO sessions remotely. All participants will come together at the outset to agree curriculum topics, dates, times and case presenters.
Contact Us
For further information contact:
Martin Hayes, Project ECHO Programme Director – martin.hayes@hscni.net
Aine McMullan, Project ECHO Programme Manager – aine.mcmullan@hscni.net
Lorna Marshall, Project ECHO Programme Support Officer – lorna.marshall@hscni.net