Integrated and comprehensive care are two necessary concepts to provide quality care, as explained in the VII International Congress Dependency and Quality of Life organized by Fundación Edad&Vida.
And it is that, while the integrated care It refers to the coordination between the health and social systemswhich contemplates the person as a unit, the comprehensive care It refers to the care of the different spheres of the person, such as the physical, social, psychological, emotional and spiritual, among others. The combination of both is “absolutely necessary”as the experts gathered in this forum agreed.
Thus, the congress hosted two sessions in which national and international success stories were analysed. During the discussion on the international practiceschaired by Ignacio Vereterra, manager developmental and moderated by Esther Sarquella, Health Business Development Director for Southern Europe a provider specialized in digital services and solutions for health, care and well-being, explained the experiences in United Kingdom and in a knowledge transfer project from Spain to the US.
Integrated and comprehensive care is essential to provide quality care to people
Ana Maria Miquelcollaborator of the Chair of Innovation and Health Management of the Rey Juan Carlos University, presented a work carried out by the Berkeley University and financed by the robert wood foundation whose objectives were to explore, identify, describe and analyze, through case studies with tangible results, the main innovative integrated care initiatives implemented in Madrid, the Basque Country and Cataloniaand that could be transferred to the United States.
For his part, Robin Miller, co-director of the Center for Leadership in Health and Social Care at the University of Birmingham and co-editor-in-chief of the International Journal of Integrated Care, explained the integrated care model in uk stating that “the four nations of origin of the United Kingdom (Northern Ireland, Wales, Scotland and England) have autonomy to develop their own health and social assistance policies”. In the opinion of this expert, this “has meant a mix of different approaches within each country in the promotion of coordinated and person-centered care”. Furthermore, he revealed that “Integrated care needs trained and committed professionals to provide a good quality of service”.
For his part, rhona radleyManager of Service Improvement at the NHS Calderdale Clinical Commissioning Group, explained the program ‘Quest for Quality in Care Homes’ (search for quality in residential centers, in Spanish), an initiative implemented in Calderdale (United Kingdom). This program is a sample of the benefits of integrated work between health and social care and how technology contributes to it. And this project is based on a Integrated Multidisciplinary Team who supports the GPs and advises the residential center staff in prevention and care “to ensure that the needs of residents are met and that the rules are applied consistently”noted Rhona Radley.
Interesting good practices in Spain
Congress also dedicated a session to the national practices. Pilar Rodriguezpresident of the for Personal Autonomy, explained the project’We take care of youimplemented in Madrid and various municipalities of Vega Baja in Alicante, which aims to improve care and quality of life for people with chronic diseases and dependency, their caring families and professional socio-health teams that work in the field of long-term care (CLD). This initiative applies innovative instruments and techniques typical of the comprehensive and person-centered care model (MAICP), with case management methodology and socio-health coordination, guaranteeing continuity of care.
The experience of socio-health integration in Castile and Leon It was also another example of good practice in caring for people. Carlos Raul de Pablosregional manager of Social Services of the Ministry of Family and Equal Opportunities of the Junta de Castilla y León, indicated that the creation of the ARGOSS technological platformrunning between 2016 and 2019, based on the incorporation of innovative solutions, favors the Simultaneous and synergistic action of health and social services.
This platform intends improve system efficiencyenable the integrated care in any territorial area of the autonomous community, with special attention to rural areas, reducing visits and avoidable displacements of the person for first-level care in the health and social systems, as well as improving the response times of the integrated care in cases that present a need for urgent intervention.
During his speech, Conxita Barbettedirector of the Feixa Llarga “Laia González” Assisted Residence and Day Center in Hospitalet de Llobregat and member of the General Directorate for Social Protection team of the Generalitat de Catalunya, stressed that “the aging of the population in Catalonia, the increase in life expectancy (increase in chronic diseases, frailty and loss of functions), the current profile of the user of nursing homes and their heterogeneity, requires the creation of a new inclusive culture of social and health services in the residential environment.
In this sense, he highlighted Interdepartmental Plan for Care and Social and Health Interaction (PIAISS), which highlights the need to offer a comprehensive and integrated health and social care with the aim of creating a care network between primary care health services and geriatric residences in the territory of Catalonia focused on caring for the person, with a local service, guaranteeing care quality and optimizing public resources.