ICS Priority 5: improve support to people living with life-long conditions, long term health conditions, physical disabilities, and their families
ICB Strategic Priority: Improve support to people living with long term conditions (LTCs)
ICB Clinical Priority: Development of more proactive, preventative care models for management of LTCs and frailty
ICB Challenge:
- 27.5% of our population are estimated to be living with a long-term health condition.
- Approximately 6% of our population consists of adults with a serious physical disability. With 14.3% of people having their day-to-day activities limited by their health (based upon Hertfordshire data).
- Rates of emergency admissions are high for COPD (East & North Herts & South & West Herts), CHD (South & West Herts and west Essex) and heart failure (South & West Herts).
- Outcomes are worse, relative to the system average, in areas with higher levels of deprivation.
- Falling life expectancy through conditions including heart disease
Expected outcomes:
We will support people living with lifelong conditions, long term health conditions, physical disabilities and their families assisting them to take more control of their health and live a good quality of life
Governance Groups:
ICS Long-Term Conditions Steering Group
What our residents say:
A survey into Joint Forward Plan priorities, carried out in 2023 by the ICB and thematically analysed by Healthwatch Hertfordshire heard from 1,124 respondents, predominantly aged 50+.
70% of respondents to this survey felt that NHS organisations should do more to help people to monitor their own health conditions at home with technology, although respondents also said that the value of using technology would depend on individual circumstances.
13% (53) of respondents shared that the NHS needs to be more accessible to patients and carers. Of the 13% respondents, a large number suggested that access to local services needs to be improved, including extended opening hours and appointment times, parking and parking changes, and travel.
- “There should be good access to care, for example community-based services sounds good, but not if it is inaccessible to people who use public transport, or if there is no parking for car drivers.”
- “Not all are online (in fact most are not), some have literacy issues. More appointments at non-sociable hours for those in long hour roles, or zero contract roles (just because you are working does not mean you are not ill).”
- “Disabled parking spaces are often very limited and not always near to where patients need to go. It is often difficult for people with difficulties such as the elderly or those with learning difficulties and sensory impairments to navigate the system when needing to chase appointments. It would be helpful if there was a dedicated phone helpline for such people as they may struggle to use IT.”
- “Have materials in better accessible formats and places. Have websites that are up to date and easy to navigate.”
- “I think accessibility for people whose English is not their first language or need interpreters the healthcare setting can be hard to navigate.”
Year 1 priority actions
- Restore proactive care processes for people living with long term conditions (LTCs) in general, and specifically for CVD, diabetes, neurological conditions, respiratory conditions and stroke (treatment and rehab).
- Use Population Health Management approaches to target particular individuals and communities.
For further details about key deliverables across the next five years, please refer to pages 57 - 60 of the PDF.