NHS England has today announced that Tower Hamlets Together will receive £3,945,000 of newfunding to support the ongoing development and delivery of its vanguard projects during 2017/18.
The vanguards are partnerships of NHS, local government, voluntary, community and other organisations that are implementing plans to improve the healthcare people receive, prevent ill health and save funds. Considerable progress has been made since the vanguards were launched in 2015 and there is emerging evidence that they are making significant improvements at a local level.
In addition to the funding, Tower Hamlets Together will continue to receive support from NHS England and other national bodies to implement their plans, including how they harness new technology including apps and shared computer systems. They are also receiving help to develop their workforce so that it is organised around patients and their local populations.
Samantha Jones, Director of the New Care Models Programme said: "The vanguards are making great progress and have already made a tangible positive impact on the lives of patients and the working lives of staff. 2017/18 is a crucial year for the vanguards, in particular how we further spread their work across the wider NHS and care services. This funding, as well as the support we offer to them, will help them to continue to move at pace."
Dr Phil Bennett-Richards, local GP and Chair of Tower Hamlets Together, said: "We are very pleased with the progress we've made to improve the way care is provided to people here in Tower Hamlets. By working together to develop new and innovative approaches to providing care, we are bridging the gaps between health and social care services and ensuring the needs of patients are at the heart of everything we do. The result will be a health and social care system that is not only operating more efficiently, but is far more responsive to the health needs of our local communities."
Nationally, the total funding allocated matches that of 2016/17 and will be matched by funds and resources from the vanguards themselves.
New models of care, including the work of the vanguards, are key to the delivery of sustainability and transformation plans (STPs) which are being developed across the country.
In order to secure their allocated funds, vanguards will need to meet a number of conditions including: spread of their new care models within and across STPs, including:
