Friday 20 January 2017

Developing accountable care in Halton

Over the last five years health and care organisations working in the borough of Halton have increasingly come together to improve the health, care and wellbeing of the population we serve. This has had most resonance and impact in services for adults in the borough, particularly for older people who are frail and require additional support. The collaborative approach that has emerged, which we refer to as One Halton, has been successful in reducing complexity and fragmentation, making better use of scarce resources and improving health outcomes and the quality of services for our population.

Since the publication of the NHS Five Year Forward View in October 2014  there has been considerable interest in “place-based systems of care” in which health and care organisations collaborate and share resources to deliver better outcomes, better care and better value for money. A recent publication by The King’s Fund strongly argues that this represents the future direction for health and care in England. There are many examples throughout the country where place-based systems of care are emerging on a more formal basis through a variety of governance frameworks. 

The development of place-based systems of care has been actively encouraged by the New Models of Care Programme established by NHS England following the NHS Five Year Forward View and is accelerating through the emerging Sustainability and Transformation Plans (STPs) being developed in response to the shared planning guidance 2016/17.  There is considerable interest in the concept of accountable care, where a group of health and care organisations take responsibility for providing all care for a given population for a defined period of time under a contractual arrangement with a commissioner.
 

The One Halton programme has begun to deliver what could be recognised as a place-based approach to health, care and wellbeing for our borough. We met yesterday with colleagues from our provider trusts, Halton Borough Council, the voluntary sector, Healthwatch and one ofour GP Federations to take the next step in our journey together by actively exploring and committing to establishing a model of accountable care that fits with the vision, values and ethos of One Halton. We agreed that we needed to start to shape what this may mean for our borough by engaging the support of AQUA, who have done similar work in areas such as Wigan and Wirral. Accountable care arrangements take time to build, but it is arguable that our work in developing One Halton gives a good foundation for this to take place with a degree of momentum and urgency.  

Friday 6 January 2017

Happy New Year

Happy New Year

This is my first message of 2017 and is obviously a good opportunity to wish everyone a Happy New Year.  January is the time that people make resolutions to abstain from certain activities or behaviours, or at least do them with a greater degree of moderation.  It can also the time to be positive and take up new hobbies or activities that enhance your health and wellbeing.  There are lots of opportunities that are on offer in Halton to give up smoking, use Dry January to cut back on your alcohol consumption, lose weight, learn a new skill or take on a new challenge – for example, volunteering for a local charity or community group.  Some of these may involve a financial contribution, some may not.  All require a commitment of time and effort from the individual, whether on their own or as part of a group.  So, if you are thinking about stopping something and need some help, or taking something up and need some support, there are many organisations in the borough who can help you.  Whatever you chose to do, good luck!      


Simon Banks