Our ability to stay healthy and well depends on a range of things, including social connections, employment, housing, and education. To make a real difference in people’s lives, health and care services need to reflect the importance of these wider factors and the role they play in our health and wellbeing.
To help do this, six Locality Partnerships have been established in our area.
Locality Partnerships work at a local level with their communities, to improve health and wellbeing. Each partnership focuses on a given area and population. They design services that fit in with people’s lives.
Locality Partnerships are made up of local health, social care, and the voluntary sector – with citizens and community as equal partners.
This can include GPs, councils, social care, community services, mental health support and local activity clubs. People with lived experience, their support networks and carers are also partners in each Locality Partnership.
Together they work as one team to understand what matters most to their local community. They then share their expertise, experiences, and knowledge to improve services for their population and ensure people are at the heart of every decision.
What does this mean for me?
In time, Locality Partnerships will ensure everyone’s care is person-centred, proactive and place-based. This means the support you need is personalised to your needs, considers the bigger picture of the wider factors that impact health and wellbeing and is closer to home.
When services don’t work together it can cause delays, frustration, and setbacks. Locality Partnerships join-up services and place you at the centre, tailoring support to your needs, preferences and situation. This is called person-centred care. It may mean appointments occur together rather than a series of referrals. This can stop you from being ‘bounced between’ services and reduce the number of times you tell your story.
Staying healthy and well isn’t just about healthcare and a visit to the doctor. Locality Partnerships look at the bigger picture and care for you as a whole person – considering wider factors such as mental health, housing and social needs. This is proactive care, recognising your strengths and helping to prevent illness. You’ll be supported to achieve your goals, improving the quality of your life.
Locality Partnerships bring organisations together at a local level, to deliver support closer to the place where you live. This will help you maintain your health, wellbeing, and independence in your community, where you feel safe and comfortable. You will also be offered more choice in your community such as local support groups, wellness activities and nature experiences. This is called place-based care.
What does this mean for people who work in the system?
The new way of working together allows health, care and community professionals to collaborate and integrate. This means they can apply their skills and collective strength to tackle local challenges so everyone can stay well, wherever they live.
The partnerships bring together and make the best use of existing services, local resources, and community assets. This is known as an ‘asset-based approach’, which allows partners to join up support and eases pressure from high demand, complex cases, and a lack of resources.
