Integrated care boards (ICBs) in England are being forced to restructure by NHS England (NHSE) as part of cost-cutting measures. NHSE is arguing that resources would be better spent in frontline care, and is therefore mandating that ICBs trim down on staff numbers and other organisational spending in order to achieve savings.
In this article we will explore the structure of an integrated care board, as well as the proposed restructuring from 2023 that is being followed through on in 2024/25. We will explore the running costs of ICBs, offering some comparison to past iterations of Care Commissioning Groups (CCGs), and conclude with the point of the restructuring – workload management – and whether this is actually improving matters or short-sighted; saving £1 now to spend £2 later.
ICB and PCN funding opportunities present significant chances to develop and digitally transform primary care networks and services. When leveraged correctly, these new funding opportunities can bring about widespread benefits. These funding streams facilitate necessary changes to transform care and support services across primary care settings, enabling a better response to the challenges across the health and social care market and your local community.
One of the most exciting aspects of new primary care funding opportunities is the encouragement of greater collaboration and co-production between ICBs and PCNs. This collaborative approach helps to better address community needs whilst achieving regional, national, and long-term goals to recover access to primary care.
Despite the cancellation of the £300 million digital pathways framework due to delays from legal challenges, NHS England has enhanced its national support offer. This includes a £48 million reimbursement fund derived from the Primary Care Access Recovery Plan (PCARP) with the aims of supporting Integrated Care Boards (ICBs) and Primary Care Networks (PCNs) to improve patient access, streamline care navigation, and enhance overall healthcare delivery through advanced digital solutions.
But what exactly is this fund? How does the new funding work? And most importantly, how can it be used, and how long will it last?
At Access Elemental Social Prescribing, we understand the importance of securing multiple-funding stream sources to ensure the sustainability of support services. We know that maximising the benefits of the funding received is equally crucial to achieving the best outcomes for patients, communities, and the workforce.
In this article you will learn all about the new PCN and ICB fund that is available and the best ways to use it to improve patient outcomes by managing demand and capacity more effectively.
By onboarding the best EHR system, a healthcare provider can ensure that their clinicians are able to provide care to the best of their ability thanks to high quality solutions supporting their actions. Knowing which solution to choose and which software provider to partner with though… that’s another challenge.
For the uninitiated, we have an introductory article titled electronic health records explained, which explains the EHR systems meaning but also how to use EHR systems, the role of integrated EHR systems, and the distinction between standard health records and mental health EHR systems.
In this article we move beyond providing a foundational education regards electronic health records and EHR systems and on to the action part; deciding which EHR system is best for you. We discuss the implementation process, the distinction between web-based EHR systems and other iterations, and the costs typically involved. We round out by talking about selection; a look at well known providers that you can trust, as well as ways of better ascertaining which providers are most suited to your wants and needs.
Social prescribing in Wales is not new but has evolved significantly over the years as limitations of traditional healthcare approaches have been acknowledged.
Following multiple pilots and projects proving the outcomes for social prescribing in Wales, this person-centred approach has continuously been encouraged by being embedded in general policies of health and wellbeing in Wales.
But what is it? How does it work? And what examples of good practices are there to help facilitate and develop your service to grow successfully and be sustainable in the future?
At Access Elemental Social Prescribing, we know the challenges that can happen when trying to co-produce social prescribing services and we want you to gain the best knowledge and advice to overcome these challenges.
By the end of this article, you will know all there is to know about how the National Framework for Social Prescribing in Wales was developed and how it has helped individuals in Wales have better access to support to improve their mental health and wellbeing in Wales.
By explaining the benefits of digital social prescribing, this article will also summarise how Welsh social prescribing can be more sustainable to best secure future funding.
Last week we had the pleasure of attending the Digital Healthcare Show at the Excel, London. We met hundreds of individuals as passionate about the healthcare sector as we are, and we also had the chance to attend some fascinating, insightful talks from industry pioneers who have spent their fair share of time on the frontlines.
The topic of NHS staff retention is a tricky one. It’s not that the NHS isn’t a popular public healthcare organisation in the UK, and certainly it’s one of the largest employers nationally. The challenges of staff retention come because of how vital it is to the population, and the demands that come with it.
NHS staff burnout is becoming a widely discussed subject matter. Clinicians in particular are walking away from public healthcare because of the strain NHS health and care work is having on their lives and their wellbeing – whether physical or mental. A 2023 article from The Guardian newspaper stated that a record 170,000 NHS staff quit from NHS England, whilst NHS staff burnout statistics published in the New Statesman report that more than three-quarters of NHS staff have considered quitting due to burnout.
