Building on assets: community-led approaches to integration within primary care

The importance for older people’s wellbeing of support from family, friends and informal community networks is well established and reflected in WHO primary care strategies and regional visions for integrated care. In the past, primary care professionals such as general practitioners, community pharmacists and social workers were not sufficiently aware of community assets and how to connect with older people and their families. To address this gap, initiatives such as social prescribing have provided referral pathways, but these are often led by professionalised health and care services rather than the community itself, and do not sufficiently develop local community capacity and skills to respond to the needs of the older population. In Mid and East Antrim, an innovative asset-based project (IMPACTAgewell) has been developed by a community organisation which is led by and responds to the interests of older people. The project facilitates better integration not only between professionals and the voluntary and community sector (VCS) but also between the different professional groups. Core elements of its model are - locality-based inter-professional hubs, skilled community navigation, VCS partnerships, and activity-based resourcing of community assets. External evaluations have reported beneficial experiences for older people and professionals, and a positive return on investment through reductions in use of health and care services. Over the past 12 months IMPACTAgewell has participated in a strategic improvement process in partnership with Improving Adult Care Together, a UK wide centre exploring how evidence can better inform service improvement in practice and strategy. Through engagement with practitioners and older people, the initiative focussed on key aspects of asset-based working which were found to be challenging and / or with opportunities to improve. These included - ensuring that the approach better reflected the diversity of the local population; ensuring that professionals remain engaged despite many pressures on their time and changing organisational contexts; and, that there was support and investment for the VCS. The process was undertaken at a time of unprecedented turmoil in the Northern Ireland policy context which provided additional insights into undertaking primary care improvements within such an uncertain environment. The workshop will share the learning on improving asset-based approaches to integrated care and how evidence can support such initiatives. It will facilitate discussion between participants on how the project insights reflect their experiences, and what helps or hinders asset-based working in their context. Note takers will record table discussions and these will be used as the basis for a perspective article reflecting on the opportunities and challenges of asset-based approaches to integrated care.