Monday 7 November 2016
In a first for Bromley, local health organisations and the third sector (voluntary and community organisations) have signed a formal agreement to provide more joined up services for patients.
The formal agreement means that hospital; community; GPs; mental health and third sector services will work together in a more collaborative way to improve outcomes for the people of Bromley leading to longer, healthier happier lives.
This joined-up care will be delivered through a new model called an integrated care network. There will be three of these networks in Bromley, each covering around a third of the population. Services will be brought together within each of these integrated care networks so that care is more co-ordinated and joined up for patients. This new model of care started to be delivered at the end of October 2016.
Dr Angela Bhan, Chief Officer of NHS Bromley CCG said, “We have made really good progress over the last year to design better joined up care for patients and their families. We have worked with organisations that deliver care in our community, our hospital services and our patient groups have also helped. All our healthcare providers and our third sector are signed up to making integrated care work which puts us in a great position”.
Dr Ruchira Paranjape, Principal Clinical Lead at the CCG and a Bromley GP said, “The first phase is to identify patients with the greatest need. We expect around 1,600 patients to be identified in the first year. These are usually patients with complex long term conditions who need services from many organisations. These patients will get care delivered by a team of professionals from these organisations, who will work together to meet all their health needs and identify any additional needs that could benefit from support from voluntary sector services”.
“If every clinician is able to care for patients in greatest need more efficiently, then collectively that will make a really big difference, to individual patients, to families and also to health care services over all”.
Extra staff will be employed, for example community geriatricians and care navigators (who will help direct patients to the right place for information and advice). New technologies are also being introduced including shared care records. This will allow everyone caring for each individual to have appro
priate information quickly to make the right decision at the right time for their patient. Patients will also be supported to take care of their health to avoid them becoming unwell.
Dr Paul Donohoe, Deputy Medical Director at the Princess Royal University Hospital added, “We are very excited about this work and how it will improve the quality of care for our patients. There has been a real spirit of collaboration, with the patient at the centre of this work. We look forward to working with our partners to make real strides in joined-up care for the benefit of patients in Bromley.”
Colin Maclean, Chair of Bromley Third Sector Enterprise (and also Chief Executive of Community Links Bromley) said, “The third sector is delighted to be working closely alongside health care services and to be playing a greater role in supporting patients. Local third sector organisations have formed a partnership called Bromley Third Sector Enterprise to better coordinate third sector services for patients. We will have a crucial role in signposting patients to the services they need and supporting them to stay well”.
ENDS
Notes for Editors
1. More information on the Integrated Care Networks is available on the Bromley CCG website at www.bromleyccg.nhs.uk or contact Kelly.scanlon@nhs.net
2. A photograph of health leaders in Bromley signing the formal agreement (called a memorandum of understanding) is supplied.
3. A video which provides information about the improvements being made in Bromley and wider across south east London is available here https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GQZnNs9pKyc
3. If you would like to get more involved in the work of Bromley CCG, you can join our Patient Advisory Group. More information, together with a registration form is available on our website.
Photograph is available in a higher resolution if required.
Back row from left to right:
Jonathan Lewis – Chief Executive Bromley Healthcare, Colin Maclean – Chair of Bromley Third Sector Enterprise and Community Links Bromley, Dr Andrew Parson – GP Chair at Bromley CCG, Dr Paul Donohoe, Deputy Medical Director at King’s College Hospital NHS Foundation Trust and Dr Peter Kerr, Director at the Bromley GP Alliance.
Front row from left to right:
Penny Hansford – Director of Nursing at St Christopher’s, Dr Angela Bhan – Chief Officer at Bromley CCG, Jill Solly, Head of Health System Partnerships at King’s College Hospital NHS Foundation Trust and Estelle Frost, Director of Older People’s Mental Health Services at Oxleas NHS Foundation Trust.