East Sussex health and care partnerships to merge

East Sussex’s two partnerships aimed at integrating health and social care are set to merge.
Both East Sussex Better Together and Connecting For You programmes aim to integrate health and care servicesBoth East Sussex Better Together and Connecting For You programmes aim to integrate health and care services
Both East Sussex Better Together and Connecting For You programmes aim to integrate health and care services

East Sussex Better Together (ESBT) was formed by East Sussex County Council along with NHS health trusts and the clinical commissioning groups covering Eastbourne, Hailsham and Seaford as well as Hastings and Rother.

But the High Weald Lewes Havens CCG did not join, forming its own partnership called Connecting 4 You (C4Y).

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Now several years down the line ESBT and C4Y are to be brought together to establish a single health and care programme across the whole of East Sussex.

This will be led by an executive group made up of senior leaders from acute and community care, primary care, mental health services, social care and commissioning.

The new executive group will be held to account by the East Sussex Health and Wellbeing Board.

The partnerships aim to treat, care and support people where they want it, either in their own homes or locally in their community by teams of GPs, nurses, therapists, social workers and proactive care practitioners from both the NHS and adult social care.

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This shift in working looks to reduce avoidable hospital admissions.

A statement on the ESBT website says: “By working in such a joined-up way, we believe we’re able to serve the whole of East Sussex even more effectively.

“This approach aligns closely with the priorities set out in the NHS long term plan and East Sussex County Council’s 2019/20 council plan.

“We’ll continue to monitor and develop our established projects, initiatives and services, and we will also work on new ideas to further improve the health and wellbeing of local people right across East Sussex, including developments in primary care, community care, planned and urgent care.

“As these developments evolve, we’ll continue to seek the involvement of local people and our stakeholders, to ensure care is built around our residents and their experiences.”