Our partners
By growing the already successful partnerships in place across Somerset we can continue to work together to improve the health and wellbeing of the 580,000 people living here, so everyone can access and benefit from improved care.
Delivering a plan that meets the needs of the communities across Somerset requires the partnership of health and care organisations across the county. NHS trusts and Integrated Care Boards, local authorities, GPs and primary care, voluntary and community sector partners, can only provide the type of care that people really need by working together.
The health and social care organisations involved in the Integrated Care System for Somerset include:
- NHS Somerset
- Somerset County Council
- Somerset NHS Foundation Trust
- Yeovil District Hospital NHS Foundation Trust
- GP practices in Somerset
- Healthwatch Somerset – Healthwatch Somerset are an independent body who help us understand the needs, experiences and concerns of people who use health and social care services.
- Voluntary and community sector organisations – We work with a range of voluntary and community sector organisations to help us make decisions that improve services and outcomes for people and communities.
Somerset ICS Development
In Somerset, we have already achieved a lot by working in partnership; this has been strengthened through our response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Here are just a few examples of successful partnership working in Somerset:
- The Somerset Integrated Digital e-Record (SIDeR), our shared care record system.
- Long Covid-19 recovery service operating in primary care settings
- Redeployment of staff to support frontline health and care workers during Covid-19
- Rapid roll out of the Covid-19 vaccinations
- Mutual aid to support care homes in accessing equipment
- 24/7 access to the crisis mental health support line ‘Mindline'
- Transforming hospital discharge pathways and reducing delays
- Launching our crisis safe spaces in four locations in Somerset
- Transforming urgent care through ‘Think 111 First’
- Partnership working with local VCSE organisations to improve support to vulnerable groups
- Fit for my Future community engagement on the early thinking for neighbourhood and community services in Somerset
- Fit for my Future consultation on the future location of inpatient mental health facilities in Somerset.
These changes have been made possible by different organisations – NHS hospitals, GPs, councils, care homes, commissioners, voluntary and community organisations and others – joining forces to agree and plan for local people’s needs.
How ICSs are made up
ICSs are made up of all the partners in the health and care system, working together.
Integrated Care Partnership: a statutory committee jointly formed between the NHS Integrated Care Board and all upper-tier local authorities that fall within the ICS area. The ICP will bring together a broad alliance of partners concerned with improving the care, health and wellbeing of the population, with membership determined locally. The ICP is responsible for producing an integrated care strategy on how to meet the health and wellbeing needs of the population in the ICS area.
Integrated Care Board: a statutory NHS organisation responsible for developing a plan for meeting the health needs of the population, managing the NHS budget and arranging for the provision of health services in the ICS area – featuring representatives from local councils, the NHS and voluntary and community organisations.
Local authorities in the ICS area, which are responsible for social care and public health functions as well as other vital services for local people and businesses.
Somerset Integrated Care System (ICS)
Health and care services in Somerset have been working together closely over the past few years to improve services and provide more joined up care for the people of Somerset. In December 2020, we were formally designated as an Integrated Care System (ICS).
In Somerset, we have already achieved a lot by working in partnership; this has been strengthened through our response to the COVID-19 pandemic. These changes have been made possible by different organisations – NHS hospitals, GPs, councils, care homes, commissioners, voluntary and community organisations and others – joining forces to agree and plan for local people’s needs.
We’ve already made significant progress in Somerset over the last few years to improve care and provide more joined up services, this means that some of the work we need to do to develop as an ICS is already in place.
