Working in partnership

Across our region, we have a strong and proud history of working together and are already at the forefront of innovation with many examples of major improvements in patient care over the last decade.  But we know there is still much more to do. 

Despite having some of the best performing services in the NHS and abundance of great care delivered by highly committed NHS staff, there are still areas where we know quality improvements are needed.  We also know that our overall public health is still amongst the worst in England with low life expectancy and some of the starkest health inequalities with high levels of preventable disease and early death rates.  All of this drives much of the pressure on our local health and care system with record numbers of people accessing services year-on-year. 

In line with the NHS Long Term Plan, healthcare leaders in our region have now committed to work together as an Integrated Care System to help build a health and care services which are fit for the future by working with local communities, our partner organisations and our amazing NHS staff.

In March 2019, NHS England confirmed that the North East and North Cumbria would be included in a third wave of Integrated Care Systems (ICS) for England.  Partners across health, local government and the voluntary sector are working across organisational boundaries to redesign services, ensure greater integration and collaborate at a much greater scale than ever before to bring the greatest health benefits to a population of 3.1 million people. 

In line with the NHS Long Term Plan, healthcare leaders in our region have committed to work together on six shared priorities to help build a health and care system which is fit for the future (click here).  As the largest ICS in the country, the North East and North Cumbria will realise its vision through four Integrated Care Partnerships (ICPs):

• North Cumbria
• North of Tyne and Gateshead
• Durham, South Tyneside and Sunderland
• Tees Valley

We are leading work across the Durham, South Tyneside and Sunderland ICP area, working with our partners and across organisational boundaries, to plan and shape how we can deliver the best possible care to meet the needs of our local populations and communities for the future.  Our Path to Excellence programme is already guiding a five-year transformation of local hospital services.  Phase Two of the programme also involves partners from Durham and those people living in parts of North and East Durham who regard Sunderland Royal Hospital as their local hospital.  A number of ‘working ideas’ for improvements to services have been shared with a formal public consultation expected in 2020.  These ‘working ideas’ include: 

• creating a centre of surgical excellence at South Tyneside District Hospital, to improve outcomes and experience by separating planned operations from emergency surgery
• creating a new integrated diagnostic and imaging centre at South Tyneside District Hospital, to help with the rising demand for diagnostic tests and scans - subject to a formal business planning and approval and capital investment
• continuing 24/7 access to urgent or emergency care for both local populations
• quicker assessment for older people to reduce unnecessary admissions and improve support services seven days a week, to aid recovery and reduce the length of hospital stay
• providing more care closer to peoples’ homes.

Partners across South Tyneside and Sunderland are also actively working on a range of plans to provide more care to people outside of hospital in their local communities, with a strong emphasis on supporting people to stay fit and well and live healthy lifestyles.  This work is being driven by All Together Better in Sunderland and the South Tyneside Alliance Group with shared priorities to:

• develop ‘primary care networks’ of local GPs and community integrated teams working together to proactively care for populations of around 30-50,000 people  
• improve the ‘urgent community response’ for people who are particularly vulnerable by working systematically better to prevent emergency hospital admissions.

For more information please visit: https://nhsjoinourjourney.org.uk/