Introduction

What are integrated care systems?

Integrated care systems are new partnerships of organisations that are planning and delivering health and care service that work together.

They were created following the Health and Social Care Act (2022) and they began work in July 2022.

Our integrated care system is called Joined Up Care Derbyshire.

This strategy for Derby and Derbyshire summarises the first steps for us under this new way of working.

What is the purpose of integrated care?

Integrated care systems bring partner organisations together to:

• improve the overall health of the population
• work to reduce unfair differences in health outcomes, experiences, and access to healthcare
• make sure that healthcare services are efficient and provide good value for money
• help the NHS support broader social and economic development

Our strategy for integrated care supports other plans and strategies for health and care in Derby and Derbyshire. These include:

• joint health and wellbeing strategies
• strategies for adult social care and for children’s services
• strategy for primary care – our GPs, health visitors, dentists, pharmacists, opticians, community nurses
• strategy to support carers

What matters most to local people

We have listened to local people about what they want from their health and care services. We asked especially about services working together, or being integrated.

From this we have drafted a series of statements about what matters most to you for integrated services.

These are called “I” statements.

Draft “I” statements

“I know how, and who, I need to talk to if I need to ask questions about my care”

“I know what to expect and that I am safe when I have treatment and care”

“I have appointments and referrals efficiently made for me by health and social care staff”

“I am always kept informed – about what the next steps are, or while I wait for treatment and care”

“I am supported to understand risks and uncertainties, and to take preventative behaviour change actions to avoid ill health later in my life, supported and informed by other services that are available to me”

“I am known and seen as a unique person, I am understood by health and social care workers when I first meet them”

“I am given consistent and corresponding information that is relevant to me, in a way I understand”

“I have treatment, care or support that is coordinated, and everyone works well together with me to achieve my personal goals”

“I am given choice and control over the planning of my care, and I feel listened to. What I, my family or my carer say is acted on, my decisions are respected and have rights that are protected”

“I have all my needs met that enable me to live as I want to, and I am not forgotten”

Joined Up Care Derbyshire will respond to these with “we” statements. These are the system’s pledges as to how these “I” statements will be met.

We will ask local people about the “I” statements and we will develop the “we” statements when we have spoken to you.

Health and care needs

We serve a population of 794,600 in Derbyshire and 261,400 in Derby City.

The health and care needs of the people of Derby and Derbyshire have been identified through our “joint strategic needs assessments”.

These assessments help us to identify and understand the health and wellbeing needs and priorities of our local communities.

This information is used by Joined Up Care Derbyshire to plan and commission services that help address those needs.

Differences in life expectancy and healthy life expectancy

There are striking differences in the numbers of years of healthy life that both men and women can expect, depending on where they live.

In Derby City average healthy life expectancy for a man is 57.7, which is 18.7 years less than in the least deprived areas of England. For a woman the figure is 61.6 years of good health, which is 19.2 years less than in the least deprived areas of England.

In Derbyshire county, average healthy life expectancy for a man is 61.5, which is 13.7 years less than in the least deprived areas of England. For a woman the figure is 62.6 years of good health, which is 13.5 years less than in the least deprived areas of England.

There are also stark differences within Derbyshire.

People tend to have worse health if they live in places that are socially and economically deprived.

Poorer health is also more likely to be seen among some groups of people, for example:

• Black, Asian, and minority ethnic backgrounds
• those with serious mental illness
• people living with disabilities
• LGBTQ+ people
• people currently homeless