Case Studies
Case Study: North Bristol NHS Trust
We completed a major whole health economy review of acute and community services in Bristol, North Somerset and South Gloucestershire. This included:
- An option appraisal on the overall model of care for acute services including the appropriate number of major hospitals.
- Developing service models for inpatient, diagnostic, outpatient and urgent care services, including significant shifts to community settings from traditional acute sector provision.
- The development of a major Strategic Outline Case.
- Facilitating the health community in undertaking a major public consultation and scrutiny process on all the plans, and selecting the preferred site for a major new acute hospital.
- An option appraisal on the future of cardiac services.
The company was subsequently appointed to support the Outline Business Case for the major redevelopment of Frenchay and Southmead Hospitals as part of the implementation of the review.
Case Study : Foundation Trust Development
Our team brings a wealth of knowledge of the NHS, local health economies, joint working across health and social care, patient and public involvement in healthcare, and most importantly of working with NHSFTs and applicant NHSFTs. For example:
- Developing Service Development Strategies with NHSFTs. Our work has underpinned the development of several well regarded strategies of successful applicants. We led the process which led to the development of the Royal Devon and Exeter NHSFT's SDS - one that is frequently cited as a model for other applicant organisations.
- Whole health community work related to NHSFTs. We are increasingly working with health communities with NHSFTs on the development of their responses to the whole system reform agenda. We developed an excellent understanding of the key issues for local communities from our work with the Department of Health in facilitating major local health economy workshops for both the wave 1 and wave 2 applicants.
- NHSFT development. Our work in facilitating learning sets for NHSFT applicants (including Chief Executives, Project Directors and Chairs) has given us knowledge, from the inside, of the pressures faced by applicant organisations and the learning points we should apply with future applicants.
- Policy and regulatory environment for NHSFTs. Through Bruce Finnamore's role as interim Director of the Foundation Trust Network we have retained and developed our expertise on all issues facing NHSFTs.
Case Study: Barnet and Nottinghamshire PCTs
Our work on strategic planning for Barnet PCT focused on a new and innovative approach to commissioning care in a heterogeneous health system where there is plurality of provision in both the NHS and private sector. This work has included representation from patients and the public and has integrated the services provided by non NHS organisations such as the voluntary sector. It has also considered in detail the opportunities provided by Personal Medical Services and the new General Medical Services contracts for delivery of care closer to patients' homes.
The work resulted in a commissioning framework that will inform the overall PCT strategy for the next five years. It will embrace financial recovery in the face of Payment by Results, Patient Choice and Foundation Trust establishment.
Similarly, we undertook a comparable exercise for the Nottinghamshire health community. Working to the Nottingham City PCT, but on behalf of all the other PCTs in the local health community, we successfully developed a new commissioning framework. Our recommendations were accepted by the Nottingham Health Partnership Board (which has strategic oversight for planning issues in the county) and implementation is being led by a senior member of staff on secondment from the SHA.
Case Study: Gloucestershire health community
During 2000, we worked with the health community in Gloucestershire to develop a future strategy for mental health and learning disability services. The consultation process involved sessions and workshops with all the key stakeholders including an acute trust, a combined trust, a community trust, the Health Authority, Social Services, service users and their carers. The outcome of the project saw all these members of the health community in agreement upon the future delivery of services for mental health and learning disabilities. Particularly significant aspects of the successes achieved here are:
- The successful involvement of all stakeholders across organisational and cultural boundaries.
- The development of a solution to provide the basis for long-term partnership working and development between Social Services, the PCTs and the new Trust.
- The establishment of a new Partnership Trust for Gloucestershire.