Barnsley Care Navigation and Telehealth Service Review 2017 

Over the past year we have been reviewing the way in which local Care Navigation and Telehealth Services are provided within the community and we requested your help with this.  

What is the Care Navigation and Telehealth Service? 

The aim of the Care Navigation and Telehealth Service is to help people with an ongoing illness or long term condition (i.e. a health problem that can’t be cured but can be controlled) to take control of their health and increase their potential for them to live independently. Patients are supported by dedicated nursing staff who provide information and advice to encourage healthier behaviours and lifestyles via telephone appointments.

The following four service areas are provided under the banner of Care Navigation and Telehealth Services:

• Vital Sign Remote Monitoring (observing and monitoring the condition of a patient using a small electronic device at home)
• Care Navigation (Advice, Information and Signposting)  
• Health Coaching (Personal Goal Setting)  
• Support service for people who have been recently discharged from hospital (Post Crisis Checks)  

The services are provided across Barnsley by South West Yorkshire Partnership NHS Foundation Trust (SWYPFT).   

Background to the review 

As our population grows and people are living longer, often with complex health conditions, as a clinical commissioning group (CCG) we need to ensure that the services that we plan and buy on behalf of the people of Barnsley achieve the outcomes they set out to for local people and provide the best value for the budget we have.

What people told us 

We carried out two phases of engagement between March and July 2017 with the service provider, clinicians, partner organisations, patients and the public in order to inform the review process. 

This summary report details the feedback received from both the first phase of engagement that took place during March and April 2017 and the second phase of engagement that took place between June and July 2017 (following the pause for the pre general election period between the end of April and early June). 

The engagement process provided a brief snapshot of the views and experiences from a number of service users, carers and wider partners regarding Care Navigation and Telehealth Services locally and their views in relation to the options put forwards to help determine the future direction of the service.  

Next steps and outcome 

All of the feedback received as part of this process has been fed back to senior commissioning leads within the CCG to aid their decision making process. 

The engagement exercise, alongside the discussion and additional information from the provider has fed into the future of the service and following discussion and deliberation, the CCG has taken the decision to ultimately decommission the Care Navigation and Telehealth Service.

The service will terminate on 31 January 2018. All patients who are currently on a care navigation and telehealth programme will be given the opportunity to complete their care pathway and thus will not be affected by this decision.   

A  'You Said, Our Response' Report has been compiled to highlight how the feedback we received helped to shape the decision making and outcome.   

To request a hard copy of either of the above reports, please contact us at barnccg.comms@nhs.net using the subject heading Care Navigation Engagement Reports.   

Thank you again to everyone who took the time to share their valuable views and feedback regarding their experiences of both accessing and using Care Navigation and Telehealth Services within Barnsley.