New Care Models and the Vanguard Sites

In January 2015 the NHS invited individual organisations and partnerships, including those with the voluntary sector to apply to become vanguard sites for the New Care Models Programme.

The 29 Vanguard sites are part of what is known as the New Care Models Programme, a new initiative by NHS England to support the implementation of its The Five Year Forward View (5YFV), which sets out the future vision of the NHS.

Chapter three of the Five Year Forward View sets out what these new models of care might look like based on a number of emerging models, including, among others, social prescribing services to cut the need for visits to accident and emergency, out-patient services and hospital admissions.

Each vanguard site will take a lead on the development new care models:

Inegrated Primary and Acute Care Systems – will join up GP, community, mental health and hospital services.

Multispecialty Community Providers – will aim to move services out of hospitals and into the community.

Enhanced health in care homes – will aim to improve services for older people, joining up health, care and rehabilitation.

Read a summary of The Vanguard New Models of Care

What does this mean for patients?

According to NHS England ‘this is all about making health services more accessible and more effective for patients, improving their experiences and their outcomes. This could mean fewer trips to hospitals as cancer and dementia specialists hold clinics in local surgeries, one point of call for family doctors, community nurses, social and mental health services, or access to blood tests, dialysis or even chemotherapy closer to home’.

What does this mean for the voluntary and community sector?

Many of the new models of care are focused on existing emerging models, some of which seek to make better use of voluntary and community services which can support people with long term conditions to meet their health and wellbeing needs.

An example of this is social prescribing – NHE England cites the Rotherham model whereby GPs and community matrons work alongside voluntary sector advisors who know what voluntary services are available for patients with long term conditions.

What’s happening in my region?

There are five Vanguard sights in the East Midlands and one in the East of England. There is more information about the regional Vanguard sites on our webpage East Midlands and EoE Vanguard sites

Over the coming months, One East Midlands and Wellbeing East, along with the other regional networks that make up Regional Voices, will be linking up with vanguard sites across the country to establish who is involved, what they are doing and what the rest of the sector can learn from these sites, so watch this space!