Provider collaboration in urgent and emergency care

Published: 23 September 2020 Page last updated: 12 May 2022

Our provider collaboration reviews (PCRs) explore how systems have worked to meet the challenges posed by the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.

Our ambition is to look at provider collaboration across all systems. This will be by Sustainability and Transformation Partnerships or Integrated Care System areas.

The first 11 reviews focused on health and social care services for the over-65 population. We shared early headlines from the work and examples of some of the good practice we’ve encountered in the most recent COVID-19 Insight report. We will publish our full findings in October.

The next phase of PCRs will focus on urgent and emergency care in eight systems:

  • Cheshire and Merseyside Health and Care Partnership
  • Hampshire and the Isle of Wight
  • Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly
  • Northamptonshire Health and Care Partnership
  • Herefordshire and Worcestershire
  • East London Health and Care Partnership
  • Suffolk and North East Essex
  • West Yorkshire and Harrogate

We will look at how providers are working together to deliver urgent and emergency care services in light of coronavirus, to share learning to support with the challenges of a second peak and winter pressures on the health and care system.

For each review we will interview a range of providers, including:

  • NHS 111
  • Primary care
  • Out of hours
  • Urgent treatment centres
  • Accident & Emergency
  • Ambulance services.

We will also speak to providers such as care homes and domiciliary care agencies. These services are likely to experience urgent and emergency care services.

The views of people who use services are important to this work. We are strengthening this aspect of the reviews. This includes working with Experts by Experience and local Healthwatch to explore how we can engage with local patient forums and user groups.

The fieldwork for the next phase of PCRs starts in early October. We will share the findings with the systems involved to help inform their winter planning. We will publish a headline summary of the findings in December and a national report in January 2021.