Welcome to the March issue of The Triangle

This month BSW Integrated Care Board (ICB) has been working with our system partners on the development of a new version of our Implementation Plan, an important document which implements our strategy and sets out our future plans to help people in BSW live healthier, happier lives. 

We published the first version of our Implementation Plan last July. As part of a process of continual improvement, we are now producing a new iteration detailing the initiatives which will help us achieve our objectives of addressing health inequalities, improving services and preventing ill health.

This work stands as a testament to how far we have come as an ICB since our inception in July 2022.

The plan is a truly joint endeavour. It has been informed by existing strategies, such as local authorities’ Joint Local Health and Wellbeing Strategies, as well as conversations with partners and the public on many different topics and in many different forums across BSW. It also draws heavily on the local plans of our three Integrated Care Alliances (ICAs) in BaNES, Wiltshire and Swindon.

It has been developed as we continue to work together as an Integrated Care System, navigating the ever-choppy waters of local health and care issues, focusing together on solving problems in the here and now while maintaining a laser focus on the transformational work we need to do to improve life for the people and communities we serve.

The intention is for the Implementation Plan to continue to evolve over the coming years as we hear and learn more from local people and our colleagues who deliver our services. Crucially, this strategy is not just about serving our residents, it is about working with them as active partners.

It has also been heartening this month to read a new report from Kings Find called Making care closer to home a reality which endorses the work underway across BSW to place a greater emphasis on primary and community services, making them more accessible to people closer to their homes and places of residence.

Our work on the transformation of community services across BSW, through the delivery of our Integrated Community Based Care (ICBC) Programme is very much part of this ambition as those living and working within our communities, and those who use and deliver these services come together to collaborate. Thank you once again for taking the time to read this issue of The Triangle. We are always interested in hearing your thoughts about local health and care services, so please do get in touch with any questions, comments or issues by emailing bswicb.partnership@nhs.net