There are some exciting times ahead as we await the green light to officially launch the Integrated Care Organisation on July 1.
Once all partner organisations have approved the full business case, we can really start pressing on with our plans to ensure everyone involved in the ICO feels supported as we transition into the new organisation.
It is, of course, vital that we maintain the high quality and safety of all our services during this process and your professional expertise is already helping to shape our ideas for service transformation.
Through the 100 Leaders programme and RDL engagement events, you have been telling us you want to reduce bureaucracy and red tape, minimise silo working and reduce duplication and waste.
We’re listening to your feedback to enable us to build on each other’s strengths and we are committed to continuing this essential engagement with you as our plans develop.
Looking ahead, we will be working with our Quality Improvement teams to develop our workstreams and there will be ongoing learning from the Integrated Care Programme for older people and national vanguards to help us improve the health and wellbeing of the people of Salford.
We are confident that we can transform health and social care across the city and together we will:
- Enable our patients and service users to manage their conditions at home and in the community
- Provide alternatives to A&E when crises occur
- Support effective discharge from hospital
- Help people return home and stay well
Although many of you will be embarking on a new way of working as part of the ICO, we do have fantastic examples of how we are already reaping the benefits of joint working particularly in reducing delayed transfers of care, improving transitions between hospital and home for adults with social care needs and we’ve made huge strides with integrated working at the Centre of Contact.
We have already learnt so much but we mustn’t be complacent; we know there is still a lot of work to be done as we approach the big day.
We cannot do this without you and we need your support, your views, your ideas and your feedback to help us to continue driving up our standards.
There are further engagement events planned over the coming weeks and months and the senior leaders will be out and about… so watch this space.
Before I sign off I want to take this opportunity to say a huge thank you to each and every one of you for your hard work and dedication.
July 1 will be a big day for us all and it is a marvellous milestone for health and social care in Salford and I hope you are as proud to be a part of it as I am.