Vision, strategy and case for change
Our Your Care, Your Future vision is for people of all ages living in West Hertfordshire to be healthier and have better care that is more joined-up and tailored to their individual needs, much closer to where they live. Where people need hospital treatment we want people to be cared for in good quality surroundings.
During 2014 and 2015 our Your Care, Your Future review considered what changes are needed to ensure the people of West Hertfordshire have access to the best possible health and social care services.
As part of the review we engaged extensively with the public and professional health and care staff and listened to a range of views from people across the four localities through meetings, events, conversation cafes, surveys and social media.
The views of local people showed that we needed to focus on the following areas:
- Improvements in the quality of care and consistency in patient outcomes
- Less variation in life expectancy depending on where you live
- More joined up care and care closer to home
- Care in the right place at the right time and information about how to access this care
- Services that will be sustainable into the future and that allow us to live within our means
- Making better use of existing healthcare facilities
The review also highlighted various health and care issues that we need to respond to.
Population, workforce and demands on services
Health conditions and trends
Core elements
Your Care, Your Future has the following core elements:
Better connected care closer to home - By 2024 we would like 40% of current hospital trips shifted to a community setting. Patients’ experience and the quality of care they receive will be better. We also want to ensure care is joined-up and better co-ordinated.
Helping people stay healthy and well – Developing community services for children, adults and older people that look after people’s physical and mental wellbeing, prioritise prevention of ill-health and meet the health and care needs of people with long-term conditions and complex needs, including dementia.
Improving hospital services – Exploring options for improving hospital facilities and making changes to the way care is organised in hospitals – reflecting our ambitions to divert more care into the community.
Our Your Care, Your Future ambitions have been described in a number of documents including
Case for change – setting out the need to improve services to meet our changing health and social care needs and deliver within the finances available. Published in July 2015
Vision for the future – setting out what we want to achieve. Published in Autumn 2015
Strategic outline case – setting out how we intend to deliver our vision. Approved by all partner organisations in November 2016.