Alastair Mitchell-Baker

I’ve finally had the chance to dive into Lord Ara Darzi’s compelling examination of the NHS in England: Independent investigation of the National Health Service in England.

Recently, we have worked on multiple assignments helping several different clients with their challenges in Learning Disability & Autism services.

Provision of health and social care in the UK is at an inflexion point, with internal and external reports of the NHS referencing it as ‘breaking’ and general election debates highlighting the central importance of the topic to the British electorate. 

In recent weeks, many of us have soaked ourselves in the Olympics, and if one thing is clear from that, ‘it’s not how you start that count but how you finish.

Over our almost 20-year existence as a consultancy, working in and across health and care has been the mainstay of our work.

The East of England NHS Region set an ambitious goal to achieve zero avoidable episodes of inpatient care for people with learning disabilities and/or autism (LD&A).

Multi-Disciplinary Team (MDT) working is increasingly recognised as a key enabler of integrated, patient-centred care in the NHS.

Tricordant worked with the Partners and leadership team of Brookside General Practice, which has a list size of 31,000 patients, to support their leadership transition to a new Partnership portfolio model and a new service model based around multi-disciplinary Patient Health Teams.

Tricordant helps clients navigate complex transformations and achieve sustainable success.

BMS World Mission, a Christian mission organisation, was at a pivotal juncture in executing its five-year strategy amidst a volatile, uncertain, complex, and ambiguous (VUCA+) global context.

Tricordant were commissioned by a County Council and Integrated Care Board (ICB) to review the system governance and planning for services for individuals with learning disabilities and/or autism (LD&A).

Suffolk County Council and Suffolk and North East Essex Integrated Care Board were committed to working with partners to improve support for adults with learning disabilities and/or autism.

Norfolk and Waveney Integrated Care System (ICS) recognised the need to transform their community services to better meet population needs.

People with learning disabilities and autism face major health inequalities like poorer mental health, lower life expectancy, and a higher risk of early death compared to the general population.

Leaders often tell us that they are dealing with what can sometimes feel like unprecedented complexity and a heap of competing demands to manage, with precious little time to process and think through how best to take their team or organisation forward. 

Innovation in health and care is inherently complex and challenging. It requires alignment of information, attention and investment across multiple sectors from government, academia and science, health and care service delivery, and private sector providers, across domains such as estate, digital, technology and workforce.

While the UK has an impressive track record in scientific discovery, a major obstacle has been translating those discoveries into innovations widely adopted and disseminated across the healthcare system.

Across the diverse communities of Wessex, healthcare leaders recognized the immense potential of harnessing the region’s research and innovation capabilities to drive improvements in health and care.

Organisation Matters Episode 3-Strategic thinking in the NHS.

Navigating strategy in complex systems is a daunting task that requires a nuanced understanding of the intricate dynamics at play.

In this series, we’re exploring how we hold the tension between “where on earth are we going” and “just do something”.

Organisation Matters Episode 2-Making space for strategic thinking in today’s NHS

Let’s follow our theme of uncertainty and scenario planning a little further. Like our own Century, the 20th Century was birthed in volatility and spectacular innovation and soon descended into war.

In my last one-minute read, I set out why I believe strategy development is as critical today as ever.

We know powerful visions unleash organisational creativity and energy.

Leadership is never easy. We are always having to hold competing and what often feels like irreconcilable tensions.

The UK charity is a member of a global alliance of Christian charities seeking to serve practically across the globe. Their prior strategic plan had served them well, but the challenging and changing context meant they knew they needed to undertake a systematic strategic review.

In April 2021, Tricordant was commissioned by NHS England and Improvement East of England to undertake a rapid Review of the Integrated Care System (ICS) boundaries across the East of England, focusing on 4 ICSs which were not coterminous with upper-tier local authorities.

The Southend, Essex, and Thurrock (SET) system’s mental health strategy required a refresh. Additionally, they recognised that their current strategy had not been fully implemented for a range of reasons, including the COVID-19 pandemic.

In the final 1 minute read on the topic of new Integrated Care Systems developing across health and care in England, I want to focus on one of the key opportunities: enhancing place-based working.

I am continuing to think about the new Integrated Care Systems developing across health and care in England following their statutory go-live on 1st July, with many challenges facing them common to many large and complex systems, whatever the sector. In the last 1-minute read, I explored how leadership in complex systems needs to and can develop a shared sense of belonging, particularly drawing from learning from working with the Suffolk and North East Essex Integrated Care System. Today, I am thinking about one of the other challenges: how to do things effectively at scale.

I am continuing to think about the new Integrated Care Systems developing across health and care in England following their statutory go-live on 1st July. The challenges facing them are common to many large and complex systems, whatever the sector. In the last two 1 Minute reads, I explored what sort of leadership such large, complex and messy systems need. I introduced the idea of holding tensions illustrated by Peter Kestenbaum’s Leadership Diamond and the concept of collective leadership.

I am continuing to think about the new Integrated Care Systems developing across health and care in England following their statutory go-live on 1st July. The challenges facing them are common to many complex ‘eco-systems’ whatever the sector.

The new Integrated Care Systems are developing across health and care in England following their statutory go-live on 1st July. Of course, Wales and Scotland have long had more integrated statutory planning and delivery arrangements.

This summer saw the go-live of new statutory ‘Integrated Care Systems’ (ICSs) from 1st July 2022 – arguably the third great revolution following the 1948 launch of the NHS, the introduction of general management and the internal market in the 1990s.

Tricordant was commissioned to support the ‘Most Capable Provider Steering Group,’ since renamed the Accountable Business Unit (ABU) Development Steering Group.

The Design Opportunity for the Future ICS – A Tricordant Thought Paper

Alastair Mitchell-Baker continues our series on the development of integrated care in England.

It is so easy for large complex organisations and systems to lose sight of why they exist.

Alastair Mitchell-Baker kicks off a new series on the development of integrated care in England. As the government introduces legislation, we will be exploring different aspects of ICS development over the coming months.

Designed correctly, Integrated Care Systems (ICSs) should deliver care more responsively and effectively than anything to date.

Dr Nicola Decker, an experienced GP clinical leader, shared her early thoughts on the challenge of ICS leadership.

Jacqueline Totterdell set the context for this important work, one of the top three priorities for the St George’s Hospitals Trust Board.

Oil and Water: reflections from research into the introduction of self-management teams in NHS community services.

Two metaphors around elephants and icebergs played out as we explored the often nebulous but still critical topic of culture…