Can outside consultancies speed up move to integrated care?
The Department for Health and Social Care (DHSC) has sent in management consultants to push four sustainability and transformation partnerships (STPs) towards integrated care system (ICS) status.
The STPs concerned make up the West Midlands NHS region:
- The Black Country and West Birmingham
- Birmingham and Solihull
- Coventry and Warwickshire
- Herefordshire and Worcestershire
According to Health Service Journal (HSJ), the DHSC awarded three-month contracts to two management consultancies, PwC and Optum.
HSJ has asked the DHSC about the value of this contract, but is still waiting for a response.
In May four new integrated care systems were announced, raising the total number of designated ICSs to 14. The list presently stands at:
- Bedfordshire, Luton and Milton Keynes
- Berkshire West
- Buckinghamshire
- Dorset
- Frimley Health and Care
- Gloucestershire
- Greater Manchester
- Lancashire and South Cumbria
- Nottinghamshire
- South Yorkshire and Bassetlaw
- Suffolk and North East Essex
- Surrey Heartlands
- West Yorkshire and Harrogate
- West, North and East Cumbria
Further information
HSJ: Consultancies hired to ‘accelerate’ integration of four STPs
Wellards: NHS England announces four new ICSs