The New Care Models Zone is one of four feature zones at this year’s Health and Care Innovation Expo. The zone explores the progress made by the 50 vanguards developing and testing new models of care that can be replicated across different health economies. Fylde Coast Local Health Economy are taking part in one of the 32 vanguard ‘booths’ at Expo – sharing what they’ve achieved so far.

On the Fylde Coast we are not only part of the new care models programme, but are also involved in the Lancashire and Cumbria Innovation Alliance Test Bed programme and working with wider partners to develop a ‘Healthy New Town’ on the patch.

In the NHS Five Year Forward View, a clear commitment was made to dramatically improve population health, and integrate health and care services through innovation.

The NHS has always been open to new ideas, but what we have struggled to do previously is combine different innovation initiatives for maximum impact. On the Fylde Coast we are clear that innovation of this scale has to be aligned to deliver the major health gains our population needs.

Our new care models; extensive care, enhanced primary care and episodic care, are built upon defining cohorts of patients using a risk stratification tool. This combines secondary care data with GP practice data relating to long-term conditions and disease registers to predict the likelihood of hospital admissions and other non-elective activity within the next 12 months.

By understanding patients’ risk of admission we are able to tailor the appropriate level of provision to keep them well for longer in the community.  Using this approach has allowed us to also identify cohorts of patients who would benefit from the self-care support which the Test Bed programme can provide through the use of new technologies.

The Test Bed programme will be recruiting 800 patients across the Fylde Coast from within those patients receiving extensive and enhanced primary care services.

Through this programme, we will be able to use cutting edge technology to transform health and care for local people, supporting them to better manage their own health and live better quality, more independent lives. This includes pioneering the use of wearable technology and sensors in the home for people who are vulnerable, providing tools such as home blood glucose testing and looking at how we can use social media and apps to promote good health.

The implementation of these technologies and our new models of care is also a fundamental cog in the creation of the 1,400-home, Healthy New Town development at Whyndyke Garden Village. The intention is to design the town of the future, building a community, not just a dormitory town, with education, health, work and neighbourliness at its core.

Promoting healthy living among residents and ensuring people stay as fit and well as possible will be a crucial aspect of the site. The learning gathered from our use of new technologies will inform the longer-term development of our new care models. Likewise, the learning we gather from the development of our Healthy New Town, such as how the buildings and environment can encourage self-care and behaviour change will help to inform our episodic care schemes.

This learning is being captured continually but we will benefit hugely from a Strategic Partnership which we have formed with the Lancaster Health Hub – a key part of the Health Innovation Campus being developed by Lancaster University.

The Health Hub is supporting the evaluation of our new care models and will provide vital support throughout the introduction of our Test Bed technologies alongside other partners.

This is an exciting time for us on the Fylde Coast and we truly believe that this scale of innovation will dramatically improve the lives and general health and wellbeing of our residents.