The North West London Integrated Care Pilot

The North West London Integrated Care Pilot (ICP) was launched in June 2011. The ICP includes around 100 general practices, 2 acute care trusts, 5 primary care trusts, 2 mental health care trusts, 3 community health trusts, 5 local authorities, and 2 voluntary sector organizations (Age UK and Diabetes UK). The programme aims to improve the care for older people and people with diabetes in the 550, 000 people living in the area covered by the pilot.

The key objectives of the ICP are discussed in article published in the Journal of Ambulatory Care Management by Matthew Harris and colleagues. These objectives include:

Early identification of at-risk diabetic or elderly people
Risk stratification using simple assessment scales (combined predictive model)
Proactive care planning and delivery by community team
Multidisciplinary teams led by a general practitioner or consultant
Improved information flows and system redesign
Improved systems and processes to share patient notes and care plans across care settings

The ICP is an ambitious program involving substantial organizational change in a complex health economy. There are already some relevant findings for health care planners working in localities considering the introduction of integrated care. In future work, Harris and colleagues will evaluate the impact of the ICP on clinical outcomes, cost-effectiveness, and patient and professional experience and develop lessons that can be applied by other areas in England that are considering the development of integrated care programmes.

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