Update: TOGETHER FOR HEALTH  AUGUST 2016

Croydon CCG’s Together for Health programme aims to improve patient outcomes and experience as well as creating conditions for a more financially sustainable local healthcare system. It achieves this through actively promoting, encouraging and embedding Prevention, Self-Care, Self-Management and Shared Decision Making (PSSSD) within the healthcare workforce and the wider population to increase independence, personal ownership and personal responsibility around health and wellbeing. This will allow patients to become informed and active participants in their health - in line with the strategic vision laid out in the NHS Five Year Forward View.
August sees some of the first feedback on Together for Health pilot projects for the CCG. Of six practices participating in the primary care Group Consultation pilot, five have delivered their first group consultations. These are GP clinical consultations with up to 15 patients being seen at one time. Anecdotally, there are reports that patients and professionals are finding the consultations very useful. For example, practice staff tell of one diabetic patient receiving assistance from other patients on how to measure his blood glucose – a skill that he had not yet developed despite having the equipment for a number of years. A full evaluation will be available later in the year.

Brief Interventions in Diabetes

On 20th July 2016 the first Brief Interventions in Diabetes pilot was held. Over 30 clinicians, professionals and patients attended Croydon University Hospital to learn about multi-disciplinary approaches to promoting healthy lifestyles. The evaluation feedback received on the day was positive and evidenced real benefits for the participants. Around 90% of attendees responded that the training was a worthwhile use of their time, was relevant to their work and would provide impetus for them to make changes to their clinical practice as a result. 96% thought that their patients and their teams would benefit from the changes to clinical practice that participants could now make as a result of the training. A full evaluation will be disseminated soon.

Together for Health/Outcomes Based Commissioning/Public Health's Livewell

A programme alignment workshop also took place in July for the teams delivering Together for Health, Outcomes Based Commissioning and Public Health’s Livewell programme. The purpose of this workshop was to identify dependencies and opportunities for cooperation so that these 3 prevention-oriented programmes can build momentum together and join forces to create positive change. Lively discussions took place and a general consensus emerged that further work should be undertaken to dovetail the programmes.

Source: Dr Agnelo Fernandes – Assistant Clinical Chair, Croydon CCG; Dr Emily Symington – Darzi Fellow; Jimmy Burke – Commissioning Programme Lead NHS Croydon CCG.