Partnership working at the heart of health and care plans for the Wakefield District

Organisations from across the Wakefield District are working together to help local people start well, live well and age well.

The recently published Wakefield District Health and Care Partnership One Year Plan sets out the steps that local partners including the NHS, Wakefield Council, Healthwatch Wakefield and voluntary sector organisations will take together to create a connected health and care system that supports people in their homes and communities to live healthier, happier lives.

Key priorities for the year ahead include a focus on tackling poor property conditions and affordable warmth; developing new health and care roles; using new ways of working to better support people in their own homes, including ‘virtual wards’, health checks for people with severe mental illness; the development of family and youth ‘hubs’ across the district; tackling health care backlogs and reducing waiting times for treatment, and using digital technologies to transform how people receive care.

Dr Ann Carroll, Chair of the Wakefield District Health and Care Partnership Committee, the new decision-making body for health and care in the Wakefield District, said: “This plan is about bringing people and services together to improve health and care across our district. It describes how local organisations – working closely with local people and communities – will deliver more joined-up, preventative, and person-centred care for our whole population, across the course of their life.

“Working together in this way is an opportunity for us to do things differently and reach beyond traditional health and social care services to consider the wide range of factors that impact on people’s health and wellbeing, such as education, employment, income and housing.”

Wakefield District Health and Care Partnership is a sub-committee of the NHS West Yorkshire Integrated Care Board, which was created as part of legislation in the Health and Care Act 2022.  The partnership strengthens existing joint working arrangements between the NHS, Wakefield Council, Healthwatch Wakefield, health and social care providers and the voluntary, community and social enterprise sector, and sees these organisations coming together to work better with communities to keep everyone healthier, plan and deliver health and care services more effectively, make sure everyone is treated equally and fairly, and help health and care services become as efficient as possible whilst contributing to the wider economy.

Jo Webster, Accountable Officer for the Partnership, said: “We are expecting a huge change in the needs of our local communities over the next five years, in particular a significant growth in our older population as we live longer lives. We want to make sure that local people don’t just live longer, but that they live long, happy and healthy lives.

“Listening to our staff and communities, understanding their experiences and aligning our priorities with theirs is the only way to ensure that the changes we make, and the partnerships we form, contribute to improving the health and wellbeing of our residents.

“This one-year plan set out the key programmes of work that will help us achieve our ambition.”

Wakefield District Health and Care Partnership’s plan drives forward the four priorities of the Health and Wellbeing Strategy for Wakefield to promote health and wellbeing by reducing inequalities and preventing ill health for individuals and groups within our population.

Read the Wakefield District Health and Care Partnership one year plan. A plain text version is also available.