In January 2007, the Board of Wiltshire Primary Care Trust agreed a vision for the future which is based on the delivery of a new style health service across the county. This aims to manage more people in the community in a safe and caring environment. Integral to the realisation of this vision has been the introduction of the Neighbourhood Teams.
The development of a comprehensive single point of access offering referral management support was an essential component of these changes. Access to Care is an interim project to develop and implement a single point of access for Wiltshire which became operational on the 2nd July 2007.
Wiltshire Medical Services (WMS) have been asked to develop and manage the service. At this stage of the project many of the clinical staff are seconded from Wiltshire Community Health Services, the ’arms length’ provider arm of the PCT and the Great Western Ambulance Service NHS Trust (GWAS) have been subcontracted to provide the initial call handling.
Initially, the main focus of Access to Care was managing referrals into the newly formed Neighbourhood Teams. Gradually, the scope of the service has broadened to incorporate the roles outlined elsewhere (please see the Key Objectives on the Home page).
