PEOPLE in Barnsley are getting better health care, and better experiences in receiving that care, according to one of Barnsley’s health bosses.
Dr Nick Balac, chairman of Barnsley Clinical Commissioning Group, which commissions the town’s health services, said organisations were working together to look at how health and social care could be better provided. He warned that health services could not continue in the current way.
The Accountable Care organisation brings together the CCG, Barnsley Hospital, provider South West Yorkshire NHS Foundation Trust, the GP Federation and Barnsley Council.
He said: “Accountable care is about better, joined up care, partnership working and the relationships between different organisations across Barnsley which provide health and social care. It’s about working together and sharing the resource and easing the pressure. There are huge benefits of working together more closely and that’s what accountable care looks to do.
“I think we are not only starting to see better outcomes, but better patient experiences. That’s because if someone can be treated at home, they have a better service.”
Dr Balac said further improvement could be made in caring for those with heart disease, and elderly patients.
He said: “We have done a lot of work around this, but we think we can do better. We have an ageing population, and frailty increases. If people are not managed in a good way, they will end up being admitted to hospital when they could have been managed in a better way and had a better experience.
Dr Balac said: “We have £420m to spend on health in Barnsley, that is not going to change. When we look at how at how we can improve things, we have to look at how we could do it and how we could do it together, in a different way.
“It’s not so much about cuts but about managing the resource we currently have as best we can. There has got to be some change in the way we deliver services. If we carry on in the way we have been doing, in ten years it will not be systematic.”
