29th July 2022
Shropshire, Telford and Wrekin (STW) Integrated Care System serves a population of around half a million people and consists of 5 NHS Trusts, 2 Local Authorities and 8 Primary Care networks.
The TU were asked to deliver a comprehensive and compelling System Development Plan for the new STW Integrated Care System (ICS). This plan would be assessed by the Regional NHS England and NHS Improvement Teams to provide assurance on the development of the system against regulatory and expectations and requirements. The plan that the TU produced received glowing feedback and was noted as standing out in terms of its depth, quality and sense of ownership across the whole STW system.
The Challenge
All ICSs were nationally mandated by NHSEI to produce a comprehensive and compelling System Development Plan (SDP). The production of a clear SDP for STW was a critical step in the system’s journey to becoming a fully-fledged statutory ICS in July 2022.
The plan had to tell a credible story of the ICS’s journey to date, as well as effectively describe the robust plans that were in place for the future across the system’s footprint.
STW’s system leaders were clear that as well as meeting the regulatory submission requirements, the plan must also speak to local people and community. The document therefore needed to be accessible and meaningful, as well as achieving the rigour and detail necessary to provide assurance to NHSEI.
Our Approach
We reviewed a wide range of existing documents from across the ICS, as well as all contemporary NHSEI ICS guidance. We built strong relationships with the ICS Programme Director, ICS Programme Manager (CSU Improvement Unit), ICS Project Manager (CSU Improvement Unit), ICS Executives and various system workstream leads, working dynamically and remaining responsive to reviews/updates. We met with key stakeholders across the system to ensure we captured the true ‘story’ of the ICS, allowing regular opportunities for feedback and content development by system stakeholders.
The Outcome
Shropshire, Telford and Wrekin ICS’s System Development Plan received glowing feedback from a number of critical stakeholders. The feedback from the regional team was consistently positive throughout the different mandated submission phases. The SDP was noted as standing out in terms of its depth, quality, and sense of ownership across the whole system.
In addition to strong approval of the plan itself, the TU team also received excellent feedback from the STW ICS team on our collaborative approach, efficient pace, and formidable narrative voice.
We effectively delivered a plan that captured both the essence of the region and its local people, as well as meeting and exceeding the requirements of the regional NHSEI team.