NHS England announces eight vanguard areas to transform services

Today, 24 July 2015, Simon Stevens, Chief Executive, NHS England and the NHS Five Year Forward View Partners, announced eight new vanguards that will transform urgent and emergency care.

The new vanguards are in South Devon and Torbay, South Nottinghamshire, Cambridgeshire and Peterborough, North-east England, Leicestershire and Rutland, Solihull, West Midlands, the East London area covering Barking and Dagenham, Havering and Redbridge and West Yorkshire.

Like other vanguards, the eight new vanguards will receive a programme of support and an investment from the 200m fund to look at the way all organisations work together to provide a more joined up way of delivering care for patients.

GPs, pharmacists, community teams, ambulance services, NHS 111, social care and others, will deliver urgent care alongside hospitals, as well as patients being given support and education to manage their own conditions. They will also aim to improve the quality of care and overall experience for everyone by breaking down the barriers between physical and mental health.

Simon Stevens, Chief executive, NHS England said: “Starting today, the NHS will begin joining up the often confusing array of A&E, GP out of hours, minor injuries clinics, ambulance services and 111 so that patients know where they can get urgent help easily and effortlessly, 7 days a week. That’s why we’re backing what our frontline nurses, doctors and other staff, in partnership with local communities, to radically redesign our urgent and emergency services.”

Further information about the eight new vanguards can be found at here