Partners come together to focus on improvements in frailty care across Cheshire and Merseyside

More than 60 colleagues from across the NHS, local authorities and partner organisations recently came together to explore how Cheshire and Merseyside can improve care and support for people living with frailty.

Held at Liverpool's Cunard Building on Friday 5 June, the frailty improvement workshop brought together professionals from across the system to share expertise, discuss common challenges and identify opportunities to work more effectively across multiple organisations.

Supporting people living with frailty is one of the key priorities in NHS Cheshire and Merseyside’s Five-Year Commissioning Plan.

Figures show that more than 800,000 people across Cheshire and Merseyside are living with frailty.

In the last 12 months alone, more than 126,000 attended A&E, while there were more than 62,000 emergency admissions involving people living with frailty.

Delegates explored frailty through the lenses of population health, primary care and social care, while colleagues from Greater Manchester, Liverpool City Region, East Cheshire and the Cancer Alliance shared their experiences of improving care and outcomes for people living with frailty.

Participants also heard directly from people with lived experience through a video exploring what living with frailty is like from the perspective of a carer.

A key theme throughout the day was the importance of listening to the voices of patients and carers.

Feedback highlighted the need for care that feels joined up, with better coordination between services so people do not have to repeat their story across different services.

Patients and carers had also stressed the importance of clear, accessible communication and greater support to help them navigate a complex health and care system.

Following the workshop, a Cheshire and Merseyside Frailty Collaboration will be developed, building on the strong work already taking place across the system, taking forward new ideas from the workshop, and scaling and spreading best practice across organisations.

Find out more about NHS Cheshire and Merseyside and partners will support people living with frailty in the Five-Year Commissioning Plan.