Ambition: Joined-up services

We are committed to delivering care that feels connected, coordinated, and centred around the needs of the individual.

Our ambition for joined-up care means breaking down silos between hospital, community, primary care, mental health, and voluntary services — designing pathways around people, not organisations — so patients experience continuity, not fragmentation. We will collaborate with partners to ensure care is equitable, accessible, and responsive, wherever people live. It’s critical we develop our community health services and integrated care models at pace so that we can provide care in the best place for patients — starting the journey towards becoming an integrated neighbourhood health service.

Strategic outcome

Patients experience services that are centred around their needs.

Strategic priorities

• Provide more care closer to home through transformed hospital and community services
• Create new models of preventative care with our partners
• Work closely with our partners to create the conditions for success.

Strategic measures

• Evidence that new services, delivered in partnership, are shifting care ‘closer to home’ for specific cohorts of our population
• Increased use of preventative and proactive services
• Proportion of workforce working in neighbourhood health services
• Reduction in total days that hospital beds are occupied in target patient groups
• Average length of stay in target patient groups
• Percentage of partners reporting positive partnership working.

What does great look like for our patients and families?

• Patients won’t have to repeat their story or chase different services, because everything works together smoothly
• More support is available in local communities, so people can get help where and when they need it
• Everyone gets the same high standard of care, no matter where they live or what their background is.

What does great look like for our staff?

• Staff work closely with colleagues across services, making care smoother and more coordinated for everyone
• Joined-up care helps staff know who’s doing what, reducing confusion and making it easier to solve problems together
• Staff can see the difference they’re making — helping patients get the right care, in the right place, at the right time.

What does great look like for our partners?

• Partners are part of a trusted team working together to design and deliver care that truly meets people’s needs
• Partners benefit from clearer roles, better communication, and joint planning that helps services run more smoothly
• By working closely with us, partners help bring care closer to home and reduce health inequalities — making a real difference where it matters most.

Case study