Doncaster pilot to integrate frontline services

The “Pathfinder North East” integrated community team is a joint approach between Rotherham Doncaster and South Humber NHS Foundation Trust (RDaSH), Doncaster Council and Doncaster and Bassetlaw Hospitals Foundation Trust called “One Team Working”.

The One Team Working pathfinder is a result of the transfer of a number of Doncaster’s community services from NHS Doncaster to RDaSH, in partnership with the council, from 1 April this year. The services were transferred as part of the transforming community services programme.

A trust statement said: “The OTW pathfinder aims to build on the work within the existing services and further develop areas of best practice by providing integrated health and social care teams across Doncaster for both adult and children’s services over the next two years.” 

Debbie Smith, joint Doncaster Council and RDaSH project director for OTW, added: “This pathfinder will benefit patients by offering them choice and reduce the number of duplicate arrangements as well as giving them more opportunity to be cared for in their own home.

“By refocusing our services in this way, we aim to be more efficient in our use of resources by providing the right care, in the right place, at the right time, which we hope will lead to increased satisfaction with our services from patients and carers,” she said.

The pathfinder will be reviewed prior to a possible Doncaster wide roll-out of the approach.