Plans to integrate and transform Health and Social Care for the over-65s in Stockport, through the ‘Stockport Together’ programme, passed a major milestone last Wednesday (12th July), as outline business plans were approved by Stockport Council’s Cabinet.
Having been through Council scrutiny, the highly detailed business cases show how all the major areas of the programme will work, use and share funding. It brings together Stockport Council’s Health and Social Care partners with NHS partners- Stepping Hill Hospital, Stockport Clinical Commissioning Group and Viaduct Health (which represents all Stockport General Practitioners) to develop new care models and one access point for service users.
The business cases spell out the case for change: without which resources in the Health and Social Care sector in Stockport will, by 2021, fall short of the cost of demand for services by £156million. This is due to demographic trends and severely reduced government funding, something the Stockport Together programme aims to tackle as much as possible through reforming service models as opposed to the inevitable alternative to dealing with this funding gap: curtailing services and removing care. The plans indicate how savings can be found through early intervention, illness prevention, caring for people in the most appropriate settings, and avoiding the duplications which currently exist between doctors, hospitals and care professionals.
Following Cabinet approval – and that of our health partners – plans will now go forward to be developed into full business cases, subject to further public consultation and input including a range of listening events across Stockport.
Commenting, Stockport’s Cabinet Member for Health, Cllr Tom McGee said:
“This approach is about doing what we can, with what we’ve got, in the best way possible.
“To get to this point has taken significant work and high levels of public engagement over several years, and I want to thank all involved. We have sought to be up front and transparent about the challenges we face, so we can develop the best future possible for Health and Social Care in Stockport.
“These plans seek to deliver services in a more targeted way – administering the right care, at the right time and in the right setting. This can also prevent costly ailments worsening, to the benefit of not only the balance sheet but care professionals and service users alike.”
Stockport’s Cabinet Member for Adult Social Care, Cllr Wendy Wild further commented, saying:
“Right now, across Stockport we are holding Listening Events which will give resident the opportunity to understand the Health and Social Care challenges we face in Stockport and also how we aim to address these challenges.
“We welcome as many views and as much feedback as possible in order to further shape our plans.”
Leader of Stockport Council, Cllr Alex Ganotis, added:
“We must be clear– the reductions in finance we face are significant and are not something we support. More resources are desperately needed from Government for both Health and Social Care, and we will continue to lobby hard for a change in policy.
“However, while we are in this position, we must do what we can for the people of Stockport who rely upon these services. These plans represent significant reforms which make the best use of the resources we do have to deliver the most effective care services we can for the future.
“We have taken these difficult decisions precisely because we are determined not to compromise on the care our residents rely upon. The only alternative option is for wholesale cuts to services, which will leave many vulnerable residents without the support they need. This is something all partners in Stockport Together have worked hard against.
“Stockport Together is not the entire solution to our funding crisis – it will go some of the way to meeting those challenges, but not all the way. This is because we are committed to reforming services in a way that puts service and quality of care at the forefront, and not slashing and burning services. But it does therefore mean that further tough decisions will be needed in the coming years unless more resources are forthcoming.
“Stockport Together is the only responsible plan for health and care that we have the power to deliver locally. It has been devised locally and the initiative for it came locally. I am therefore pleased to see this significant milestone reached. “
ENDS