A pioneering partnership between providers of health and social care services across Herefordshire has been shortlisted for top honours in the prestigious 2023 Health Service Journal Awards.

The One Herefordshire Partnership brings together Herefordshire General Practice, Herefordshire Council, Herefordshire and Worcestershire Health and Care NHS Trust and Wye Valley NHS Trust in a unique collaboration which is benefiting the local population.

While each organisation maintains its own responsibilities, through the Partnership organisational boundaries become meaningless with a keen focus on providing services tailored to meet local people’s needs, irrespective of which organisation provides them.

The One Herefordshire Partnership has been shortlisted in the Place-based Partnership and Integrated Care Award category. This category highlights best practice with regards to delivering local health and care services with local service providers working in an integrated way to provide outstanding healthcare to meet the specific needs of their local communities.

Examples of the work undertaken by the Partnership include:

• The development of a Community Integrated Response Hub that coordinates urgent and longer term support for people at home, joining together GPs, community nurses and therapists and social care reablement services.
• Working with local nursing homes we have reduced emergency admissions to hospital for care home residents by 50 per cent
• Working with communities to prevent ill health and reduce health inequalities.

Jane Ives, Wye Valley Trust Managing Director and Chair of the One Herefordshire Partnership says:

“We’re absolutely thrilled to receive this recognition for the Partnership which is based on collaboration and working closely together to design and deliver integrated care for the communities we serve in Herefordshire.” 

Herefordshire’s health and care partners developed integrated working and local decision making during the pandemic and they have now formalised the arrangement which is going from strength to strength.

A 'record-breaking' 1,456 entries have been received for this year’s Awards, with 223 projects and individuals reaching the final shortlist, making it the biggest awards programme in the award’s 43-year history.

The high volume - and exceptional quality – of applications once again mirrors the impressive levels of innovation and care continually being developed within the UK’s healthcare networks.

As one of the finalists, representatives of the One Herefordshire Partnership will be invited to the official awards ceremony to be held later this year (November 16).

“Whatever the result ‘on the night’, we already feel like winners for getting this far and are so proud to have the opportunity to share our success with colleagues from across the entire sector, as well as showcasing everything we’ve learnt through implementing our project,” adds Jane.