It’s been a turbulent couple of years in the world of politics. We’re now starting of a new chapter with Liz Truss becoming the UK’s new Prime Minister and Therese Coffey becoming the 3rd Health Secretary this year. The list of major problems they inherit means the turbulence is likely to continue for some time yet. Amongst all the noise, heat and chaos, It would have been easy to have missed some important developments in the ways that healthcare is organised in this country. In England, the Health and Care Act (2022) has come into effect. In Scotland, the Government have initiated plans to create a new National Care Service.
What’s changing?
For the past 30 years, NHS England’s structures and regulations have been designed to utilise competition between providers. Previous Governments believed this would minimise costs, drive efficiency and improve quality. However, despite several restructures over the years, there was a growing consensus that this approach caused more difficulties than it resolved. So, the new legislation introduces a fundamental change. There is a shift from competition between providers to an expectation of collaboration.
The new English structure is based on Integrated Care Systems, covering all aspects of health and social care. It includes the idea of provider collaboratives. These collaboratives are where two or more previously competing NHS Trusts or GP practices work together to utilise the benefits of scale. One example could be collaborating when sourcing deals for purchasing requirements. Buying higher quantities generally leads to a lower price per item. Another example is for independent providers to share staff. They should help reduce locum costs, improve consistency of service delivery, and give a more holistic approach to patient care. Sharing staff could mean you or your colleagues doing sessions in other hospitals at times. Your team may have to adapt to include others in a part-time capacity..
In Scotland, the creation of a National Care Service is now being processed through Parliament. The plan is to have a structure of local Care Boards which mirror the 14 Health Boards of NHS. It’s believed that matching structures and other changes related to defined responsibilities and sharing of information will enable more effective integration between health and social care. Health and social care professions should end up working more closely than ever before.
meantime, both Wales and Northern Ireland continue to develop their systems. The common threads across the UK are integration and collaboration.
So what does this mean for me?
We’ve been busy updating our books and courses to reflect the new system. But such changes are only ever successful if people adapt. Truly adapting goes beyond just knowing and complying with new system. There will inevitably be some snagging issues and the new systems will have it’s own flaws. So change has the best chance of success when people engage to overcome these challenges and adapt to utilise the opportunities created.
Our blog posts often emphasise the importance of good team communication. Doctors have to become experts at joining other teams and welcoming others. These are important elements for producing high quality care and continuity. Increasing integration, increasing sharing of team members and resources mean such expertise is likely to be more important than ever. So too are the skills related to good medical leadership and management.
So what steps are you taking to get to know the new systems? And what steps are you taking to develop your skills to play an active part in making the changes a success?
Stephen McGuire – Managing Director
