West Yorkshire and Harrogate Health and Care Partnership has been named as one of four new areas in England that will be given additional freedom and flexibility to manage the delivery of local NHS services. The Partnership will join the Integrated Care System (ICS) programme, putting the area at the forefront of nationwide action to provide better co-ordinated and more joined up care for 2.6 million people.
The Partnership breaks down the barriers between GPs and hospitals, physical and mental health, local government and the NHS.
This national recognition for the Partnership work is good news. It will bring control and influence over spending and transformation closer to local people and local places.
Working alongside community organisations and communities, the Partnership brings together health and social care organisations, including the voluntary sector and other care providers across the area to give people the best start in life with support to stay healthy and live longer. An important part of the work is tackling health inequalities whilst improving the lives of the poorest, the fastest.
The importance of joining up services for people at a local level in Bradford District and Craven, Calderdale, Harrogate, Kirklees, Leeds and Wakefield is at the heart of local and WY&H plans. All decisions on services are made as locally and as close to people as possible.
Watch this short film from Rob Webster, WY&H Partnership CEO Lead and CEO for South West Yorkshire Partnership Foundation Trust to find out more about our recent news.
You can also read our media release here.
You can also read NHS England and NHS Improvement Board Meetings in Common – agenda and papers from the 24 May 2018 here for more information.
What else has been happening this week?
West Yorkshire and Harrogate Local Maternity System Board
The WY&H Local Maternity System Board met last Friday. The Board agreed a new governance structure that supports the implementation of the Local Maternity System Plan. You can read the plan here.
Colleagues from Leeds Teaching Hospitals Trust gave a presentation on the ‘Leeds Way’ and how this will help achieve the Better Births Guidance. Yorkshire Ambulance Service colleagues also gave a presentation on the activity within their services for pregnant women and also the developments happening nationally to improve maternity care. A decision was made to utilise some of the midwifery resource in the LMS Team to support service development with an emphasis on training.
The WY&H LMS has recently received notification from NHS E on funding allocation. This will allow the LMS to move forward with the implementation of the plan.
Karen Poole has recently been appointed as programme lead and other LMS posts are now in the recruitment process.
The Board agreed that funding will be given to each Trust to support the delivery of Continuity of Carer. A discussion was also held on neonatal care. It was agreed that the programme will now explore the Precept Programme and transfer of in-utero transfers. You can find out more about our maternity programme here.
The Urgent and Emergency Care Programme Board (UECPB)
The UECPB met on Monday, chaired by Dr Adam Sheppard. The Board discussed the three priorities which have recently identified the current focus for work. The priorities have been discussed with partners, including the Clinical Forum. They are:
- an integrated urgent care system at a local and WY&H level
- system priority areas for A&E Delivery Boards to improve emergency care ahead of this winter
- technology and IT systems speaking to each other
The Board also wants to ensure that clinical commissioning groups have plans in place to increase the amount of clinical advice and direct booking available so that people get the right care at the right place at the right time. One of the areas discussed on Monday was the role of GP Extended Access in urgent care and the need to ensure that our NHS 111 service can refer people into these services where appropriate.
The Joint Committee Lay Member Group
West Yorkshire and Harrogate Lay Member Group met for the first time since the Joint Committee’s decision to establish the group as a formal part of the Committee’s governance arrangements. The Joint Committee highlighted the importance of the group in providing assurance for the Committee on public engagement. The Committee work plan and schedule of meetings for 2018/19 were also discussed. This will help set out the agenda for the lay member group future meetings. Jo Butterfield from the mental health programme came along to present about the work to date.
Local Health Care Record Exemplar
Following Wednesday’s announcement by NHS England about the first cohort of successful Local Health and Care Record Exemplars, we wanted to update you on the current position. Although we are not in the first three confirmed (Greater Manchester, Wessex and One London), we are still in a strong position having been asked by NHS England to provide more evidence and detail for some parts of our original submission.
Over the next three weeks, we will be working with our partners across the region to collate the requested further evidence to enable us to provide reassurance to NHS England that we are the next team for them to back.
We remain committed to delivering a plan to achieve our ambition to build the digital infrastructure needed to enable patients to have seamless pathways across the region’s health and care systems.
Our work on the programme has already brought cohorts together that hadn’t worked collaboratively since the days of Strategic Health Authorities. It has reminded us how much sense it makes to be working on digital elements as one and gives us an opportunity to do more for our joined-up healthcare population.
What’s happening next week?
- The Public Health Coordination Group meets on Wednesday. This meeting is chaired by Dr Ian Cameron.
- The stroke deliberative event takes place on Wednesday.
- Colleagues will meet with Healthwatch Leeds on Tuesday to discuss the work of youth forums.