NHS Confederation – 5th March 2024
Following the Hewitt review recommendation to consider alternative payment mechanisms within the health system, this discussion paper explores examples of international and domestic payment mechanisms. The paper is intended to support further discussion and debate and to inform future policymaking to support integration.
Read the report – Unlocking reform and financial sustainability: NHS payment mechanisms for the integrated care age
The Medical Technology Group (MTG) – September 2023
There is widespread variation in the instance and quality of meaningful patient involvement across the 42 Integrated Care Systems (ICSs) of NHS England.
This variation is seen throughout the structures, policies, and processes of the ICSs, from the omission of patient representatives on decision-making bodies – such as the Integrated Care Boards (ICBs) – to the neglect of clear consultation when decisions are made concerning a patient’s care.
From the research and analysis conducted by the MTG during the creation of this report, it is apparent that currently it is where a patient lives that is the biggest determinant to whether they are involved in their care meaningfully, or at all.
Read the Report – Delivering meaningful patient involvement: the MTG’s guide for integrated care systems
NHS Confederation – August 2023
This report aims to provide insights into the successes and challenges of integrated care systems (ICSs) one year after their formal establishment. Building on the Hewitt review and through engagement with NHS Confederation members, it identifies key recommendations that the NHS Confederation believes will give ICSs the conditions they need to deliver for the local population they serve.
Read the Report – The state of integrated care systems 2022/23: riding the storm
Care England – July 2023
This study seeks to investigate how Integrated Care Systems have developed since July 2022, with a specific focus on how they have managed and overcome pressures associated with the planning, coordination and commissioning of health and care services. Understanding these systems and their key pressure points will allow wider system partners to steer improvement across regions through best practices and partnerships across both short and long-term pressures.
Read the report – From Inception to Implementation: A Year of Integrated Care Systems
Department of Health and Social Care – 4th April 2023
The Rt Hon Patricia Hewitt was commissioned to lead an independent review of integrated care systems in November 2022.
The review set out to consider the oversight and governance of integrated care systems (ICSs). Each ICS has an integrated care board (ICB), a statutory organisation responsible for developing a plan for meeting the health needs of the population, managing the NHS budget and arranging for the provision of health services in the ICS area. ICBs include representatives from local authorities, primary care and NHS trusts and foundation trusts.
The review covered ICSs in England and the NHS targets and priorities for which ICBs are accountable, including those set out in the government’s mandate to NHS England.
The government is now considering the recommendations made by the review.
The Hewitt Review: an independent review of integrated care systems
NHS Confederation – 23rd March 2023
Summary and analysis of the Care Quality Commission’s update and interim guidance on its approach to assessing integrated care systems. From April 2023, the Care Quality Commission (CQC) will have power to assess integrated care systems, implementing a phased approach to develop the necessary competencies and relationships needed to assess these complex systems. This briefing summarises the interim guidance on the CQC’s approach, and shares the NHS Confederation’s analysis and viewpoint.
Briefing – CQC’s assessment of integrated care systems: what you need to know
Care Quality Commission (CQC) has published an update and interim guidance
House of Commons Public Accounts Committee – 23 January 2023
Integrated care systems (ICSs) are an attempt to bring NHS and local government services together, to improve services and health outcomes for people in their area. This report concludes that the benefits of ICSs for patients have not been made clear and that reform of the NHS will not work until issues in the service are addressed.
Read the Report – Introducing integrated care systems
House of Commons Library | December 2021 | Has the provision of mental health services for children and young people improved?
Four years after the Government’s publication of its green paper on transforming children and young people’s mental health provision in 2017. MPs on the Health and Social Care Committee wanted to review progress and find out how much the Government has achieved on mental health services for children and young people. The Committee have received over 100 written submissions, and have now heard from ministers, experts, service providers, clinicians, practitioners and young people with experience of using mental heath services.
This publication reviews:
Inpatient care
Full details are available from the House of Commons Committees
Has the provision of mental health services for children and young people improved?
NHS England | December 2021 | ‘Together for Devon’ carers hospital scheme attracts 3,000 new members
A new project run by partner organisations in Devon has helped regular users of accident and emergency (A&E) and other emergency services to tackle issues such as housing and finance. Consequently this has improved the lives of these service users, reduced their A&E visits by 60 per cent, and saved taxpayers £200,000.
Full details from NHS England
NHS England | December 2021 | 10 000 people avoid hospital admission thanks to new health approach
An innovative approach to health and social care in Birmingham has helped to prevent more than 10,000 people being unnecessarily admitted to hospital in the last twelve months. Birmingham’s Early Intervention Lead and Birmingham Community Healthcare’s Chief Operating Officer Chris Holt outlined the aims:
‘Our EI goals are to prevent unnecessary hospital admissions and premature admissions to long-term residential care, reduce delays in discharge from hospital and help people to remain as independent as possible in their own home.’
Before, the system was very fragmented with multiple organisations and multiple teams involved. People in elderly care and on longer stay wards could have been better looked after elsewhere, were often delayed leaving hospital and could have achieved a more suitable route out of hospital, better suited to their needs. The EI approach, is a partnership approach which includes 1 000 staff from six organisations across Birmingham joining forces, has also helped to reduce a people’s length of stay in hospital, saving 90,000 bed days a year and ensured that 45 per cent of people are now more likely to go straight home when discharged from hospital instead of being admitted into long-term care. Altogether the EI programme has created a financial benefit valued at £26.7m for the city’s health and social care system enabling more to done within the resources available.
The full story is available NHS England
Quality Improvement News 