Healthcare providers join forces for new proposed out-of-hours service
Shropcom and Shropdoc have partnered together to tender for the new out-of-hours service for Shropshire residents later this year.
The new partnership is being formed between Shropshire Community Health NHS Trust (Shropcom) and the Shropshire Doctors Co-operative (Shropdoc) and aims to deliver a high quality Integrated Urgent Care GP-Led out-of-hours service.
Shropshire residents recently learned that if they required out of hours medical help they will no longer be able to call Shropdoc from July 3. Instead they will call the National NHS Helpline 111.
Now the two organisations have come together to tender for the new Integrated Urgent Care Service (IUCS) which is being commissioned jointly by Shropshire and Telford and Wrekin CCG.
A decision is expected by late June, and the new service will start on 1 October 2018.
Dr Russell Muirhead, Chairman Shropdoc, said: “Both Shropcom and ourselves are passionate about high quality patient care in the community setting.
“The joint relationship will support improved urgent care service design and delivery, working collaboratively to ensure best use of resources for our patients.
“As a member of the West Midlands Integrated Urgent Care Alliance we will provide a bridge between local and regional planning for IUCS pathways, acting as an advocate for the needs of the patients in Shropshire, Telford & Wrekin.
“Our locally focussed Integrated Urgent Care Service, led by local GPs and Community staff, will draw on the expertise and shared resources of local Emergency, General Practice and Hospital care providers, to ensure continued innovation.”
The proposed new service will still mean that patients that need to use the out-of-hours-service will need to call NHS 111, but if the call navigator decides the caller needs to speak to a doctor or have a home visit, then the partnership will be informed and make the necessary arrangements.
Jan Ditheridge, Chief Executive of Shropcom, said: “We see it as a great opportunity – working in a new way, preparing the ground for future developments, building on the local expertise, reputation and relationships we already have for delivering out of hours and community care.
“This joint working relationship will provide stability, preserving what is good about our Out of Hours services while providing greater opportunity for quality improvements, job and career pathway developments for our staff, and better outcomes for patients and their families.
The idea behind the Integrated Urgent Care Service is to avoid unnecessary visits to local A&E units and provide care closer to people’s homes. Some estimates suggest that between 1.5 and 3 million people who attend A&E each year could have their needs addressed in other parts of the urgent care system. It is hoped that calls to NHS 111 can be better filtered so patients receive the correct advice or service.
Shropdoc, a not for profit company, has over 200 GP members comprising of General Practitioners from Shropshire and Powys. Shropshire Community Health NHS Trust was formed in July 2011 following the merger of the Shropshire County Primary Care Trust and Telford and Wrekin Primary Care Trust.
Jan Ditheridge, Chief Executive of Shropcom added: “Both organisations already have a track record of working in partnership with the other health care and voluntary sector organisations in Shropshire and Telford & Wrekin, and expect this will only strengthen those ties, reducing duplication and handovers for patients.”
