Polio Legacy Planning: Guidelines for Preparing a Transition Plan

Objective 4 of the Polio Eradication and Endgame Strategic Plan 2013-2018 (see Related Summaries, below) calls for the Global Polio Eradication Initiative (GPEI) to undertake planning to "ensure that the investments made to eradicate poliomyelitis contribute to future health goals, through a program of work that systematically documents and transitions the GPEI's knowledge, lessons learned and assets." This set of guidelines is designed to support that objective, which involves work along the following lines:

• Mainstreaming functions needed to maintain a polio-free world after eradication into ongoing public health programmes, such as immunisation, surveillance, communication, response, and containment.
• Where feasible, desirable, and appropriate, transitioning non-essential capabilities and processes to support other health priorities and ensure sustainability of the experience of the global polio programme.
• Ensuring that the knowledge generated and lessons learned from polio eradication activities are documented and shared with other health initiatives.

The latter might include, for example: interviews of polio personnel and review of polio programme documents (e.g., evaluation reports, existing implementation guidelines), staff surveys, brainstorming sessions, and field visits. As GPEI notes in these guidelines, ideas on lessons learned should not only be gathered by programme leadership and management, but from field staff who have insight into operational innovations that may not be widely known at higher levels. Successful documentation will capture "how" the polio programme learned and adapted to improve service delivery, including translating processes and systems in training materials, manuals, or operational guidelines that can be used and implemented outside of the polio programme. In addition, written case studies, media coverage, video and photo documentation, and academic journal articles are all ways to compile lessons learned. Where there is interest in applying specific lessons learned (e.g., microplanning, monitoring) to other programmes (e.g., malaria, measles), meetings or workshops could be organised so that polio experts can discuss technical processes and address participant questions in person.

Table of contents:
Introduction: What is polio transition planning?

• Objectives
• Guiding principles
• Expected outcome
• Timeline
• Roles & Responsibilities

2 Organizing the transition planning process

• Step 1. Identify a governing body
• Step 2. Ensure donor and civil society engagement
• Step 3. Establish a coordination and oversight team
• Step 4. Define the timeline for transition planning
• Step 5. Develop a communication and advocacy strategy for the planning process

3 Developing transition plans

• Step 1. Map the polio program resources - assets and functions
• Step 2. Document lessons learned
• Step 3. Conduct a transition simulation exercise
• Step 4. Link polio transition objectives with regional/national health priorities
• Step 5. Determine transition strategies
• Transition strategies for essential polio functions - "mainstreaming"
• Transition strategies for non-essential polio program functions
• Step 6. Build a business case for selected transition strategies
• Step 7. Mobilize resources
• Step 8. Facilitate stakeholder agreement on final transition strategies
• Step 9. Finalize execution plan(s)

Appendix A Planning checklist
Appendix B Asset mapping templates
Appendix C Transition simulation exercise
Appendix D Linking transition strategies with local priorities
Appendix E Transition case study: National Polio Surveillance Program (NPSP), WHO [World Health Organization] India
Appendix F Business case template
Appendix G Execution plan outline