Beyond quitting, there are plenty of NHS staff off sick with stress. Issues with proper management and discipline have seen spikes in cases of NHS staff bullying, but even then, some of that comes from stressed management scrambling to meet standards whilst being short staffed or on a tight budget.
NHS bank staff are people who can work flexibly for a trust or health board within the UK, and this accommodation of their personal lives is certainly one way to support NHS staff retention, but it’s not enough on its own. In this article we discuss the NHS staff retention report, the challenge of staff vacancies, how the NHS can improve staff retention – and any associated strategies – before delivering our take on what the next step should be.
Collaboration is not a new concept, but NHS England mandated as of July 2022 that all NHS trusts providing either acute care or mental health services must join a provider collaborative.
This was done in the same move that introduced integrated care boards and integrated care systems, and it’s within these systems that provider collaboratives sit; another aspect of joined-up operations designed to reduce waste and improve efficiency within an ever-busier NHS.
Due to devolution, many NHS changes start out in NHS England (NHSE) first, so NHS trusts were chosen to be the starting point and to work with community trusts, ambulance trusts, and the VCSE sector (where appropriate) in order to enhance care provision and service availability via better leverage of finances.
In this article we will look at what provider collaboration looks like; how collaboration is organised, who manages it, who has the authority, and the benefits involved. We’ll also offer guidance on how these groups could improve their cooperation and open more channels of communication, but first, lets explain what provider collaboratives are.
Fuel banks, sometimes called warmbanks, are simple but innovative solutions to protect people from fuel poverty. No one should be forced to choose whether to put food on the table or heat their homes.
It is estimated that currently, between 4.1 million and 7.3 million households are living in fuel poverty, with half of these households expected to be family homes with young children.
Living in cold homes can be detrimental to both an individual’s physical and mental health regardless of their age and it is estimated that fuel poverty is costing the NHS an estimated £1.4 billion a year.
Fuel banks therefore offer a solution to enable individuals to live in happier, healthier, and warmer homes by addressing how someone’s health starts at home and offering solutions to overcome the current housing issues facing the UK to prevent further deterioration of health.
But what are fuel banks? How do they work? And how can they reduce the increasing public health pressures on the NHS?
By the end of this article, you should know everything about fuel banks including how they work, who funds them, and most importantly who can use them and where to find them. In this article, we will also explain how social prescribing in housing can also help fuel banks develop further so more people in need can be helped to prevent further dependency on primary and emergency care.
Fuel poverty can be defined in multiple ways across the UK. The fuel poverty strategy across England specifically focuses on prioritising low-income households for energy efficiency support aimed at reducing income poverty.
It is estimated that 6 million UK households are currently in fuel poverty, unable to afford to heat their homes to a temperature needed to keep warm and healthy, a 2 million household increase since 2021.
But what is fuel poverty? What causes fuel poverty, what are the impacts, and how can fuel poverty awareness be raised to help increase funding and tackle fuel poverty so everyone can live in warmer, healthier, and safer homes?
At Access Elemental Social Prescribing, we know how the wider social determinants of health impact physical and mental wellbeing, with housing being a main example.
This article will explain how fuel poverty is defined and measured, what causes it, the outcomes, and methods to tackle fuel poverty to improve quality of life.
By explaining the benefits of social prescribing in housing, this article will explain how providing the right support helps to tackle fuel poverty by not just supporting households now but in the future too.
Integrated Care Systems (ICS) were introduced to connect the newly formed Integrated Care Boards (ICBs) and local authorities, enabling a more seamless healthcare service which could then give better visibility of the needs of patients and allow NHS organisations to more effectively meet these needs and provide the right high-quality care - with the ultimate goal of helping more people and to a greater degree of success.
In the words of NHS England: “Integrated care is about giving people the support they need, joined up across local councils, the NHS, and other partners. It removes traditional divisions between hospitals and family doctors, between physical and mental health, and between NHS and council services.”
ICSs began in July 2023 but were first proposed in February 2022, when the UK Government published its ‘Joining up care for people, places and populations’ whitepaper, which laid out new plans for the integration of health and social care in England and how ICSs can bring this together in line with the NHS Long Term Plan.
Local authorities and NHS England are working closely together but there is still a long way to go due to further government reform, funding changes and internal goals and targets. This is affecting the speed and timing for when these changes can be implemented and we are still feeling the disruption post-pandemic.
In this article we will explore the annual priorities of an Integrated Care System and how these goals are set and ranked. We will also discuss the hangover effect of Covid-19 and the strain on the NHS, the challenges of ongoing digital transformation, and the role providers such as The Access Group can have in aiding an ICB in delivering quality care to their local area.
