A PILOT scheme which aims to break down the barriers between health and social care in the region has been given the go-ahead.

The Durham Dales Integrated Care Organisation will bring together a dozen GP practices and six other organisations.

The aim is to work together as an integrated organisation to improve the quality of care and experience of services for older people from Willington to Gainford, in the lower areas of the dales, and from Middleton-in-Teesdale to Wearhead, in the upper dales.

Dr Stewart Findlay, chairman of the Durham Dales Practice-Based Commissioning Cluster, said the aims of the pilot scheme include preventing disease, reducing emergency admissions to hospital, improving access to services for patients, reducing health inequalities, greater patient involvement and more cost-effective services.

Dr Findlay, who is based at the Bishopgate medical practice in Bishop Auckland, said it was hoped that by pooling the knowledge of social services and NHS staff, it should be possible to identify more older people at risk from fuel poverty.

“Hopefully, by working together more closely we will be able to cut down the number of winter deaths,” he added.

“We want to break down the barriers and pool our knowledge in areas such as mental health and early detection of dementia.”

Other ideas include opening a GP-run ward at Bishop Auckland General Hospital, introducing vascular screening to pick up patients who might be at risk of potentially fatal aneurysms, and trying to move more health services out into the community.

The Durham Dales scheme is one of four in the region.

The others include a scheme to improve services for older people in Sunderland; a project aimed at reducing the number of falls and admissions to hospital among the over 60s, in Newcastle, and a scheme which aims to help people with chronic lung disease in Northumberland and North Tyneside to better manage their own care.

Partners in the Durham initiative are: Durham Dales Practice Based Commissioning Cluster; Durham County Council Social Services; County Durham and Darlington Foundation Trust; Tees, Esk and Wear Valley NHS Trust; County Durham and Darlington Community Health Services hosted by NHS Darlington and North- East Ambulance Services.