NHS Northern, Eastern and Western Devon Clinical Commissioning Group (NHS NEW Devon CCG)’s “Your Future Care” plans to increase the provision of personalised out-of-hospital services have moved forward after two important milestones were reached.

After scrutinising all the outstanding issues, Devon County Council’s Health Scrutiny Committee, which met on Tuesday, July 25, passed a motion in favour of not referring NEW Devon CCG’s “Your Future Care” decision to the Secretary of State, and requested that NEW Devon CCG and Royal Devon and Exeter NHS Foundation Trust (RD and E) continue to work with the communities and report progress.

After reviewing in detail the RD and E’s implementation plans, as the provider of community services, an Assurance Panel involving a GP, consultant geriatrician, lay community representatives (members of the public), public health, social care and NHS commissioners concluded that the plans are safe and it will be making a recommendation to the NEW Devon CCG Governing Body to proceed.

The panel reviewed the plans against a series of 30 gateway questions which were developed to provide assurance of the RD and E’s and the wider system’s readiness to switch to the “Your Future Care” model.

Dr Sonja Manton, director of strategy for both Devon Clinical Commissioning Groups, said: “The current model of care is not sustainable either clinically or financially, so we have to look at doing something differently.

“We are extremely grateful to the Devon Health Scrutiny Committee members for the time they have put in to reviewing our plans in order to feel assured about the changes we are making. We thank them for their diligence and constructive challenge. Their insight was invaluable.

“We are now ready to move to the next step and start the final preparations of implementation and making the changes we have proposed.”

The “Your Future Care” proposals, which were subject to a 13-week public consultation that closed earlier this year, set out to move away from the existing bed-based model of care.

Instead it focuses on a model of care that proactively averts health crises and promotes independence and well-being.

It says that by redirecting and reinvesting some existing bed-based resources, community services can be enhanced to support more home-based care by establishing: Comprehensive Assessment, Single Point of Access and Urgent Community Response.

The net result of this new approach will mean a reduction in inpatient beds in community hospitals in the Eastern locality of Devon, which includes Exeter, East Devon, Mid Devon and parts of West Devon including Okehampton, and an increase in community-based staff to support Out of Hospital Care.

Deputy Chief Executive/Chief Nurse of the Royal Devon and Exeter NHS Foundation Trust, Em Wilkinson-Brice, said: “The endorsement from the members of the committee coupled with the clinical recommendation to proceed from the assurance panel, will support public confidence that our plans are not only safe but will provide improved care.

“By moving to this model of care, we can help more people to have a better outcome - ensuring that across the whole of Eastern Devon everyone has access to safe, reliable services that promote independence and support people to live their life to the fullest.”

NEW Devon CCG says that a significant amount of implementation planning, including engagement with the workforce, stakeholders and local communities has already been undertaken and now that these two important milestones have been reached, the RD and E will, for the benefit of staff and patients, ensure that the move to provide more care and support in people’s homes is done in a safe and timely manner.

In order to achieve this, it says the RD and E will continue to work closely with staff, partner organisations and communities to take a phased approach to implementation.

It says further information specific to each of the four community hospitals will be provided in due course.