International recognition for Hull’s pioneering Jean Bishop Integrated Care Centre

15 December, 2020

A pioneering Integrated Care Centre (ICC) built to transform care for the elderly in Hull has won an international award.

The £9.5 million Jean Bishop Integrated Care Centre (ICC) was the first of its kind in the UK and has seen thousands of patients and care home residents pass through its doors since it opened in July 2018, as well as contributing to a significant reduction in hospital admissions.

Now, the ICC is being celebrated on the international stage after it won Best Social Infrastructure Project (including healthcare) in the prestigious Partnership Awards 2020, which recognise elite projects, companies, individuals, partnerships and providers across the globe.

The category was open to all Public Private Partnership (PPP) projects, rather than individual organisations, and the ICC was the only UK entry shortlisted for the award, fighting off competition for the top spot from entries in Australia, Italy and Ireland.

The judging panel included more than 80 industry professionals representing both the public and private sector and they were selected based on their expertise, experience and integrity in the PPP market.

The awards ceremony was due to take place at the London Hilton on Park Lane in May, but was delayed due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

Announcing the ICC as the ‘gold’ winner in the virtual awards ceremony, the judges said they “welcomed the important role” of the project which served as part of a wider community regeneration programme that was so important.

The Jean Bishop ICC, which was built on the site of the former David Lister School in East Hull, is named after Hull’s ‘Bee Lady’, who has raised more than £125,000 for older people’s charity Age Concern while wearing her trademark bee costume since 2000.

It primarily treats elderly patients with long term conditions, who have been referred to their GP as being at risk of hospital admission.

They are assessed before having an extensive integrated care plan formed and a care coordinator appointed on the same day, with therapists, voluntary services and other specialist services based under one roof, and blood tests and X-rays carried out as required in a one-stop appointment and follow-up care plan.

The ICC is open seven days per week and aims to keep residents fit, out of hospital and independent in their own homes under this new and unique approach to healthcare, with health and social services working hand-in-hand to ensure the whole picture is considered before discharge.

Dr Dan Harman is Consultant Community Geriatrician and Clinical Lead at the Jean Bishop ICC and employed by City Health Care Partnership CIC, which provides the services at the centre.

He said: “The last few months have been very challenging for our staff, but more importantly for our patients.

“In response to the pandemic, we have been working extended hours and collaborating with system partners in health and social care to continue to provide the best care for frail residents across Hull and East Riding throughout the pandemic.

“We are really proud that the team at the Jean Bishop Integrated Care Centre have received this prestigious international award.”

During the first 18 months of operation, outcomes showed the ICC contributed to a local 2.6% reduction in emergency hospital admissions for patients aged 80 and above and an 11.32% reduction in admissions to the hospital’s Accident and Emergency department for patients in care homes following an ICC assessment.

The ICC is also home to Humberside Fire and Rescue Service’s East Hull crew. Building on the success of the fire and rescue service and health-led Hull FIRST Falls Response Team, specially trained fire personnel support community safety and rehabilitation programmes.

Hull City Council gifted the land for the facility, as well as the Newbridge Village social housing scheme for over 65s, and Community Health Partnerships (CHP) invested in the building.

Health estates specialist Citycare has developed over £120 million of new and improved health and wellbeing facilities on behalf of its public sector partners since 2004 and appointed Sewell Construction and Sewell Facilities Management to build and maintain the purpose-built ICC following a robust procurement process.

Alan Johnson, Independent Chair of Citycare and former Health Secretary, said: “This project has completely changed how Hull supports its frail and elderly, and is a fantastic example of what a good PPP in health should be about.

“In a city where people live around 10 years less than their East Riding neighbours, the CCG and local authority have had to explore innovative routes that will make the scale of impact required and enable people to live longer, in their communities, without having to become an emergency admission to hospital.

“Integration has been talked about within the NHS for a long time and this is one of finest examples you will see of that.

“Everyone involved is making a real difference on a daily basis in modern, world class facilities in the heart of Hull.

“To win an international award shines a great spotlight on the city and those working hard within it, and is a great testament to the benefits of true collaboration.”

The ICC was also designed to include a Parkinson’s Disease, Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) and Dementia hub, as well as physical therapy and outpatient services such as cardiology and general medicine, focusing on areas of health care which often affect the elderly.

In addition, the private sector partners achieved significant social benefit during the construction phase, including funding and managing an ‘Arts in Health’ programme with service users to create a welcoming and recognisable space for the local community, achieving 88% local labour from a HU postcode.

Erica Daley, Chief Operating Officer for NHS Hull Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG), who is responsible for commissioning primary care services across the city, said: “I am delighted the Jean Bishop ICC has been recognised on an international stage.

“We are all so proud of the exemplary care given to older people through the service and the difference that it is making to people’s lives. The results we’re seeing from the ICC show the difference we can make by working in collaboration.”