COLLABORATIVE PRACTICE
What is Collaborative Practice?
Collaborative Practice is Altogether Better’s award-winning model, which helps health services and local people find new ways of working together – making a difference to people’s lives, releasing resources, and improving services.
Why do we need a new approach?
The NHS is facing unprecedented challenges, with increasing levels of demand, restricted resources and a high number of people with physical and mental health needs that are not easily met by traditional models of care. Primary care services in particular are struggling. A new social model of health care is needed, one that’s better designed to support people to adapt and cope with long term conditions, loneliness, isolation, anxiety and old age.
Not all of these issues need a medical solution. Most of these things could be improved by offering peer support, giving people the opportunity to make new friends and connections, to get out and about and be more active, and to receive support and information from people tackling the same issues.
“I estimate that 40-55% of patients I see every week could be better supported by someone else – they don’t need to see someone with five degrees.”
A new business model for general practice
Our model is award-winning, and for good reason. It consistently leads to positive outcomes both for individuals and for services.
Collaborative practice releases resources and creates capacity in the system, while providing the social support and connection individuals need to improve their own health. As a result, both services and people become more resilient, and everyone’s lives are improved.
