Today the NHS, social care and public health in Sussex and East Surrey published their Sustainability and Transformation Plan (STP). The letter from Michael Wilson, Chair and Wendy Carberry, Senior Responsible Officer for the Sussex and East Surrey Sustainability and Transformation Plan explains, you can find the full letter below and attached:
Dear Colleague
The Sussex and East Surrey Sustainability and Transformation Plan (STP)
Our plan for person-centred integrated care across our communities
Tomorrow (25th November 2016) the NHS, social care and public health in Sussex and East Surrey will publish their Sustainability and Transformation Plan (STP).
The Plan outlines how we will all work together to transform and integrate health and social care services to meet the changing needs of all of the people who live in our area. It is the first time that we have all worked together in this way and it gives us a unique opportunity to bring about positive and genuine improvement in health and social care delivery over the next five years.
Like the other 43 areas (being called footprints) in the country; we have been asked by NHS England to produce a Sustainability and Transformation Plan (STP). This sets out how we think services need to change over the next five years to achieve the right care for us and for our family and friends; both now and in decades to come. It will build on work already underway to transform local services; and it will help us to deliver the Five Year Forward View which sets out the national vision for health.
Prevention, early detection, along with promoting people to manage their own care where appropriate, are central to all STPs.
You can find our plan on your local Clinical Commissioning Group’s (CCGs) website.
Across the STP we have a strong history of local engagement and the development of “place-based” care. We will continue to build on this work; therefore our STP is being delivered by three defined geographical areas. These are:
● Coastal Care
● Central Sussex and East Surrey Alliance
● East Sussex Better Together
Each place has built, or is building, a model that best responds to both local health and social care needs; and in the context of the health and social care organisations in the region. However, we are continually working across the STP to identify areas where we can combine collective expertise and resources. Currently we have identified three STP wide priorities; and we have local leaders to work across the area on developing and sharing the best models of care. These are:
● Urgent and Emergency Care
● Frailty
● Primary care
It is important to note that all of the plans draw from existing engagement work with local stakeholders; including the public and patients. We will be building on, and continuing our dialogue, with all stakeholders and there will be many different ways for people to get involved. Of course we will only be able to decide on, and implement changes, following a period of engagement and consultation with our communities.
This really is just the start of the process.
We need our communities to work alongside us and to join the STP wide conversation to co-design how we shape and sustain our services for the future.
The STP work is a huge challenge; but there is a pressing case for change. We cannot keep doing what we are doing. The current health and social care system isn’t setup to meet the needs of today’s population. Many more people are living longer and there are more and better treatments available - both of which are great - but this means that people want and need a different kind of care. Although most people get good care in the current system most of the time; services are not always good enough - for example people sometimes wait too long and we can’t always recruit enough staff.
At the same time, like many areas across the country, we are facing a big financial problem. Current figures show us that across Sussex and East Surrey Health and Social Care we have a budget of £4bn; without change we will be looking at an anticipated shortfall in our budgets of £865m, compared to what we think people will need, by 2020/21. Additionally we have three organisations in the area under special measures or regulatory action.
As we approach the more difficult winter months it is essential that we are offering the best and safest care for our population. So short term we are looking at making sure that there is enough hospital capacity to meet the increased need at this time of year. However, longer term we know that our communities want us to develop a model of care that helps support people to live in their own homes and to access services closer to home when necessary and one that stops them becoming unwell in the first place.
Creating a better system for all, based on sustainable integrated person-centred care, could mean one of the most important social changes of our generation. It will have a profound impact on the health and well-being of society as a whole and our STP process provides us all with a unique opportunity that we must not miss.
The STP will provide:
● Better health and wellbeing
● Better standards of care
● Better use of staff and funds
Our pledge to our community is that we want to get this right; and we need our community’s views in order to do that. So, apart from robust governance structures; we will use all the means at our disposal to involve patients, carers, the public and health and care professionals at every stage. This will include full public consultation when and if it is appropriate.
Over the coming weeks and months we will be pushing to involve more of you in our on-going dialogue on what matters most to you.
We will be using a range of communication channels to ensure that we reach as many people as possible; and will make special efforts to reach "seldom heard voices" - those people who may have difficulty communicating through traditional or digital channels. We will keep you fully up to speed on all of our plans. Sussex & East Surrey STP Page 3 of 3 November 2016
For further information please visit:
Coastal Care
● Coastal West Sussex CCG - www.coastalwestsussexccg.nhs.uk
● Healthwatch - www.healthwatchwestsussex.co.uk
Yours faithfully
Michael Wilson Wendy Carberry
Chair Senior Responsible Officer
Sussex and East Surrey Sussex and East Surrey
Sustainability and Transformation Plan Sustainability and Transformation Plan
Please find attached:
- STP - Sussex & East Surrey draft plan - presentation
- 3 Place Based Delivery Plans
- Winter Sustainability Plans