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PUBLIC-PRIVATE PARTNERSHIP REVEALS INNOVATIVE APPROACHES TO IMPROVING HEALTH OUTCOMES

NHS South Birmingham and Pathfinder Healthcare Developments launch two pioneering services to tackle urgent health needs and risks

LONDON, 8 September 2009

NHS South Birmingham and Pathfinder Healthcare Developments CIC (PHD cic) have partnered with Aetna Health Services UK to develop new ways of working to improve health outcomes in their respective communities. These two partnerships demonstrate how public and private entities can successfully work together, and have resulted in the launch of two new services that support each organisation’s larger strategic initiatives.

The first service, a telephone care management programme, is a nurse support service designed to help patients manage their long term health conditions. The second, an online health risk assessment tool, gives people a picture into their current and future health status, and provides them with an achievable action plan to address their greatest health risks. Both provide the National Health Service (NHS) and General Practitioners with innovative approaches to managing health care costs while improving quality through personalised care and support.

NHS South Birmingham and Aetna have teamed together to redefine health care delivery in South Birmingham. NHS South Birmingham is transforming the way health care is delivered to their local population and developing skill sets that have a positive and long-term effect on the population’s health.

“This is an exciting opportunity to learn from a company who has proven expertise in delivering quality services, effectively targeting and engaging individuals and, importantly, managing cost to improve patient experience and give them more choice around health services and their individual care,” said Moira Dumma, Chief Executive, NHS South Birmingham. “This requires collaboration across all stakeholders, and our unique partnership with Aetna unlocks the potential within the health economy to share best practices, improve commissioning expertise and engage the entirety of our population, including those most in need.”

Pathfinder Healthcare Developments (PHD) is a community interest company operating as a social business. PHD has grown from an innovative partnership between three large inner city GP practices based in the Sandwell area. Their work with Aetna supports a larger project to implement innovative new practices, services and ways of working to support their diverse patient populations and the quality of primary health care services.

“Aetna’s bespoke approach to working is what is most appealing,” said Dr Niti Pall, Chair, PHD. “There was no ‘off-the-shelf’ solution that they tried to implement. Rather, they listened to our needs, worked with us to devise solutions and areas of support, and most importantly, co-develop solutions that were appropriately translated for the British market.”

Having both a primary care trust and social enterprise company engage Aetna demonstrates Aetna’s ability to work with different types of organisations, and how best practices from the private sector can be successfully translated to the public sector. It also points to a shift in the way primary care trusts and providers are thinking about delivering additional health services—and how they can jointly address the needs of their populations by utilising the experience of the private sector.

As one of the leading diversified health care benefits companies in the U.S., Aetna has been recognised for its advancements in medical management and health information technology. Recently, the company has embarked on exporting these innovations to support health care reform across the globe.

Notes to editors:

1. The online health risk assessment tool is one of the most comprehensive on the market available to the general public. Upon completing a questionnaire about health and lifestyle habits, the tool will generate a risk score. An action plan is also automatically generated that includes suggestions on how to address current health conditions and also reduce or even prevent future ones. Additionally, the tool offers “healthy living programmes” that can be taken online to address individuals’ immediate health needs. Among the included programmes are “Stress Relief,” “Get in Shape,” “Cancer Fighting” and “Healthier Diet.” South Birmingham residents can access South Birmingham’s bespoke tool by registering on www.sbpct.nhs.uk; Patients of Smethwick, Hollybush and Cape Hill Medical Centres can access the online tool on http://www.smethwickmc.co.uk/.

2. Over 17.5 million people in the UK have a long term condition (Improving Chronic Disease Management. Accessed December 4, 2008 at http://www.dh.gov.uk/en/Publicationsandstatistics/Publications/PublicationsPolicyAndGuidance/DH_4075214), 45% of which who suffer from more than one. For patients with more than one long term condition, health care costs are six times higher (DeVol R, Bedroussian A. An unhealthy America: The economic burden of chronic disease.The Milken Institute. Oct 2007.). 80% of GP visits relate to long-term conditions. The steep rise in diagnoses of long term conditions and increasing costs for providing care for these patients are forcing a change in the way that commissioners and GPs provide health services in such a way to help manage rising costs while still providing excellent and quality services.

3. Aetna’s care management programme is a telephone-based support service for patients who have two or more long term conditions. Delivered by registered nurses, the service provides patients with additional support to help change their health outcomes by changing their health behaviours. Powered by Aetna’s leading data analytics and informatics tools and backed by an experienced clinical team trained in motivational interviewing techniques to deliver highly personalised care, the service aims to close the care gap by connecting patients to resources to support their journey to a healthier lifestyle.

4. Aetna is a leading health care company, commissioning services for approximately 37.2 million people worldwide through a broad range of health management services and health insurance products. Aetna has relationships with more than 1.3 million health care professionals around the globe, demonstrating the company’s commitment to providing customers and individuals with access to safe, affordable, high-quality health care. Building on its more than 150-year history, Aetna is recognised for its dedication to cooperating with doctors and hospitals, employers, patients, public officials and others to build a stronger, more effective health care system.

5. Aetna UK was established in early 2007 to offer dedicated commissioning support services to Primary Care Trusts (PCTs), and was appointed to the Framework for procuring External Support for Commissioners (FESC) later that year. In 2008 Aetna was appointed to the Practice Based Commissioning (PBC) Development Framework to provide support for PCTs and PBCs to help them strengthen and build on local support arrangements for practice based commissioning. www.aetna-uk.co.uk

6. NHS South Birmingham commissions services for a population of 383,000 people. Currently our Primary Care Services include 65 GP practices, 170 General Dental Practitioners, 71 community Pharmacies, and 80 local optician premises including domiciliary services. We try to keep health care close to home and offer a range of nursing and therapy services to support this through your local GP. We look at the health of the entire local population and address issues specific to our area. Public health is an important role and includes issues such as poverty, obesity, diet, exercise, smoking and other factors which impact on your health. www.sbpct.nhs.uk

7. Pathfinder Healthcare Developments (PHD) is a Community Interest Company (cic) based in the West Midlands concentrated in the Sandwell area. PHD is a progressive and innovative provider of extended primary care services, specialising in meeting the needs of inner city multiracial populations. It currently provides a wide range of services to a population of just over 25,000 across three practices and three sites through a Personal Medical Services (PMS+) contract and an Additional Personal Medical Services (APMS) contract with PCTs. It has a track record of delivering high quality services, often leading the way locally in the development of services, particularly to marginalised groups. PHD has a track record of excellence (recognised by the UK Department of Health) often leading the way in the development of services, particularly to ethnic minority communities, and to marginalised groups. The UK Department of Health has recognised the standards we achieve and the innovation we apply. www.path-finderhd.com