Our provider collaboration reviews (PCRs) look at how health and social care providers are working together in local areas. They aim to help providers learn from each other's experience of responding to coronavirus (COVID-19).
Our ambition is to look at provider collaboration across all Integrated Care Systems (ICS) or Sustainability and Transformation Partnerships (STP).
The purpose of the reviews
We aim to share learning between providers to support them:
- to work together effectively and improve people's experiences and outcomes
- as they re-establish regular services
- to help drive improvement ahead of any future pressures (winter or COVID spikes)
What we've done
The PCRs were carried out across 5 phases. For each review we:
- looked at the data we hold together with information held by local inspection teams
- held conversations, focus groups and workshops between inspection teams and providers. We used key lines of enquiry to structure these sessions.
- gathered views from people who use services, using the Healthwatch network.
Participation in the reviews was not mandatory. The findings of the reviews will not affect individual providers’ ratings.
Review phases
The PCRs covered the following topics in five phases:
- Care for older people
- Urgent and emergency care
- Cancer care services and pathways
- Services for people who live with a learning disability in the community
- Services for people with a mental health condition
Phase 1: Care for older people
The first phase looked to understand how care providers have collaborated to improve care for older people, who are most at risk of COVID-19.
What we found
We published our findings in this year’s State of Care report. We found that:
- Understanding local population needs, including cultural differences, was especially important.
- The quality of existing relationships between local providers played a major role in the coordination and delivery of joined-up health and social care services that meet the needs of the local population.
- There was an increased focus on shared planning and system wide governance, but pre-existing plans may not have been fit for purpose to cope with COVID-19.
- Staff across health and social care worked above and beyond their roles – we spoke to dedicated, passionate staff, committed to supporting everyone including people aged 65 and over.
- There was a range of initiatives to ensure the safety and wellbeing of staff working both on the front line and in support services.
- The move to digital working accelerated and impacted on access to services, and more generally digital solutions supported data-sharing and communication between health and social care partners and within health and social care organisations.
You can also read a summary of findings in the September COVID-19 Insight report.
Phase 2: Urgent and emergency care
The second phase looked at urgent and emergency care in 8 areas of England in October 2020.
We wanted to know whether people were getting the right care at the right time and in the right place, and how collaboration across local areas had made a difference.
- Provider collaboration review: Urgent and emergency care
- Learning examples from the review
- COVID Insight: The impact of the pandemic on urgent and emergency services
Phase 3: Ensuring the provision of cancer services
Phase 3 looked at cancer care in 8 areas of England in March and April 2021.
We wanted to know whether people were getting the right care at the right time and in the right place, and how collaboration across local areas had made a difference.
Phase 4: Care for people with a learning disability living in the community during the pandemic
This phase looked at the care and support for people with a learning disability in 7 areas of England in March 2021.
Phase 5: Services for people with a mental health condition
This report looks at mental health care of children and young people in 7 areas of England in June and July 2021.