About Our Dorset
Our Dorset is a partnership of health and social care organisations working together to deliver Integrated Care Systems.
The ambition of Our Dorset is for everyone to have the best possible health and care outcomes. Living healthier, longer and fulfilling lives.
Our vision is for everyone to have access to high quality, joined-up health and care services, available when and where they are needed.
In short, we are working together for people to have healthier, fulfilling lives supported by sustainable health and care services.
The Challenge
We cannot continue with our support and services as they are currently organised. There are unacceptable differences in life expectancy across Dorset and variation in quality, accessibility and experiences of people using services.
Alongside this, demand for services is going up. At the same time our collective resources, at best, stay the same and at worse, go down. This means we have a predicted gap in our finances if we don’t take action now.
Doing more of the same is not an option. It is not sustainable and won’t improve people’s outcomes or the quality of our services now or for the future.
Transformation
Transforming our approach to health, care and wellbeing
Our Dorset aims to support everyone to lead healthy and fulfilling lives. Working with people, families and communities to reduce the risk of developing ill health. To maintain wellbeing, rather than waiting until people are unwell to offer them support and advice.
More of our public services will work closely together to tackle all of the factors affecting health and wellbeing. Including employment, housing and transport.
Support everyone to start life well, stay well and age well
Organise all health and care services to be more joined up and responsive to need
Reorganise hospital services to improve quality and provide more of those existing hospital services in the community and people’s homes
Ensure we invest our collective resources wisely for now and the future
What this means
Our Dorset means:
More people connected within their families and communities. Making healthy choices, supported to stay well longer and lead a fulfilling life, wherever they live in Dorset.
People living more independent lives, in their own homes. Less dependent on a health and care system that is hard to understand.
More services and support available in people’s own homes and outside of hospital. Along with better use of digital technology this means less travel and less worry about getting to and from appointments.
Joined up services that better co-ordinate care across artificial organisational boundaries. Reducing anxiety and confusion for patients, their families and carers, of knowing which service or organisation is responsible for care.
Better systems to share clinical information across teams and services. Making for better outcomes and experiences, reducing the need to repeat key personal or clinical information at each appointment.
Physical, mental and social wellbeing being given equal priority in teams and services that bring together groups of relevant professionals. Rather than passing the person between services and creating delays in accessing support.
Better value for money from the public resources. We are investing in health and care services, safeguarding their sustainability for the future.
Integrated Care System
Primary Care Networks
Case Studies
How we are all working together
Our Dorset Partnership
Your Local NHS and Councils Working Together
‘Our Dorset’ is a partnership of all of the NHS and local authority organisations in Dorset.
It is an important stepping stone towards a better integrated, continuously evolving health and care system for Dorset, putting us in the best position to jointly plan and prioritise our resources, meaning better experiences and outcomes for everyone.
Its focus isn’t on talking about what we’re going to do – it’s about taking action, together, to improve people’s lives, whether that’s giving children a better start, making care services easier to access or making NHS services more responsive to people’s needs.
News
The latest news and updates from Our Dorset
Expert review concludes that CSR increased ambulance travel times would not have changed the outcomes for patients at potentially higher risk
An expert review of 34 cases by Dorset’s most senior doctors and paramedics has concluded that increased travel times by ambulance would not have changed the outcomes for these patients
End-of-life care accolade for Dorset mental health wards
Two wards at Alderney Hospital in Poole are leading the way in helping elderly dementia patients spend their final days in dignity and peace. Staff working on Herm and St.
We never stop planning for winter
With the winter months just around the corner, local health and care partners are reassuring people that plans are in place to cope with seasonal pressures. Dr Simon Watkins is