Conference: Delivering Whole Pathway Contracts

Community Integrated Care will be sharing its experience of delivering integrated services and supporting the delivery of whole pathway contracts, at a Laing Buisson conference on Wednesday 23rd September.

Cath Murray-Howard, Deputy CEO, and John Heritage, Director of Operations, will be presenting a case study called “Pathway contracting for mental health services”. Here, they will explain how a new approach to commissioning is needed, to create clear pathways of support so individuals can always receive the service that is best suited to their need. They will describe how by doing so, individuals receive better outcomes whilst also helping commissioners of services to ensure better value.

They will also describe the role that social care providers can play in working in partnership with the NHS, drawing on John Heritage’s experience in his former role of Director of Integration and Operations at NHS 5 Boroughs NHS Foundation Trust. By integrating with health teams, care providers can ensure that people are not just having their clinical needs met, but also being supported to develop the life skills, relationships and support networks that are fundamental to living independent and happy lives..

We will showcase examples of whole pathway models that we support, including our role in Liverpool’s mental health pathway. This sees a small number of care providers and Merseycare NHS Trust work in close collaboration to create a defined pathway, to ensure that people with mental health concerns can always access the right service  for their needs.

Our work in this pathway has seen us develop an innovative service that supports people who have accessed hospital support, who are now physically well enough to live independently, but still need emotional and practical support.  It offers short-term Supported Living for up to six months, as a bridge between leaving hospital and moving back home or finding a more permanent care placement.

This service helps to ensure that people with mental health concerns do not stay in hospital for longer than necessary, but instead have the opportunity to live in a home-from-home environment. We also help them develop the independent living skills that they may lack – such as cooking, budgeting and planning skills – things that under traditional commissioning may be overlooked, and lead to people relapsing to requiring further support when discharged. This approach helps to overcome delays in discharge, where a person is well enough to leave hospital but alternative support cannot be immediately arranged.

Cath Murray-Howard, Deputy Chief Executive of Community Integrated Care, says: “The third sector and social care providers have a significant role to play in innovating health and social care provision. We can help to bring health care, social care and housing providers together, to deliver genuinely integrated services that promote independence and wellbeing. We’re looking forward to sharing the insight we have gained in achieving this, at the Laing Buisson Whole Pathway Contracts conference.”

For tickets and information, click here.