Current population estimate: 182,000
Number of GP practices: 25
Local authority partners:
Essex County Council
(provides social care)
Rochford District Council
Castle Point Borough Council
Current annual budget:
£254 million for community, mental health, ambulance, hospital services, continuing healthcare and prescribed medicines.
Creating local networks of joined up services
We want to see better collaboration between GP practices within defined localities so that we can offer a more flexible and responsive service to patients, as well as reduce duplication. We are developing four localities: in (a) Canvey Island; (b) Benfleet/Hadleigh/Thundersley; (c) Rayleigh, and; (d) Rochford. Each locality has population of 40,000 – 45,000.
Over the next few years, you will see joined up GP services, community services, pharmacy, social care and voluntary services. In some places this could be in a single health centre (a ‘hub’), whilst other localities may have several centres.
Extending the range of your local services
- GPs, community nurses, therapists, social workers and mental health specialists working together at your local GP surgery, within our localities will create more time for your GP consultation when you need it
- New and extended roles for pharmacists, advance nurse practitioners, physiotherapists based at your GP surgery, that can help to manage long term conditions and home visiting services
- GP partnerships will be able to extend opening hours and offer appointments at evenings, weekends and on bank holidays. In 2016/17, we added a further 8,270 GP and nurse appointments from two weekend centres, one in Rayleigh and one on Canvey Island
- Moving some hospital tests and outpatient appointments into our localities, for example, for skin problems, stroke recovery, pain control.
Examples of current progress
Neighbourhood Integrated Teams
Our new Neighbourhood Teams operate within localities and involve community nurses, mental health specialists, voluntary services, social services, community agents and carers’ support. Each locality has weekly meeting to discuss our most vulnerable and ensure they is a plan of care in place. The Neighbourhood Teams are currently holding local events to share information about all the services that are available to help keep local people independent and well.
Care Co-ordination service for people living with frailty
For the last year, we have been developing teams in each of our four localities, where a range of professionals work together to: (a) find our most vulnerable frail patients; (b) assess them, and; agree a care plan for each person.
Everyone has a named ‘care co-coordinator’ that they can contact as required. This team also includes a GP with an interest in managing frailty, pharmacists, an Age UK representative and a locality social worker.
Better access to mental health care
We have invested in therapy services so that each of our four localities will have mental health services that are more easily available in a GP surgery near you. Physical and mental health problems are often connected, particularly for people who are frail or that suffer from a long-term condition like diabetes. By bringing physical and mental health expertise together we expect to help more people to stay well and avoid having to go into hospital.
For those times when people need the services that only a hospital can provide, we have increased the funding for mental health specialists working in hospital wards and A&E.
More information is available at www.castlepointandrochfordccg.nhs.uk