Community and Primary Partnerships co-production kick off at YourVoice@Healthwatch

This month’s YourVoice@Healthwatch was a collaboration between HWLincs, Public Health, and the Personalisation Team across the Integrated Care System (ICS). 

Groups discussed the likes of what community means to them and how this idea needs to be reflected to achieve the aims of Community and Primary Partnerships (CPPs) – a collaborative approach to care. 

The groups then shared their ideas to the room, in an example of people working together to help inform this new era of healthcare. 

Healthwatch Lincolnshire Chair Liz Ball greeted guests before members of the CPP team presented an overview of the ambitious project to overhaul how health and social care runs. 

Victoria Townsend, Programme Director for Population Health Management in the Lincolnshire Integrated Care System, said the idea of a collaborative CPP came from looking at where services currently let people down. This research led to the recommendation that a partnership and network of people be built. 

Core characteristics of CPPs include whole population health management, an integrated multi-disciplinary workforce focused on a holistic, personalised approach, and resources aligned with the health needs of everyone.

Sarah Button, Head of PCN Transformation at Lincolnshire ICB, said that some services need to be “doing some of the things that people probably think happens already.” 

Often when services communicate the likes of patient details well, it is due to informal arrangements and good will, Button said. Instead this needs to be the formalised and standard way of working.

The current methods need to be challenged, Button said. This includes making the most of the “fantastic” services that already exist but must be put to better use.  

Taking a bottom-up approach, the CPP starts with the community and takes a preventative and proactive approach.

It’s acknowledged that for such change to come, there is no quick fix. “Cultural and behavioural changes don’t happen overnight,” Button said, adding that it’s expected to take three to five years.

Kirsteen Redmile, Lead Change Manager - Personalisation at Lincolnshire ICB, said that we need to learn together how we well address those challenges. This includes the people and all health and social care services. 

The CPP project’s Our Shared Agreement devotes people to develop a relationship between the people of Lincolnshire and healthcare services.  

To make this happen, five foundations form the crux of the shared agreement, which has been signed by Lincolnshire County Council, ICB and LVET. 

The foundations:

1 - Be prepared to do things differently 
2 – Understanding what matters to ourselves and each other 
3 – Working together for the wellbeing of of everyone 
4 – Conversations with and not about people 
5 – Making the most of what we have available to us

To find out how you can be involved in this exciting new movement as a member of the public, a professional or both, visit https://www.itsallaboutpeople.info/osa

HWLincs CEO, Navaz Sutton, said: “Today has been a fantastic opportunity for people to feed into the development of Community and Primary Partnerships. I have been amazed by the amount and richness of the conversations that people have contributed. This YourVoice@Healthwatch event was delivered in partnership with Public Health, and the Personalisation Team across the Integrated Care System, and we are excited to follow this up in the future to build on this great work.”

Many organisations and groups attended, including representatives from the signposting and information service, Connect To Support Lincolnshire. 

Picture above: Connect To Support Lincolnshire’s Rachel Jackson and Christina Worthington

Public Health Officer Jo Osborn said: “It’s great to come to events like today and see so many organisations and individuals in Lincolnshire wanting to support the development of community working and joining up the services. At Connect to Support Lincolnshire, we aim to create a resource that signposts clearly to the right support, and having community partnerships will help to strengthen this offer for Lincolnshire, so people can access the right services for themselves more easily.”

The YourVoice@Healthwatch event was attended and supported by: