Hot on the heels of the Hewitt Review and the government’s response, new research from Skills for Health provides a progress report on how ICSs in England are faring as they implement guidance towards the delivery of the NHS Long Term Plan.
All 42 ICSs played a role in developing this report, with 18 ICSs from Cornwall to Humberside contributing directly to the research (individual case studies included), which identifies several key organisational and leadership challenges preventing systems from reaching operational maturity.
In particular, the research focused on the role of clinical and care professional leadership and efforts to embed decision-making at every level to ensure high-quality of care for all.
More than 120 NHS leaders took part in the study over the course of a 12-week period, identifying the following key challenges and lessons learned:
• Insufficient protected time in job roles to support the delivery of clinical and professional leadership development
• A lack of dedicated financial resources to support said initiatives
• Conflicting priorities between system partners, restricting the ability to work beyond organisational boundaries
• Disproportionate engagement across local communities
• Examples of conflicting current and new priorities at a system level
• Barriers to communication and engagement within the health and care workforce.
Chris Burling is Skills for Health’s Principal Consultant and co-author of the report. He explains: “Moving the integrated care agenda forward is complex work, with no standard model of practice, meaning that challenges and barriers to integrating clinical and care leadership at every level highlighted in this report are inevitable.
“Whilst the complexity of the work was consistently matched by the investment in time, energy and commitment of those undertaking the development of a clinical and care professional leadership plan, issues undoubtedly remain.
“That being so, this report seeks to shine a light on the experiences and reflections of the conflicting tensions and complex relationships that are inherent to the delivery of health and care.
“Our hope is that it offers insights, learning and opportunities to help practitioners and leaders as they implement what are critical guiding principles.”
Speaking about the report Jane Lovatt, Associate Director for Multi-Professional Improvement and Engagement at NHS Surrey Heartlands adds: “One year on since ICSs became statutory bodies, this report provides a useful insight into the nature of change across health and care, with a particular focus on multi-professional leadership.
“We are all working with complex issues and the need for long-term cultural change, and the narratives, case studies and experiences shared provide a national learning opportunity to understand localised approaches that could and should be at the root of the ICS model.
“It highlights a number of key challenges and lessons learned regarding the development of clinical and care professional leadership and is therefore a valuable piece of the puzzle for realising the benefits of system ways of working.”
View the Skills for Health Clinical and Care Leadership Guidance Report here.
