About us
A little bit of background...
Northumberland is home to 316,000 people
Life expectancy at birth for males is 79 years and 82.2 years for females
Half the population live in the urban south-east corner with the rest living across a vast rural area right up to the Scottish borders
The average resident is expected to live in good health until the age of 63, however, this varies widely across the county
Why we need to change
The need for joining up health and social care is greater than it is has ever been. With a growing and ageing population there are more demands on our health and care services. People are living longer with more complex health and social needs and long-term conditions too. All of which require the support of many different health and social care staff and services across different organisations.
For us to provide the best care we need to work in a much more joined-up and pro-active way.
By providing the right care in the right place we can improve quality of life, access to care and encourage independence – helping our communities to live happier and healthier lives. And in some cases, support people so that they don’t need our help in the first place.
We come from a great starting point in Northumberland. Thanks to a long-standing relationships we are leading the way in providing services which are organised around the needs of our patients - not organisations.
In many ways joined-up care is a reality for many people across Northumberland but there is still more to do to make this a reality for all of our communities.
Caring togethermeans happier, healthier lives
Our vision for care across Northumberland
Northumberland is one of the most beautiful parts of the world and we are rightly proud to live and work in our stunning county. But it’s also true that its remote nature does present us with many challenges when it comes to providing health and social care. Our communities need to be able to access services locally wherever possible and only travel to The Northumbria or other major hospital sites when it’s really essential.
Our vision is for care to be organised around your needs - not around buildings and systems or ‘because we have always done it that way’. We need to keep asking ‘is there a better way of doing this?’
Care really does come in all shapes and sizes and is delivered by a wide range of people and organisations. For the vast majority of us, our journey through, and experiences of, the NHS and social care will not be about being cared for in a hospital bed.
Caring together means supporting everyone who lives, works or even visits Northumberland to live a healthier life and to feel in control of their own health and well-being
Our priorities...
1
Easy access to high-quality care that's tailored around your needs
2
Better integration not just between health and social care but also physical and mental health care
3
Thinking innovatively about how we could make the best use of technology
4
A more personalised approach to care and shared decision-making between health professionals and patients
5
Doing more to move beyond ‘treating illness’ towards preventing ill-health
6
Working in a more joined-up way with other organisations to support people to manage their own conditions
7
Recognising our social responsibilities including supporting the local economy, ensuring sustainability and as employers to our local community
8
Enabling access to local services wherever possible and only using The Northumbria or other major hospital sites when it’s really essential