Integrated care systems (ICSs)

Integrated care systems (ICSs) are organisations coming together to plan and deliver joined up healthcare and social services. Improving the lives of individuals who live and work in areas around the country.

Priory aims to support ICSs to:

• Improve population health and healthcare
• Tackle unequal access, experience and outcomes
• Enhance productivity and value for money
• Support broader social and economic development

Within the integrated care system, integrated care boards (ICBs) are responsible for the overarching management and will focus on:

• Meeting the health needs of the population
• Managing the regional NHS budget
• Arranging for the provision of health services across 42 ICB regions within England

Priory is in a unique position in that we can deliver the whole health and social care pathway for an individual, from an acute inpatient episode to the community, providing continuity of care and positive transitions between settings. Our approach is in line with the NHS 10-year plan, which focuses on reducing inpatient beds and caring for a greater number of people within their local community.

Our teams know their service users well, which allows us to find the right community setting for their needs. We begin planning for our service users ongoing care from the moment they are admitted to our services, so they can be cared for in the community as quickly as possible.

When hospital placements are not close to an individual’s home, we are now better placed to create pathways for them through our various NHS partnerships, so that they can be cared for closer to home when they return to the community. Should a service user relapse within the community and need to return to hospital, we are in a position to care for them until they are ready for community living once again.

Bespoke therapeutic placements

At Priory, we have also created bespoke therapeutic placements (BTPs), which mean people with learning disabilities and complex needs, can live in environments designed to their individual’s needs, which mirrors community living as closely as possible.

Provider collaboratives

Provider collaboratives are partnership arrangements involving at least two partners working at scale across multiple places, with a shared purpose and effective decision-making arrangements, to:

• Reduce unwarranted variation and inequality in health outcomes, access to services and experience
• Improve resilience by, for example, providing mutual aid
• Ensure that specialisation and consolidation occur where this will provide
• Better outcomes and value

The aim of an NHS-led provider collaborative is to ensure that those who need specialist mental health care, receive high quality and individualised care, as close to home as appropriately possible, connecting with local teams and their support networks.

At present, Priory partners with 22 provider collaboratives across England, which include:

There are key principles, which underpin the provider collaborative model. These are shown below:

Each provider collaborative is led by an NHS Trust and they are delegated responsibilities from NHS England, which they used to hold. Lead providers are now responsible for the budget for a region, clinical oversight for hospitals and wards, governance, delivering joint objectives, which have agreed between the partners, the principles as mentioned above, and quality assurance.

As a partner of collaboratives, we are proud to help meet the key objectives and shape regional care, within specialised mental health services.

View our nationwide network of NHS hospital. If you would like to discuss any of our services, contact us on 0800 090 1356.

Priory’s robust care pathways

With our Healthcare and Adult Care services both part of Priory, transitions between the two are smoother and more successful. Each individual that we support has a bespoke transition plan, and this personalised approach ensures that whether stepping up or stepping down, people receive the specialist support that they need. We deliver person-centred care that is carefully tailored to the needs of each person and consistently achieves the best possible outcomes.

Adult Care also provides an assessment and transition director who plans and oversees all complex placements, in addition to specialists in areas including autism, learning disabilities and positive behaviour support. Our extensive experience and expertise means that we offer stability and success for those we support.

By supporting people moving from hospital to live more independently, as well as those who are stepping down to a hospital setting, we reduce the likelihood of placement breakdown. Our aim is that people are supported to live the life that they choose in their own homes, in the community.

We provide programmes which integrate healthcare, therapy, specialist residential and supported community living that are tailored according to individual needs.