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Devon’s health and care partners formally come together in a new partnership today (1 July) with a responsibility to plan and deliver joined-up services which will improve the lives of people who live and work in the county

 

One Devon – the name of the county’s new Integrated Care System – will also give patients, charities and community groups an even greater voice in shaping local services.

 

The partnership brings together NHS and care organisations, local authorities, the voluntary, community and social enterprise sector and Healthwatch.

 

Key components of the Integrated Care System for Devon are:

• NHS Devon – an Integrated Care Board which replaces NHS Devon Clinical Commissioning Group. It decides how its £2.3 billion NHS budget is spent and?develops a plan to improve people’s health, deliver higher-quality care and better value for money.?
• One Devon Partnership – a new committee that includes membership from a range of organisations and groups who can influence people’s health, wellbeing and care. Its primary aim is to produce a strategy to join-up services, reduce health inequalities, and improve people’s wellbeing, outcomes and experiences. All health and care organisations will be responsible for delivering this strategy.
• Local areas will also have more power to innovate in ways that work best for their local communities through five Local Care Partnerships (Eastern, Northern, Plymouth, Southern and Western), which see organisations like hospital trusts, councils and community groups coming together to plan and deliver services in the communities where people live and work.
• Two Provider Collaboratives, focussing on mental health and hospital (acute) services will look at how we deliver sustainable, efficient and outcomes-based services.

 

The Integrated Care System allows organisations to work together more collaboratively, to provide better coordinated care and improve support for people’s health and wellbeing. As a system, One Devon will be increasingly focused on enabling wellness, with more focus on the wider factors impacting our health, such as housing, employment, leisure, green space and access to transport.

 

Dr Sarah Wollaston, Chair of NHS Devon said: “Our mission is to make sure that everyone in Devon has an equal chance to live long, healthy and happy lives. My vision is that we’ll get on top of the long waits people are experiencing and also to make sure that services feel much more joined up around people and much more accessible.”

One example of this new approach to collaboration that is already working and making difference, can be found in north Devon, where the NHS works with local communities to improve people’s lives through a series of programmes, known as “Flow”. These bring organisations such as local authorities, the NHS and police together to tailor support for people with multiple or complex needs.

Similarly, NHS Devon, Livewell Southwest, Plymouth City Council and Age UK Plymouth worked together to open a short term care centre in Plymouth in May, allowing people to be discharged from Derriford Hospital and to regain their confidence and independence in a supportive environment. Guests are able to make use of a kitchen and supported to gain confidence in having a shower, dressing and taking their medication without supervision, as they would do at home.

 

Chief Executive of Plymouth City Council Tracey Lee said: “The purpose of One Devon is to make sure that everyone who has a part to play in the health and wellbeing of the people of Devon comes together but also, really importantly, to hear the voice of people who use services.”

 

Liz Davenport, Chief Executive of Torbay and South Devon NHS Foundation Trust,  said: “People in our communities are the experts in their care. They know what they want and what they need. Our job is to listen and respond to people and to co-design services that meet their needs and in a way that respects the diversity within our communities.”