Why we need to work together

 

As a borough, we need to do much more to prevent ill-health and help people in Croydon stay well.

Our population is growing rapidly in size. We are also treating many more conditions that stem from our own lifestyle choices. And, with medical advances helping people to live longer, many people are having to manage often multiple long-term health conditions.

The One Croydon alliance aims to do more to prevent ill health, as well as helping local health and social care services to work closer together to deliver more seamless care and support.

For Croydon citizens, this will mean less fragmented care built around the needs of individuals, and not individual organisations.

For our staff, this means social workers, GPs, district nurses, dieticians, community pharmacists working together with hospital and voluntary services.

 

Croydon CCG and Croydon Council have identified the care for older people in the borough as a priority for introducing Outcome Based Commissioning. This is being taken forward by the One Croydon alliance.

Our aim is to improve outcomes for patients and breakdown the organisational barriers that can often cause a person’s care to be fragmented and frustrating.

Outcome Based Commissioning is a relatively new concept in the NHS.  Unlike the current funding system which rewards health services by activity, OBC places the incentive on keeping people well, and the delivery of outcomes that patients have defined as the most important to them.

In reality, this will mean working with our partners to break down silos and deliver more joined-up care – at home, in the community and in hospital when it’s needed.

One Croydon is working to deliver the outcomes as defined by older people who use our services. 

This includes:

• How to stay healthy and active for as long as possible
• How to access the best quality care available
• How to stay socially active and independent for longer
• How to manage long-term conditions, and be in control of their care