NHS County Durham and NHS Darlington are pleased to announced that its Integrated Intermediate Care service in partnership with Durham County Council has been recognised for their excellent work in developing creative and effective ways of working at the regional Health and Social Care Awards ceremony held recently.

The team were winners of the Primary Care and Community Services Pathways Awards category. They will now automatically be considered for the National Health and Social Care Awards, organised by the Department of Health in partnership with the NHS Institute for Innovation and Improvement – and will be invited to attend the a prestigious award ceremony in London hosted by the Secretary of State for Health on 8 July 2009.

The regional Health and Social Care Awards, are hosted by NHS North East, and are designed to honour those staff from across the region who go that extra mile to provide the best possible care for patients and service users. This year’s ceremony attracted 139 entries from teams and individuals across the region.

In 2007, a multi-disciplinary and multi-agency working group was set up to undertake a review of services, gap analysis and service redesign. This group included service users, social services, warden’s service, as well as the Intermediate Care in Easington (ICE), ambulance services, GP practices and health professionals from acute trusts and primary care. The project gives people with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) who meet specific clinical and environment criteria, the opportunity to take charge of their own care by offering them an intensive seven day package of support to be cared for in their own home rather than repetitive hospital admissions. The option to attend accident and emergency at a suitable hospital and be admitted is always available. The pathway contributes towards meeting the national priorities of: • Improving the health of the population • Supporting people with long term conditions • Access to services • Secondary to primary care shift.

And to local priorities of: • Reducing hospital bed days • Care closer to home.

COPD is a disabling and progressing lung disease impacting on the quality of life of sufferers and representing a huge economic burden.

Yasmin Chaudhry, chief executive of NHS County Durham, said: “It is our privilege to recognise and pay tribute to this team who have achieved so much, and we should rightly recognise their innovation and dedication to improving service for our patients.”

Colin Morris, chief executive of NHS Darlington, said: “The Health and Social Care Awards are the opportunity to acknowledge excellence in care and encourage examples of strong partnership working across the voluntary and independent sectors. “All the nominated teams should be congratulated and we hope to share the learning from their innovative and creative projects.

“We will also continue to support our awards winners, who will be considered for the national final.”

Lesley Tickell, head of adult care at Durham County Council said: “Durham County Council is delighted to be part of an integrated service initiative that is centred around improvements in direct care delivery for local people. “Partnership working within an intermediate care model gives significant opportunities for the sharing of knowledge and skills between staff which can only benefit the service user.”

ENDS For further information, contact the communications department on 0191 333 3386.