To achieve our vision we know we need to make fundamental shifts in how we work. As such, we have defined three priorities that will underpin all of our activity over the next five years, these are:
- We will deliver our clinical priorities and improve outcomes for our population
- We will make the Black Country and West Birmingham the very best place to work
- We will create a sustainable and effective system
How we will deliver our priorities
In order to deliver our system priorities, we have drafted a set of five system principles that will support and guide the approach of our system. These are:
1. Focus on long-term collaboration
Changing how we work, for example, acting in collaboration rather than competition across providers, requires us to focus on transforming the culture of our organisations more than their structures. We see our role as protecting the resources we have – people, economic, environmental – and ensuring that we provide the taxpayer with the maximum value for their investment.
2. Health and social care act as one
Patients should not be impacted when crossing from NHS services to council services. Health and social care will work together to design services at regional, system and place levels to deliver person-centred care.
3. All providers will work as a network around an identified need
We will be clear on the scope of our activities for a particular condition or population and how our activity adds value to the treatment people receive. This will create networks of providers around an identified need, working together towards an agreed set of outcomes and objectives. Together, the networks will be responsible for how resources are invested, for reducing duplication and getting the most value from services.
4. Ensure each individual makes decisions to optimise personal value
In the NHS Long Term Plan, there is considerable focus on personalised care and prevention. We will make sure that services are set up so that individuals can make decisions that allow them to get the most value from that service, and can make decisions that keep them healthier for longer.
5. We will take collective responsibility for our success and failures
System working means collective responsibility across all areas of service delivery. Our system governance enables shared decision-making, so the outcomes of our decisions will also be shared. Our approach will be centred around a culture of transparency and learning.
