Health and care organisations in Swindon have unveiled plans which they hope will improve services delivered in the town and cut costs. Swindon, Wiltshire, and Bath and North East Somerset health services have united to devise a more co-ordinated strategy to ease the NHS financial deficit.
The Sustainability and Transformation Plan they have come up with is the result of months of work between the various health bodies across the region. This comes after health and care organisations in Swindon and the surrounding region were warned their financial overspend could rise from £6m to £337m by 2021 unless urgent action is taken.
Plans to streamline diabetes care, mental health services, and support for the elderly feature heavily in the strategy. It highlights three focus areas where planners say fundamental change is needed – improving health and wellbeing, improving the quality of care people receive and ensuring services are efficient.
Sue Wald, director of adult social services at Swindon Borough Council said she hoped the STP would eradicate disjointed care in the town.
“This is about working together, to engage with our partners and the people living in Swindon. If we identify a benefit to certain organisations working together to deliver services in Swindon, that is what we will do. We need to improve the ways we work in partnership, so that it is less disjointed and in which it will benefit our financial situation.”
Full story in Swindon Advertiser 15 December 2016