Prior to the establishment of Symphony Healthcare Services, NHS England funded the ‘Vanguard’ programme which selected healthcare providers across the country to lead on the development of new care models. It was intended that these would eventually be included in the proposals for the NHS moving forward and become the inspiration for new and better ways of working to the remainder of the health and care system.
Yeovil District Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, together with the South Somerset Federation of GP practices, received Vanguard status during 2015 and under the title of the Symphony Programme, research was completed by the University of York and Oliver Wyman Limited to understand the health economics of South Somerset. This research formed the basis for the “Symphony dataset”, which included the relevant data for healthcare spends across all providers in Somerset.
As a result of this research, new care models were developed, including the creation of Complex Care Hubs and Enhanced Primary Care to strengthen primary care.
As part of the discussions between Yeovil District Hospital NHS Foundation Trust and practices across South Somerset which explored solutions to the challenges faced, a proposal was made to provide practices with the option of integrating into a new and innovative General Practice healthcare company – Symphony Healthcare Services.
