Local NHS commissioners have awarded the contract to deliver community services across County Durham & Darlington for the next five years to County Durham and Darlington NHS Foundation Trust.
In a move which will bring greater collaboration and partnership between services across the health and social care system to improve the way patients with long term conditions are cared for in the community preventing unnecessary admissions to hospital.
The new service commissioned by 3 Clinical Commissioning Groups (CCGs) ; Darlington CCG, North Durham CCG and Durham Dales, Easington and Sedgefield CCG and in partnership with local government and the third sector today announced that County Durham and Darlington Foundation Trust (CDDFT) will provide these new services from October 2018.
We want to grow and improve local community services across County Durham and Darlington to ensure that healthcare constantly meets expected levels of quality and that it continues to represent best value.
This approach is in line with our vision of developing an Integrated Community Service as part of out Five Year Forward View plans to improve access, continuity and coordination of community based health and care services for the local population.
The 3 CCGs carried out a comprehensive tender and evaluation process before awarding the contract to CDDFT.
Our aim is to develop and improve existing community services to prevent unnecessary hospital admissions and support people to stay well in their own homes. This new way of working will include bringing health and social care organisations closer together with a focus on prevention and early intervention. We want to improve the quality of services for local people by supporting multidisciplinary teams for those with complex needs.
Over the coming weeks we will be working with CDDFT and health partners across County Durham and Darlington to take forward this proposed new way of working ready for the new contract to begin in October of this year.
County Durham and Darlington NHS Foundation Trust has a strong track record of success and experience in delivering community services having been an integrated provider of both acute and community services since 2011.
Sue Jacques, Chief Executive of CDDFT said: “We are absolutely delighted to have been awarded the contract for community services. We truly believe this is a great opportunity to work differently with our health and social care partners across County Durham and Darlington which will bring real improvements to both patient care and also the overall health and wellbeing of our local communities.
“Our experience of providing community services over previous years gives us a fantastic foundation on which to build and we know we have a dedicated and highly skilled workforce ready to take on this new challenge.
“We will be working closely with GPs, local authority and voluntary sector colleagues as well as our patients and local communities to deliver services fit for the future.”
