What are we doing?
We are putting in place a new framework for how we plan health and care services in Northern Ireland. It is a single, joined-up system, based on the different parts of health and social care, and others who have a role in the wellbeing of the population of Northern Ireland, coming together to understand what it is that is needed, and how we can best deliver that with the resources we have.
Why are we doing it?
We are doing this because our population has changed; the number of people who are now presenting with complex needs is increasing and demand from a growing and ageing population has never been greater. We must plan care and services that will meet those changes and the different demands they create. Importantly, we recognise to do this we must work together better. That is how we can make sure we have all the information we need to make the best decisions – decisions on what, where, and how we deliver care and services.
We must think about how we meet the needs of today, as well as how we work and shape our care and services to meet the needs of tomorrow. And we know that this means we must look at not just what we deliver in our hospitals, but also how we deliver care and services across our communities, and what we can do in terms of addressing the wider issues that can affect our health and wellbeing.
We also need to focus on what matters most – the outcomes for our population. We need to think about how we keep people well in the first instance, and how to support them to do that. That is how we can help to reduce the demand on our health and social care services so that when people do need them, we are able to provide that care in the right place and at the right time.
How will we do it?
We will do this through the Integrated Care System for Northern Ireland (ICS NI) which will change the way we plan in two main ways.
The first is by putting in place ways of working that help us to better work together within health and social care. This will ensure we know and understand: what people need; what good looks like; what each part of our system is doing; where we have gaps and challenges; and how we can work together to meet those. This way we can provide better care and services that improve outcomes and make the most of what we have in terms of our resources.
The second is by putting in place ways of working both locally and regionally which focus in on how we can keep people well in the first instance (prevention), what we can do to provide early support to stop things getting worse (early intervention) and how we can best do that within specific communities, and across Northern Ireland where its best to do so. This means we need to think about what else may affect our health and wellbeing (such as where we live, what is around us, or where we work) and that means we need to work closely with others who also look at these aspects of our lives. To support this, we are creating partnerships that will bring a range of people together so that we can work better across sectors.
When will this happen?
Work is currently underway to put the model in place. Our aim is to organise ourselves, establish our partnerships, and start to plan care and services in this way by autumn 2024. We will take the opportunity when the model is fully running to learn what works well, and if there needs to be any changes.
What difference will it make?
This approach will fundamentally change how we plan what we do, ensuring the people within our own system, and those who work closely with it, are brought together to develop the right care and services that will work best to meet people’s needs.
Ultimately our aim is to improve the outcomes people experience and reduce health inequalities that exist across our system. This will take time but what we do now through ICS NI will provide the foundation that can help us achieve those aims.
What does it mean for you?
Alongside the long-term aims detailed above, when ICS NI is fully established it will provide a way for individuals and communities to play a more active role in how the care and services in their area are developed. AIPBs in particular will act as a vehicle to support engagement with local communities to ensure that the needs of those communities are fully understood.
Further information and detail on the model can be found in the ICS NI Framework and ICS NI Frequently Asked Questions.
