Gateshead Care Partnership – Streamlining health and social care services for the people of Gateshead

Sponsored bySocitm-Advisory

When the Gateshead Care Partnership was formed, its constituent organisations were far from struggling. Most partners were already rated outstanding, excellent or good. But staff at bodies, including Gateshead Council, Gateshead Health Foundation Trust, general practices, and Northumberland, Tyne and Wear FT wanted to reduce fragmentation within and between organisations.

GCP was formed in 2015. Its members committed to work together to streamline services for patients, reduce handoffs, bid together for contracts, manage increasing demand and complexity, and share good practice. There was a particular desire to support the local council in mitigating financial challenges and in realising their ambition to ensure every person, family and community in Gateshead “thrives”.

One of the major focuses of the partnership has been a community services contract for which it successfully bid in 2016. GCP reorganised staff such that they work in localities, and created links between council and NHS services in areas. For instance, at council facility Eastwood Promoting Independence Centre – which provides respite, short break and assessment accommodation for primarily frail older people – joint working and co-location has significantly reduced falls.

The overall result has been patient satisfaction at above 90 per cent and £700,000 of quantifiable efficiency savings in the first year of operation alone. Patient choice has also been expanded, with service hours changing from 9am-5pm to 8am to 8pm.

Read a detailed case study about this project at HSJ Solutions

Finalists

  • Swindon Borough Council with Great Western Hospitals FT and Swindon Clinical Commissioning Group – Integrated discharge planning and reablement – HIGHLY COMMENDED
  • Berkshire West First Stop Service Partnership Group (Berkshire West CCG, Reading Borough Council, Thames Valley Police, South Central Ambulance Service FT and Reading Minster) – Berkshire West First Stop Service
  • County Durham Youth Offending Service – Co-commissioned health model
  • East Lancashire Hospitals Trust and Lancashire County Council – Home First
  • First Choice Homes Oldham – Hospital 2 Home
  • Guy’s and St Thomas’ Trust with Lambeth Council and Lambeth CCG – Lambeth Integrated Reablement Team
  • Norwich Escalation Avoidance Team – A single point of access for urgent, unplanned health and social care needs
  • Sheffield Children’s FT – A model for city-wide implementation of intensive behavioural intervention to improve sleep in vulnerable children
  • University Hospitals of Leicester Trust – Replacing adult invasive autopsy with post-mortem computed tomography

Topics

Winners of 2018 HSJ Awards revealed