Integrated Care System Urgent and Emergency Care Transformation Programme - Mobilisation

The Dorset system has not been able to restore the full end to end UEC (urgent and emergency care) pathway to pre-COVID performance. There has been significant emphasis on improving the UEC pathway, however the rate of improvement is not sufficient to deliver the changes necessary within the financial constraints of all partners.

To address these challenges, partners want to work together as an integrated care system to support more people to live independently at home and experience the high-quality environment and facilities that Dorset has to offer.

A key element of this is working together to ensure that available hospital capacity is used effectively. We need to improve the flow across our hospital system to provide better and more timely outcomes for people, releasing more capacity for elective care and ensuring that sufficient capacity is available to meet urgent care requirements. At the same time, we need to ensure that limited social care resource is used effectively and the assets and strengths of individuals, families and their communities are fully utilised.

To achieve these outcomes, partners committed to a system wide, end to end transformation programme, initially focusing on the urgent and emergency care pathway and that this programme be supported by a 'strategic improvement partner'.

Following a further competition utilising Crown Commercial Service (CCS) Management Consultancy Framework Three (MCF3 Framework) to let a contract to provide transformation support for the diagnostic phase of the Dorset UEC Transformation Programme, Newton were identified as the preferred 'strategic improvement partner' for the Dorset UEC Programme.

The diagnostic exercise has now been completed and the programme has progressed to the design and implementation phase.

Additional information:

Following the diagnostic exercise a delivery plan for the design and implementation phase was agreed incorporating a contingency payment arrangement and a direct award arrangement to Newton utilising the Crown Commercial Service (CCS) Management Consultancy Framework Three (MCF3 Framework). Formal agreement to enter into a partnership agreement and a contract with Newton was sought and obtained from system partners including NHS Dorset, Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole (BCP) Council, University Hospitals Dorset (UHD), Dorset County Hospital (DCH) and Dorset Healthcare. A business case was also presented and approved by the NHSE SW Regional Team.