What is the integrated model of care?

The model is based around a premise that in order to make sure that the needs of children and young people are met in a local area that there needs to be less fragmentation of services, less silo working, and ease of access across professional and other boundaries; put succinctly combining horizontal and vertical integration (joined up care). The integrated model of care is the interface through which we are co-ordinating, driving and enabling integration through planning and delivery across local health, social care and education, making the right care at the right time in the right place easier to deliver; regardless of care being delivered by different providers and different settings, through use of integration there is less delay, confusion, repetition and duplication of services.

We are making whole system changes; without interfering with existing pathways that are working. With keeping children well and healthy being as much as a focus and making sure that the right people and professionals are involved when they are needed.

The whole system approach combines thinking about integrated working in whole of life, whole population approach with room for single condition integrated working when needed. The aims of the model have been determined by co-production and co-design at a very local level with families, children and professionals across many sectors as well as consultation with stakeholders; thus allowing us to amalgamate the needs of the community with system aspirations. We acknowledge that there are many ways to approach this kind of system working but see below a summary of the breadth of what we are able to do within the model of care:

Prevention

• Keeping children and young people healthy
• Targeting the key determinants of ill health
• Building greater resilience in children and young people

Promoting independence

• Supporting vulnerable children with social need
• Empowering children , young people and families to self-manage
• Supporting the provision of better and more integrated care closer to home

Delivering excellence in health, care and education

• Ensuring that there is equity of access and care for children and young
• Delivering integrated pathways of high quality care in order to ensure that children, young people and families receive the same level of care and education wherever they live
• Reducing variation and maximising the use of resources to support the delivery of outstanding education and clinical care

For more information and if you want to develop something similar in your area please contact the Connected Care Network.