The Malmö Elderly Care Test Bed, in which Forum for Social Innovation Sweden a partner, is a development platform where new ideas and solutions are tested in practice. The goal is to improve the quality and innovative capacity of health and social care. The Test Bed will be on site to discuss its work during the Social Innovation Summit.
The test bed began as a feasibility study in 2012 and transitioned into a project in 2013. The purpose of the feasibility study was to determine whether the conditions were in place to establish a test bed at all. The project has focused on developing the structure, establishing the test bed, and carrying out a range of activities, all with the goal of promoting a culture of innovation in health and social care. In November 2016, the project’s final report will be submitted, and the initiative will be implemented in the City of Malmö.
The purpose of the Malmö Elderly Care Test Bed is to improve the quality and innovation capacity of health and social care services and to enhance the sense of safety and security in people’s own homes. The test bed is run by the City of Malmö in close collaboration with Forum for Social Innovation Sweden Forum for Social Innovation Sweden Forum for Social Innovation Sweden Malmö University, and Medeon AB, with support from VINNOVA.
– The test bed has served as a platform where we have worked to identify new approaches and needs-driven solutions to improve the quality of health and social care. The focus has been on innovations based on the needs of people aged 65 and older living in their own homes. We have also developed new partnerships and created new networks, both within and outside the City of Malmö. With the test bed, we wanted to open the door to a different way of thinking and working, says Jaklina Strand, project manager for the Test Bed for Elderly Care.
Per-Anders Hillgren from Malmö University and Forum for Social Innovation Sweden been involved in the project as a design researcher:
– We haven’t just focused on specific solutions; instead, we’ve tried to keep the conversation going about the kind of life we want to live as we get older.
The test bed as a design lab
Although it is not explicitly stated in any project descriptions that the test bed is a design lab, with support from Forum for Social Innovation Sweden much of the work has been carried out in the same spirit and with a project structure similar to that of a design lab. The test bed has a strong focus on a user and citizen perspective and supports development work in which staff, users, researchers, the business community, and the nonprofit sector continuously collaborate to create new solutions that address the challenges of today and tomorrow in elder care.
One example of this is how the culture of innovation has been strengthened in certain parts of Malmö City’s health and social care organization. For instance, during 2015–2016, the Söder City District Administration ran a number of knowledge circles to improve operations, organized into different focus areas as part of the test bed project. (The link is at the end of the text.)
Staff knowledge
“The staff possess a wealth of knowledge, and that knowledge isn’t just transferred ‘from the outside in’ but also ‘from the inside out.’ For example, when healthcare and social services staff collaborate with businesses to develop various solutions that benefit both staff and service users, it fosters learning processes,” says Jaklina Strand, adding:
– We have sought to build various alliances and partnerships among a range of different stakeholders, both within and outside the City of Malmö. Ideas have been exchanged between our staff and researchers, between various companies and our staff, and also among different departments within the City of Malmö. This has given us diverse perspectives, and over time we have become increasingly adept at mobilizing the right expertise at the right time. We have networked extensively and shared a great deal of knowledge.
The activities at Testbädd Malmö show that a work culture with a user-centered perspective—one characterized by trust, where staff are encouraged to reflect on their work, try new solutions, and are allowed to fail—often enables staff to participate in developing innovations and contribute their knowledge to innovators.
The Söder District Administration has been particularly active within the test bed, but all of Malmö’s district administrations have been involved in various ways, including through their own liaisons within the test bed. Both Jaklina and Per-Anders believe that these liaisons have helped spread ideas and knowledge within the project.
Resume normal operations
As the final report is about to be written, the project is coming to a close, and the test bed is set to transition into regular operations, discussions about the future are becoming increasingly concrete.
– We have fostered a broad-based discussion across Malmö City during the project period. We have discussed various scenarios and considered what the test bed should include and how it should function going forward. We approached the feasibility study with a broad perspective, and we are concluding the project with a broad perspective. On the one hand, we want to collaborate broadly across Malmö City’s various departments; on the other hand, we want to continue our external partnerships. Strengthening innovation efforts in healthcare and social services is important for Malmö City. And it is important that this is done in collaboration with Malmö University, the business community, and society at large,” says Jaklina Strand.
Per-Anders Hillgren adds and elaborates:
– It’s important to foster a culture of innovation and think about how to do that. It’s also important to consider how managers can be supported in their innovation efforts. How do we develop innovative leadership, and how do we best support our employees? How can we systematize that support and make it feel more natural? There needs to be a way to try out things we’re not familiar with.
Read more: Questions and Answers: WHAT IS A TEST BED?