Instead of services being planned and delivered separately, organisations are increasingly working together to design care based on what people need. This helps residents get the right support, in the right place, at the right time.
The programme is led by South Warwickshire University NHS Foundation Trust (SWFT) in partnership with partners across the county. These include NHS trusts, GP practices and Primary Care Networks, local councils, community and mental health services, and voluntary and community organisations.
Why are we doing this?
The Warwickshire Healthcare Integrator way of working began in 2022, when responsibility for planning and organising Warwickshire’s health and care services moved to SWFT.
Since then, partners have been building a more joined-up and community-focused system. In 2024, SWFT was awarded the Community Integrator contract for adult community health services, moving the programme into delivery and creating change for real people, such as delivering community healthcare hubs which combine preventative health, medical services and community health and wellbeing activities.
At its heart, Warwickshire Healthcare Integrator exists to enable better health outcomes for patients and respond to some of the biggest challenges facing health and care today. These include an increasing demand for services, an ageing population, growing health inequalities across communities and pressure on hospitals and emergency services.
National NHS plans also support this approach by focusing on moving care closer to home, preventing illness and not just treating it, and designing services around people not individual organisations.
How does it work?
A key focus for the Warwickshire Healthcare Integrator is on understanding what matters most to local people and organising care around their needs.
This includes:
- Bringing services together – Teams across health, care and the voluntary sector work more closely at neighbourhood level through the Integrated Neighbourhood Care programme. This improves links between GPs, hospitals, community services and social care, so care feels more joined-up for patients.
- Supporting people earlier – There is a stronger focus on helping people stay healthy for longer. This includes supporting people proactively with long-term conditions, helping people live independently for longer, and identifying those who may need extra support help sooner.
- Using data to target support – Health and care organisations are sharing information to better understand local health needs by using Population Health Management (PHM). PHM brings together insights and useful information from hospitals, GPs, community services and wider partners, to help identify the biggest health concerns and where support is most needed. It also ensures services are designed to reflect the needs of different communities across Warwickshire.
- Providing care closer to home – More care is delivered in people’s home or local communities, where appropriate. This includes rapid response services, support after illness or injury, and approaches that help people return home safely after hospital.
What does it mean for local people?
For people living in Warwickshire, the Warwickshire Healthcare Integrator aims to make care easier to access, more joined-up and consistent, more personalised and focused on preventing problems early.
It means fewer unnecessary hospital visits, less need to repeat information, and smoother experiences of care.
Some changes are already making a difference, including:
- “Call Before Convey”, where paramedics speak directly with frailty specialists before deciding if someone needs to go to hospital.
- Urgent Community Response (UCR) service which provides rapid care within two hours or the same day to help people avoid hospital admission.
- Integrated Care Community pathways which are providing more options for people to receive care outside hospital.
- Ellen Badger Medical Unit pilot, which offers community-based assessments and treatment such as frailty reviews and blood tests closer to patients’ homes.
What happens next?
Warwickshire Healthcare Integrator is part of a long-term plan to improve how health and care services are delivered across Warwickshire.
Partners across the NHS, local authorities, and voluntary organisations will continue to work together to improve health and wellbeing.
The long-term aim is to help people stay healthier for longer, reduce health inequalities, provide more care in local communities and ensure services are sustainable and accessible.
By listening to communities and working together, the Integrator is creating a more connected, responsive health and care system for Warwickshire now and in the future.