Recent policy focus
We are constantly working with clients at the leading edge of public sector policy implementation, which places us in a unique position to develop and share insights into the future context of health and social care. Some of the areas on which we have focussed recently are described below. Go to the Learning Centre to download material.
- Intermediate Care
- Continuing NHS Healthcare |
- Functional mental health services |
- Organic mental health services |
- Unscheduled hospital and community care |
Intermediate care
Our work with Intermediate Care has involved service reviews, capacity and performance analysis, organisational change and systems modelling. In all cases we have worked to align and potentially integrate commissioning and provision functions in this increasingly important area of service. Whilst Intermediate Care in it’s strict DH definition has been around for several years people are only now beginning to realise its potential contribution as a broader health and social care tier of service, linking closely with the preventative work of community matrons and the management of long term conditions.
Find information about Intermediate Care
Continuing NHS Healthcare
Whilst this area of service provision is not often top of the local political agenda it presents significant challenges in terms of joint working across agencies and also poses real risk, both financial and legal. Our work has involved both local service redesign and ‘pathway’ development for local teams but also strategic benchmarking of uptake to inform levels of risk associated with alignment of policy and practice.
Find information about Continuing NHS Healthcare
Download WSP's response to the Department of Health consultation on Continuing Care
Functional mental health services
The delivery of a modern functional mental health service is increasingly being seen in the context of localisation and practice based commissioning. Greater alignment and integration of primary and community mental heath services as well as recognition of the vital importance, at this local level, of horizontal working with a wide range of statutory and public agencies can mean a radical overhaul for the ‘traditional’ model of mental health provision. We have worked with clients to engage with local stakeholders and fundamentally redesign the organisation and delivery of functional mental health services, as well as defining the overall strategic commissioning framework, benefits and outcomes that need to drive this change.
Organic mental health services
An ageless and locally integrated organic mental health service has proved an illusive goal. We have worked with a wide range of clients to move significantly toward realising this goal.
Find information about mental health services
Unscheduled hospital and community care
WSP has undertaken significant modelling activity, engaging with local stakeholders to explore and map local systems, with a view to appropriately sizing different parts of the system. A particular element of this work, in a number of cases, has been the linkage of service development, performance and workforce planning – an alignment that is almost universally missing from current planning arrangements.
Find information about unscheduled care