Five integrated neighbourhood teams in Birmingham have been set up to pilot a new programme, aimed at keeping local people safe and well in their own home by delivering more co-ordinated care at a community level.
Neighbourhood teams (NT) have been established as part of the national Neighbourhood Integration Project; focusing on delivering preventative measures closer to home. The teams will form an integral part of the community integrator initiative in Birmingham, involving wider health and care teams to work together to reduce health inequalities across the region.
The teams will be based in neighbourhoods throughout Birmingham with the initial focus to identify and support local citizens who would benefit from a joined-up approach to care. The core team will be comprised of other community professionals when required including hospices, end-of-life care and care homes.
Birmingham Community Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust acknowledges that each cohort has differing needs in different areas; this is where local intelligence and the national framework will be combined to ensure that local needs are met.
During 2023, more neighbourhood teams will be created across Birmingham; each team will be responsible for around 30-50,000 residents living within their designated neighbourhoods of focus. The teams will be comprised of a wide variety of colleagues from primary care networks, primary care providers, secondary care, social care and domiciliary and care staff who will utilise their shared resources to improve health and well-being throughout Birmingham.
Chris Holt, chief operating officer for the trust, said: “We are already successfully delivering this integrated culture through our Early Intervention approach that we introduced just prior to the pandemic and which provided almost immediate results. We will be taking our lessons learnt then and applying them to this new neighbourhood approach. We will also engage with local people to shape services that meet their needs in a holistic way rather than treating specific complaints in isolation.”
