The journey to integration is not a new one for Surrey Downs.
Since 2016 they have been laying the foundations for partnership working, from Epsom Health and Care’s @home service supporting people to get well at home where possible through to the establishment of Surrey Downs Health and Care, their six Primary Care Networks and a Partnership board. Surrey Downs have strengthened their relationships and commitment to integration through this work, particularly during the challenges brought about by Covid-19. We are supporting them to further deepen and develop partnership working as they continue on this journey and prepare for new statutory ICS arrangements later this year .
Throughout this journey, Surrey Downs developed a clear ambition, vision, values and purpose. They were in a position earlier this year to start to consider how to bring this work together into a unified culture.
They wanted this culture to be one that celebrates the unique contribution that each individual resident, member of staff, team and organisation brings to the Partnership, while uniting them under a common identity and shared narrative.
This year we have worked with Surrey Downs to support them to develop this shared culture and narrative through a series of engagement and co-design activities. This culture model was supported by a narrative created through the conversations we had conducted with multiple people over several months. We are now working with Surrey Downs to translate this cultural narrative into real change and behaviours on the ground at all levels of the system including the board, operational managers, staff, communities, lay partners, volunteers and residents.
“For this to be effective, staff will need to challenge themselves to treat people with dignity, considering the whole person, looking beyond the immediate symptoms or needs. This was summed up by one clinician who, after visiting someone in their home to support their health needs, realised in hindsight that he should have asked himself ‘but what are we going to do about the mould?’ that was affecting her home and, inevitably her health.”
Excerpt from Surrey Downs narrative
The work aims to share the vision for place and to achieve the following outcomes:
- A clear and consistent culture and narrative for surrey downs as a place
- Staff and residents understand the role and purpose of surrey downs as a place and feel confident to tell their version of the surrey downs story
- The surrey downs partnership has a clear plan for the long-term delivery of the Organisational Development programme and its long-term cultural priorities
