In South Somerset, in common with many parts of the South West, we faced the linked problems of soaring demand for healthcare and rising costs at the same time as a staffing crisis in general practice and other parts of the system. The Symphony Programme was set up in response to this as a collaboration between South Somerset GP Federation (19 practices), Yeovil District Hospital, Somerset Partnership NHS Foundation Trust and Somerset County Council. It is led by a Programme Board which is chaired by a GP and includes four elected representatives from primary care (3 GPs and a practice manager partner) as well as the GP Associate Medical Director of Yeovil Hospital, who is also a local GP. Yeovil Hospital has four representatives including the Chief Executive, and there are also representatives from Somerset Partnership, Adult Social Care, the voluntary sector and Somerset CCG.
There is a small programme team hosted by Yeovil Hospital led by a dedicated Programme Director and we are one of the nine national Primary and Acute Care System (PACS) Vanguard sites. Other parts of the programme have focussed on developing new organisational forms: one to support primary care (Symphony Healthcare Services has been established as a subsidiary of Yeovil Hospital to allow practices to integrate where they wish to); and another to hold a capitated, long term outcomes based contract for the whole population in a joint venture between primary care, Yeovil Hospital and other partners.
There is a small programme team hosted by Yeovil Hospital led by a dedicated Programme Director and we are one of the nine national Primary and Acute Care System (PACS) Vanguard sites. Other parts of the programme have focussed on developing new organisational forms: one to support primary care (Symphony Healthcare Services has been established as a subsidiary of Yeovil Hospital to allow practices to integrate where they wish to); and another to hold a capitated, long term outcomes based contract for the whole population in a joint venture between primary care, Yeovil Hospital and other partners.