A £13.6milion programme of priority projects to kick-start the transformation of health and social care in Aberdeen has been agreed by the Integration Joint Board (IJB).
Members unanimously backed the new Aberdeen City Health & Social Care Partnership’s six-point three-year strategic investment programme, which is designed to put in place the first building blocks to change the way services are delivered in the city.
ACHSCP Chief Officer Judith Proctor told the board that the six projects will “support us in delivering the shift towards a more person-centred and community-focused health and care economy”.
The three-year programme comprises:
- Acute Care@Home – a “hospital-at-home” project aimed at shifting the balance of care towards community settings and reducing the pressure on acute beds;
- Supporting management of long-term conditions – building teams of community support workers who can provide neighbourhood-based care for people with multiple health and care needs;
- Modernising primary care – a locality-based programme, starting initially with a volunteer group of GP practices, to oversee integrated, multi-disciplinary health and social care teams;
- Organisational culture change – ongoing staff development programmes designed to create a single “Team Aberdeen” health and social care partnership;
- Strategic commissioning and social care development – new ways of commissioning care-at-home, care home placements and self-directed support services at a local level, involving third and independent sector providers more closely into the care planning process as “Team Aberdeen” members;
- Information and communication technology – developing new integrated IT systems to help health and social care staff work closely together and to provide new “technology-enabled care”.
Mrs Proctor said: “The programme supports our ambition and intention to deliver transformational change in health and social care in Aberdeen.
“The primary purpose of the Partnership is to improve health and wellbeing, reduce health inequalities and enable people, with support, to take more responsibility for their own health – but a programme of ‘more of the same’ will not bring about the improvements we aspire to.
“Our population is ageing, and people’s needs are increasing and becoming more complex. Integrated teams of health and social care staff, along with GPs, are going to be at the forefront of providing the joined-up services in our four city localities which will address those needs.
“These six strategic priorities for investment will help start the process of change – and, with strong IJB and management leadership and good governance, I am certain our dedicated staff will rise to the challenge.”
All six strategic priorities are aligned with the IJB’s 2016-19 Strategic Plan and support its key priorities:
- to support and improve the health, wellbeing and quality of life of our local population;
- to promote and support self-management and independence for as long as reasonable possible;
- to support staff to deliver high-quality services which have a positive impact on personal experiences and outcomes.
The schemes are being financed from the IJB’s Integrated Care Fund. Additional funding of up to £15million over three years for further transformation change programmes is also available to the board, which will be targeted at changing ways of working at a local level as the new Partnership model beds in.
The board will receive regular reports on the progress of and the milestones reached in the six-point programme.