Skip to content Skip to main menu Skip to utility menu

Heartbeat: Simulation 2020 – improving outcomes by better integration

December 28, 2018

Pushing the fast forward button to April 2020, set the scene for a large scale event held earlier this month to simulate challenges and generate responses that will be needed to improve health outcomes for our population in the near future, by working together across organisational boundaries.

The event included almost 80 representatives of senior staff from partner health organisations such as Sandwell and West Birmingham Clinical Commissioning Group (SWBCCG), Healthwatch, mental health and GP colleagues, and informed patients.

Our Chief Executive, Toby Lewis said: “This event was not about building a plan of things to do. Instead it recognised that locally we have been on a journey to better care coordination for many years. We need to improve relationships and understand how individual and organisational behaviour works if we are to move at the speed of our ambition and patient needs.

“I welcome the commitment of local organisations, especially the emerging GP networks to this programme. I am optimistic that in 2019 and 2020 we will see real improvement.”

The day started with a brief for colleagues to work together to come up with the questions they need to consider in April 2020, and moving forward until March 2021.

Focussing on ways of working and relationships that will help improve health outcomes for our communities – using available resources – meant that participants considered both the opportunities, and the hindrances to embedding truly integrated care.

Participants were challenged with media reporting of their decisions, as they happened, and were given the opportunity to correct assumptions made by the media, and put their key points across in very tight timeframes. Then they were asked to report in to two health and wellbeing boards as they would in real time.

Andy Williams, SWBCCG Chief Accountable Officer said: “It was an absolutely superb opportunity for all the partners in the system to come together today and really think about how we can work better together for the future and to really work differently to improve health and wellbeing outcomes for the population we serve.

“There are almost 600,000 patients registered with our GP practices currently, with the majority living in areas deemed to be amongst the most disadvantaged in England. Our population growth is approximately double the national average, and experiences ill-health and death earlier than most areas.

“Men and women typically live 57.4 years disability free (five and six years less respectively to National average). We have a population which is one of the most diverse multi-racial, ethnic and cultural populations in England.

“Although approximately 1 in 5 people currently smoke – which is higher than 1 in 6 for England average – the number is reducing. But we have a stretching public health agenda to support people to make healthy lifestyle choices, and reduce our mortality rate for under 75s which is significantly higher than England.”

Pam Jones, Patient Representative and former Healthwatch chair, said: “I think this is a very useful event. It is getting all agencies together and they are learning from each other about the things they can do and the difficulties they might find on the way.

“I think working together is achievable on a larger scale. I think an alliance between statutory organisations would work by focusing on smaller geographical areas forming partnerships, rather than one covering the whole of Sandwell and Birmingham.”

She added: “I think a large number of patients would be pleased to hear that people from different organisations are seeing how they can work together more effectively so that they can improve healthcare for patients.”

Participants attended the event in the same role they currently hold, enabling them to bring existing skills and experience to the task in hand. They were asked to consider working in a system with capitated budgets (meaning that every patient has a set figure allocated for their care, whether or not they seek treatment.) And, commit to improving the outcomes that local people experience. In particular, in the year from 2020-21, they addressed some key local priorities including:

  • The first and last 1000 days of life
  • Diabetes and obesity
  • Mental health
  • Childhood health and wellbeing