Having pushed hard for us to be part of this first wave I am delighted with this news that our area will be part of the national neighbour health programme.
It is essential for us – given our unique geography – that we reshape our health and care services to deliver more NHS care closer to people’s own homes. We will now be one of the first places in the country being supported to deliver this.
This will benefit patients by putting people at the centre of their care rather than being passed from pillar to post. Each of the pilot areas will be allocated a programme lead who will work with existing local services – using general practices as the cornerstone – to set up new neighbourhood health teams that will work together much more closely to look after patients. These teams will consist of community nurses, hospital doctors, social care workers, pharmacists, dentists, optometrists, paramedics, social prescribers, local government organisations and the voluntary sector.
The idea is to look at wider causes of health issues, helping to avoid unnecessary trips to hospital, and preventing complications. It is exactly what local doctors, and local people, have told me that we should be doing.
The plan for the programme is that it will initially focus on supporting people with long-term conditions such as diabetes, arthritis, angina, high blood pressure, MS or epilepsy – in the areas with the highest deprivation. As the programme grows, it will expand to support other patients.
The Morecambe Bay pilot covers the wider Barrow and Furness area including the primary care network (PCN) in Millom, the Integrated Care Community in Millom and Cumberland Council.
