ICB reveals detailed plan for integrated ward teams for 50-100,000 patients

exclusive North West London (NWL) ICB has drawn up first-of-its-kind plans to introduce ‘integrated neighborhood teams’ inspired by the Fuller Stocktake.

All NWL providers, including GP practices, are now being asked to “put their plans in place” to “enact the vision” of integrated neighborhood teams, according to a document presented to the board this week past

NWL ICS Chair Dr Penny Dash released the paper outlining “the next stages in the development of integrated neighborhood teams” for the area.

There will be 25 integrated neighborhood teams, each consisting of one or more PCNs and around 100 staff, serving a population of between 50,000 and 100,000.

Providers will “work towards hub arrangements” where core services are housed “behind a single reception desk”, creating a “single neighborhood hub” offering “a range of health and care services”.

The ICB told Pulse that the development of the centers is part of a “long-term vision” and that it is “at present” “not thinking that they will replace any of the GP practices in the North West from London”.

However, the paper warned that “challenges remain” in implementing the INT, including that the boundaries of the ICB’s PCNs “do not fully align with the boundaries of the INT”.

It comes after the new Government pledged to “reform” primary care, trialling “neighbourhood health centres” which would have GPs and other community health staff “under one roof”.

And an independent NHS inquiry, led by Lord Ara Darzi, found that multidisciplinary and neighborhood working teams will be the way forward for the system.

The NWL plan said all centers will include basic services, including:

• General practice
• Careful navigation
• Social care for adults
• Community mental health, nursing, therapies and pharmacy
• Services for children (including prenatal and postnatal care)
• Social prescription
• Dentistry and optometry
• Home care and health visits
• Community Volunteering and Social Enterprise
• Public health intelligence

According to the document, the services will adopt a “no wrong front door” approach for “all services” that will be accessed “digitally, by phone or in person”.

The document referred to Professor Claire Fuller’s landmark 2022 review and said integrated neighborhood teams “are the vehicles to implement” the changes set out by Professor Fuller.

An ICB spokesperson told Pulse: “INTs seek to connect wider system support and focus on meeting the needs of the neighborhood population.

“We expect general practice to have closer connections with community providers, VCS providers, social care and community health services as a result of these developments.

“These organizations will work more closely together in preventing ill health and managing complexity in a community setting.

“In implementing INTs, we will leverage our system’s resources to deliver the model of care. There are no proposed changes to GP budgeting arrangements.’

Each INT will also have an ‘integrating role’, a role developed by an individual or a small team, responsible for facilitating practical operations within the team, such as business intelligence, workforce and organizational development.

The ICB said it expects these “integrators” to come from a primary care organisation, community health service provider or local authority and be in place by March 2025.

LMCs in London said there is currently “no established model” for the integrator role and that “a funding stream has not yet been identified”, but it has “been reassured” that the budgets of general practices will be closed and that an “alternative financing” will be made. identified to support this work.

The plans were discussed during an ICB meeting last week, where members of the public raised concerns about the future of PCNs under the plan.

A question submitted to the board said: “Why in this document do I not see the term PCN mentioned even once?

“It would certainly make sense to me to effectively build on these existing neighborhood teams to create this ‘integrated model.’

“Though some of these would have to come together to bring the number down to 25 as you seem to want.

“Why apparently start all over again, which could be such a good recipe for utter chaos that leaves residents with an unsatisfactory health and care system for years?”

The ICB told Pulse that these plans are “not directly related” to the controversial same-day center proposals developed last year, which are currently under review following criticism from GP leaders, and that will be discussed in a meeting today.

Professor Claire Fuller’s landmark review in 2022 recommended the creation of integrated neighborhood teams as well as “one-stop urgent care teams” that would “offer their patients the care that is right for them when they arrive at the their query, contact the team or book an appointment online.” ‘.

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