The way we currently deliver health and social care is unsustainable. In particular demographic pressures, the changing burden of disease and rising patient and public expectations are driving the need to integrate and innovate.
It is well documented that we must make greater use of wider health and social care partners to deliver care for patients, reduce waste, reduce unscheduled hospital admissions, prevent avoidable illness and promote a healthy lifestyle for the general public within communities.
We have a deprived population for whom lifestyle risk behaviours, life expectancy and health outcomes are poorer than is acceptable. We want to address the underlying health inequalities and mobilise our system of care to better meet the needs of our community. It is agreed that fundamental changes in how care and support is designed and delivered across the entire journey of health and social care is required. This will include new workforce models, embracing technology, and relentless adoption and adaption of solutions that are known to work.
Care City brings partners together to accelerate progress in two areas:
Healthy Ageing
Frail older populations are a growing proportion of our society, with complex and multiple needs, and a group for whom the whole system of care interacts, from voluntary services through social to acute services. How the health and social care systems respond to this is a topic of growing national relevance and concern.
For example. Havering has London’s oldest population, with the average age of residents exceeding the national average, the lowest birth rates, and the highest proportion of the ‘oldest old’ in London. In addition, the cost to support people in their last year of life doubles, predominately driven by medicines management costs.
Care City will mobilise partners to:
- Reduce avoidable injury and premature deaths of older people
- Improve quality of care and care coordination for people with multiple conditions
- Support new models of care for older people, particularly through linking technology with different workforce models
- Increase the number of older people enjoying high quality of life and reduced social isolation
- Increase the number of older people participating in social, cultural and economic life.
- Supporting people to manage their long term condition(s), particularly CVD, COPD, Diabetes, Dementia and Depression
Social Regeneration
Interrelationships between society, employment and health are known. For example in Barking and Dagenham we see one of the highest unemployment rates in London and the lowest levels of life expectancy in London. We see similar pockets of deprivation across our patch. We want to ensure our innovations bring investment and opportunity to regenerate our deprived populations and facilitate social inclusion.
Care City will mobilise partners to:
- Improve employment readiness and employment rates; and
- Increase positive contributions in communities and society overall
With the health and social care sector facing remarkable challenges as the population increases and ages, it is recognised that innovation and service redesign are essential if we are to continue to deliver world class health and social care services.
We aim to make Care City a centre of excellence innovating how community care is delivered which will be recognised across the UK and internationally.
